Terror Danjah – Undeniable review

Legendary London based producer and grime veteran Terror Danjah should need no introduction. Having been instrumental in the development of the genre he has gained a formidable reputation in the underground music scene and beyond. He made his debut on East Iz East back in 2001 and subsequently released a slew of seminal singles, as well several multi artist long players/compilations including ‘Shock To The System’, ‘Hardrive’ and ‘Gremlinz’. Straying away from his home at Planet Mu, his latest release on Kode 9’s lauded Hyperdub imprint is nothing short of a masterpiece, bringing together signature sounds and featuring such notable vocalists as Mz Bratt, Griminal, DOK, Bruza and D Double E.

“Grand Opening” is certainly aptly named, with its dramatic strings, epic choral roar and crescendoing cymbal crashes kicking things off, whilst crisp, cutting lyrics are laid on top of the beat, heralding the start of the something tremendous with a smacking “blaow blaow!” Next up, hoover bass a la Subwave (‘Road Rage’) or Loadstar (‘Link To The Past’) kicks in in ‘Acid’ before Mz Bratt gets her say in radio friendly riddim ‘This Year (Pro Plus)’. Previously released single ‘Bruzin (VIP)’ is a stand out amongst what is, quite frankly, a series of stand outs from Terror Danjah. Going more minimal in the central section with ‘SOS’ to old favourite ‘Minimal Dub’ the bleeping synthy haze does well to dispel some of the ardent fury present elsewhere, with an absence of lyrical input. But rest assured, Terror cranks up the pace again in delectably danceable ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Sonar’ which lead nicely in to the title track. Magnetic Man style trance-y synths the intro of ‘Leave Alone’ and bass heavy post rave comedown track ‘All I Wanna’. As we near the end, everything gets shaken up with wistful musing lyrics, fidgety beats and the magnificent finale, ‘Creepy Crawler’ with a rousing Jukali style lyrical flow to finish things off.

One thing’s for sure, ‘Undeniable’ warrants all the respect and hype it is currently receiving and will no doubt continue to receive in the coming years. If there’s one album you buy this month, it’s this.

Review by Belinda Rowse.