royal-t 12 inch number one marks the rinse debut of southampton native mark taylor, aka royal-t. as part of a wave of newer producers devoting their attention to the art of the grime instrumental, the last eighteen months have found taylors sound making bold leaps into the future. a regular fixture on rinse fms weekly butterz show, and a prominent feature of elijah & skilliams explosive recent rinse:17 mix cd (including a remix for wiley, and a production on p money & blacks >boo you<), taylors production style melds the raw, rapid-fire energy of grime to the infectious flex of classic two-step. all wrapped in great, blocky hunks of melody and fragmented mc chatter, royal-t tracks are immediately distinctive.
the 12 inch finds taylor expanding his sound even further. its two tracks are subtler, their deftly swung rhythms touching on older uk garage while remaining defiantly modern at heart. >inside the ride<, for example, is a shapeshifter, bursting seamlessly from light-footed two-step skip into something darker and altogether grimier. on the flip, >cool down< has something of classic todd edwards in its dna, finding taylor slicing a female vocal into a wordless refrain over a tough 4/4 garage stomp.
regular support from logan sama, dj ez, maximum, elijah & skilliam, oneman.