(label)
15 March 2011 (released)
14 March 2011
As far as innovation in the music industry goes, you have to give massive credit to RIZ MC. It’s pretty rare you come across something truly unique but Dark Hearts from the debut MICroscope fits the bill. And with his debut album already receiving rave reviews, it seems that RIZ MC could enjoy success as a solo artist, adding to his achievements as an actor too.
Without seeing the video and promotional material, I didn’t honestly have a clue what was going on in Dark Hearts. The genre suggests on the press release states futuristic grime, and after a few listens you definitely get a sci-fi vibe from Dark Hearts. It’s not your usual grime, noticeably the pace is much more varied and the backing music is well, bizarre until you acclimatise yourself to the sound. Once you get passed the confused factor of the track you begin to notice some impressive subtleties, whether that be RIZ MC having a decent vocal range for grime more befitting R n B or the effect his management have gone to in cultivating his persona. Check out the video on Youtube (link below) and note the impressive homage to Bladerunner in the video.
Despite all the good work that has gone into Dark Hearts, it’s debatable whether RIZ MC is effective without a music video or flashy website to really understand the genre. The music is far from instant and does take time before you get the jist of what it’s all about. Although there is plenty to admire here the grime genre is notorious for creating instant hits rather than tracks that grow and based on that this simply doesn’t fit the bill. Good work but without all the visual aids, it’s far less effective.
The good news is you can download MICroscope free! The entire album is available free from www.rizmc.com/lab. Be warned though, as flashy and impressive the website appears, its more complicated than watching Fraiser after a 24 hour bender.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Jdb3rEYdg
http://twitter.com/lordzola
