Occasionally sounds from the dance underground come blasting into the wider pop world through sheer zest. It’s not that these tunes veer from the essential clubland blueprint of simply keeping the dancefloor full – as opposed to rock’n’pop’s focus on songs and melody – but that their ebullience makes them irresistible to a wider audience than was ever anticipated. Think of The Prodigy, Chase & Status or Dizzee Rascal’s “Bonkers” and now add Sleepin’ Giantz to the list.
Sleepin’ Giantz do not have major-label backing so may not be thrust immediately into the wider limelight but, musically, they’re ripe and ready. The group consists of Zed Bias, AKA London producer Dave Jones who has dabbled in drum & bass, breakbeat and, most notably, the gnarlier end of the south London style known as “UK garage”, and two MCs with a solid reputation, Rodney P and Fallacy. Back in May the single “Badungdeng” marked out Sleepin’ Giantz as ones to watch, a monstrous thumping amalgam of breakbeat, grime and tough contemporary rave, but without any of the auto-tuned sweetness and clean sheen that has lately invaded post-dubstep styles.
The debut album shows the trio are as interested in brutal urban commentary as hot beats, and songs such as “And The Ting Went…”, “Hand Grenade” and “Raving Bully” somehow sit comfortably alongside raw hand-in-the-air blasters such as “MC Pt.1” and “Draw For Tha Zee”. The microphone duo draw sparks, pushing each other to greater heights, and Bias is at the peak of his game, providing a backdrop that restlessly dips into the tougher end of his stylistic spectrum. One song is called “Mucky” and the album is mucky, in that it has grit, dirt and thick seams of appealing darkness. Sleepin’ Giantz understand that club sounds are a palette and that genre is to be ignored. They pluck out what they need, magpie-like, and come up with something fiery and original.
Listen to “Badundeng”
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