KillaHurtZ: Wanna Be Free EP [ INNAR006 ]

We’re proud of all our releases on Inna Riddim Records; this one has a particularly special place in our hearts, though. KillaHurtZ’ Wanna Be Free EP stays true to the underground yet with an appeal that reaches way beyond the dancefloor.

‘Wanna Be Free’ layers exansive melodies over a snapping 2-step in a spacious, lush arrangement beautifully augmented by Kirsty’s sultry vocals. Then the beat switches up, framing Prolific’s laconic rap stylings in a lurching, deliberate breakdown. The main beat returns in swirl of filter sweeps and reverb, and the bassline is a brooding, growling presence among the precise, evocative string harmonies. For the DJs there’s also a stripped-down dub version included on the EP.

‘Trust’ starts out with an insistent 4×4, underpinned with a melody that rises in counterpoint with classic descending synth chords remiscent of the heady days of old skool raves: light rain on a hot summer’s day. The beat drops into a shuffling 2-step before raising the energy with a complex syncopated rhythm and a tight, rapidly plucked string melody.

On ‘Don’t Leave Me’, an FX-drenched R&B sample, shot through with nostalgia and longing, and skittering beat declare the track’s affinity with the recent, sophisticated rennaisance of 2-step, but KillaHurtz’s restless and inventive drum programming instincts vary up the rhythm with a rolling house kick, while blunted, delayed synths and a trilled kettle drum roll open up a sense of cavernous space like sunlight streaming into a vast vault.

The release is available on all the usual major digital retailers. You can stream, listen and purchase from the Beatport player below: