| 01 | | Shapeshift
| | | | | | | 02 | | Shapeshift (Kwes Rework)
| | | | | | | 03 | | Shapeshift (Eli-T Remix)
| | | | | | | 04 | | Shapeshift (Ghostapes Savage Replicants Mix)
| | | | | | | 05 | | Shapeshift (Instrumental) | | | | | |
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“Let’s go back, back. Back/ To when I used to shapeshift and shift right back”
Welcome please, to the world of Kieren Dickens aka DELS. The young MC has been creating a buzz ever since John Peel heard him as a teenager and put him on the radio. Now he’s ready to re-write the rules of rap in the UK in a way that hasn’t happened for years.
“Shapeshift” is a perfect place to start. The beat is courtesy of long-time collaborator Joe Goddard, better known for his work as part of Hot Chip. Goddard hooks up some ultra-squelchy, off-kilter electronic madness (as well as dropping in to deliver a poker-faced middle 8). Over it, DELS does what he does best, in this case taking us back to a childhood in which his biggest dream was to be able to turn into something else. It’s a proper recollection of childhood, its fears and well as its fun, not one of those fake lists of vintage products like Raleigh Grifters. DELS slams it out in a clear voice which shows the influence of Grime, while the cleverness of his punch lines and metaphors show he ain’t kowtowing to any of the many cliches of the form.
Remixes come from a wide range of sources. Kwes is another producer intimately involved with the creation of DELS’ forthcoming album and here he builds a tower of eccentric stabs around the vocal, a carnival procession of aural imagination. The hotly-tipped Ghostape, on the other hand, breaks the vocal down into its constituent elements for a delicate future-World rhythm session. Eli T and Dels himself then turn the original into a reggaefied wobbler. And if that weren’t enough, a Micachu remix and revox is due soon.
So that’s the audio, but don’t stop there. DELS has also made a video in collaboration with highly rated design duo Us, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s one of the best promos we’ve seen in ages. We’re not going to say any more but please, please check it!
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