Project Mayhem - Creative Destruction
"I'm sick of it all. I'm sick of the planet living in war." - Project Mayhem, "Sick"
Frustration. An uncomfortable reminder of climate change has literally rained down on Britain leaving large patches of the country under water. Any feeling of satisfaction at seeing Tony Blair ushered out of 10 Downing street was immediately muted as Gordon Brown walked up to its' threshold and placed his meaty hand on the knob (so to speak). Both the crime capital and murder capital belonging to two British cities, London and Glasgow respectively, it can only be said that we're in bad shape. To cap it all off in the last week two car bombs were discovered in London's West End. The following day a burning car crashed into Glasgow airport.
And the Spice Girls have reunited. Things are looking grim.
Enter Project Mayhem. The name lifted from a division of Tyler Durdens' nihilistic clan from Fight Club, we can only expect something dark, something morbid, something brimming with despair and anger. Furthermore, the groups debut EP is titled Creative Destruction, and it serves as an uncomfortable reflection of the state of Britain today.
But despite said pessimism the eight track EP is overflowing with quality music, from emcee Boomsticks' sharp lyrics, Redragons' impressive production and Versatiles' scratching. Many bodies of work have emerged in the last few years reflecting the chaotic and near apocalyptic state of the world, from El-P's latest opus, I'll Sleep When You're Dead, to Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero, or fellow Drop Zone label mate Lokis' terrific Friendly World. This is a welcome edition to the soundtrack of (what I'm hoping are not) the end of times.
The political and/or nihilistic angle aside it comes as somewhat of a surprise how thoroughly enjoyable this short collection of songs actually are. The Middlesbrough/Glasgow/Inverness crew present us with what can only be described as good old fashioned Hip Hop music: dope beats, rhymes and scratching. It's music for people that just want to hear ill emcees spit on hard beats.
The presence of turntablism will either serve the listener as a welcome return of an element of Hip Hop culture that is increasingly absent from today's releases, or as a throwback, one that may feel dated. Whatever way you may feel about Versatiles' contribution to the EP it is well executed and never overbearing. To this reviewer it works as a perfect way of reintroducing the element of Hip Hop that birthed our entire culture (wikipedia Kool Herc if you are any doubt).
"Fire From The Rooftops", a collaboration with Philadelphia emcees Tarp and Doap Nixon (recently featured on the latest Bring Da Ruckus podcast), is a stand out and a perfect example of sharp lyrics spilled all over a heavy and threatening beat. "Sick" and "Yeah!" equally deserve to appear in great frequency on mixtapes throughout the country. In fact, there is not a weak moment on the disc.
My immediate reaction was that the EP was too short. It isn't. I just want to hear more. In a similar vein, Boomstick - a compelling and charismatic emcee - never does quite open up and get as personal as one might hope. As brilliant as the guest spots are, they seem to crowd out the opportunity for him to flesh out more of his character. I am knit-picking, however, like an impatient child I just want a full length album of similar quality.
Ultimately Creative Destruction serves as good omen of what is to come on Drop Zone. These eight nuggets of Hip Hop dopeness suggests that, along with new music expected from Loki and Eastborn, the label may very well be poised to become one of the defining voices of British Hip Hop music.
More importantly, however, the EP suggests that Project Mayhem are a force to be reckoned with, a trio well worth paying close attention to. It's apocalyptic character aside, it feels like the beginning of something. We'll have to wait to see exactly what that is. In the mean time Creative Destruction offers us exactly what the introductory first track promises: front row seats to this theatre of mass destruction.
Review by John Reed Spiers
