Bleep

London artist Gaika follows up his debut mixtape MACHINE with another fascinating mesh of UK-centric bass sounds, industrial textures, R&B echoes and Southern trap flavours. At the centre of SECURITY lies Gaika’s incredible voice, some sort of dancehall/grime hybrid but capable of covering a wide range of stylistic approaches. He’s also very talented at harnessing the voices of others – from frequent Bug collaborator Miss Red to Manchester drum & bass MC Trigga, all the featured artists contribute immensely to the success of the album. Production highlights are plentiful – ‘GKZ’ mixes Atlanta rap and John Carpenter synths, while ‘In Between’ owes something to the more colourful strains of grime coming out of the UK right now. ‘Last Dance At The Baby Grand’ is a strange and affecting detour into ballad territory, and one of many example of Gaika’s versatility.