- Blending tough UK rap with fantastical synth work and vulnerable lyrics, FLOHIO bridges drill, dance music and ambient on this impressive debut LP.
- Nigerian-born, South London-raised MC Funmi Ohio has been dazzling UK rap fans with a tantalisingly dark mix of experimental drill, alternative hip-hop and eerie, industrial bass music ever since her 2018 breakout singles "Wealth" (with Modeselektor) and "10 More Rounds." Known for skirting the margins of the UK's blossoming drill scene, her love of leftfield electronic sounds and her refusal to align with an increasingly commercialised, sample-driven mainstream drill sound has left her outside the walls of any specific scene. Her debut album Out Of Heart' reflects this nomad status, as the London lyricist showcases an ambitious rap sound guided by ambient, spacey synth innovation.
Out Of Heart's opening track "SPF" underlines a shift towards brighter, poppier sounds, away from the dark intensity of Flohio's breakout tracks. Built around a funky drum sequence peppered with snare fills that crackle and pop, the track's sense of strident forward motion captured in the hook, "Yeah, I'm on the move." "SPF" also introduces an album-wide motif that Ohio calls "arcade nostalgia," which her response to the video game soundtracks she absorbed as a kid. Guided by the production of industrial hip-hop innovators God Colony and Speech, the album takes inspiration from the dense, sci-fi-esque synth sounds that dominate those retro games. By adding US trap-tinged drum patterns instead of the rawer drill beats Flohio formerly worked with, Out Of Heart foments a unique blend of hard-hitting percussion and melodic synth experimentation.
"Speed Of Light" perfects this formula, blending thumping sub-bass with soaring, reverberant synth melodies that could've been plucked from the soundtracks of late '90s games like Final Fantasy VII. By marrying these sounds, Flohio shows her commitment to stretching the typical boundaries of UK rap. And it's not just the album's strong electronic influences that highlight this agenda.
While the South London rapper's flows keep hold of the fiery energy that got her noticed, Ohio also embraces a sense of vulnerability that's often missing in the UK rap scene. She delves openly into a range of personal issues, including her mental health struggles and experiences of grief. Against the flickering hi-hats and keyboard jabs of the pensive "Grace," she raps ,"My aunt just died from cancer / Don't ask me where my smile is / I'm still inside that furnace," bars that expertly blend bluntness and poeticism in the face of struggle. Lead single "Cuddy Buddy," a grainy, pained reflection on being mentally drained by work, contains a similar level of introspection in lines like, "Been a million times I've got my heart stuck in a rut." Having swapped the vigorous drill swagger that dripped through breakout tracks like "10 More Rounds" for a more off-kilter electronic sound, Ohio finds more room to open up, which makes Out Of Heart a vast leap beyond her 2020 mixtape No Panic No Pain.
Flohio's knack for injecting punchy rap beats with experimental synth sounds helps her move beyond the typical borders of UK rap. Her debut album's production is driven by retro synth creations that would make Super Mario sing, but make no mistake—the ambition of Flohio's futuristic brand of electro space-rap backs up her status as an undeniably forward-thinking artist. The album is guided by a willingness to experiment in its use of grainy synths and ambient electronica, and the "arcade nostalgia" concept is testament to the South Londoner's open-minded vision. Perhaps most impressively, this foray beyond the confines of UK rap doesn't leave the album feeling muddled or stylistically confused—her out-there synth rap sound remains consistent throughout, for a polished, elegant debut album that stands tall inside (and outside) the UK's rap scene.
Tracklist01. SPF
02. Highest
03. Leash
04. L.M.P.M.
05. Cuddy Buddy
06. Grace
07. Yellow Diamond Interlude
08. 2 HOURS feat. Hawa
09. Speed Of Light
10. Late Set
11. Feel Alive
12. Against The Gran