Londoner Yemi Olagbaiye is the model of a new generation musician for whom the dissolution of genre categories means not homogenisation but an opportunity for greater individuality. Olagbaiye grew up playing guitar music, then moved on to drum'n'bass, but really found his voice when he moved into a fusion of electronic and organic instruments, inspired on the one hand by UK garage and its offspring (dubstep, grime, funky), and on the other by the neo-psychedelia of Radiohead, Four Tet and Caribou.
Watch Blacksmif's "...And the Sun Rose Out"
His productions are lush and immersive, but unlike a great deal of "post dubstep" electronica there's nothing washed-out or polite about them: his bass tones retain the aggression of his drum'n'bass past, and the narrative twists and turns of his tracks' structures are often as disturbing as they are seductive.
It has caught the attention of radio DJs including Radio 1's Rob Da Bank and XFM's Mary Anne Hobbs, who described it as "absolutely phenomenal" and has invited Olagbaiye to record a half hour session for her show this coming weekend. His debut EP (pictured right), featuring "...And the Sun Rose Out" is released to download this Friday.
