- A confident debut from the South London producer on the new Precious Metals label.
- Endgame's Precious Metals show on NTS Radio has a distinctive mood, as opposed to a specific genre or style. So when it comes to music, anything goes. Trap, dembow, raucous pop edits, drill, hardcore—you name it—so long as it's rousing enough to elicit a response. Plus, it needs to encompass a kind of sexy but sad, melancholic yet hopeful feeling that often compliments Endgame's own musical output. Not that Precious Metals is centered around him personally; the show is intended to be a showcase of overlooked or emerging talent.
That's also the case for the new Precious Metals label. Its first release comes from South London producer Severin Glance and it's closely aligned to the Precious Metals mood. Caveat is a combination of the clubbish experimentalism toyed with by London-based artists like Endgame and the Bala Club crew in the mid-'00s and the innate confidence of US hip-hop and its various sonic ties.
"Reign" fuses elements from trap, trance and dancehall in a way that doesn't feel forced or contrived. It's got a slight FDM (Flex Dance Music) vibe as well, a Brooklyn-originated sound fellow London label Night Slugs repped hard a few years back. Opener "Caveat" is especially enjoyable. It's the kind of tune you'd hope might greet you upon your arrival to a club, its commanding vocal sample and impactful drum work signalling your entry into something or somewhere exhilarating. "Sayal" and "Threshold Ex" are more vulnerable. "Threshold Ex" shares a similar otherworldliness to some of the tracks on Shlohmo's recent Heaven Inc. EP. As far as debut EPs go (for both the label and the artist, in this instance) Caveat excels. It's a glowing representation of the Precious Metals story and a nice introduction to Severin Glance.
Tracklist01. Caveat
02. Reign
03. Sayal
04. Thrershold Ex