“Love, they don’t show enough..”
Around 2013, Dream Mclean was on an ascension, standing out amongst the generic sounds, with his distinct tone and modern take on British culture, before it was even understood let alone accepted, before there was a Slowthai, his sound & style was gaining him a fanbase (mentioned amongst the likes of CasIsDead), that included his peers, most notably Professor Green. Like so many potentials around that time, I guess the industry was not at the same stage, and though he continued, and as part of the collective Monster Florence (featuring long term associate Siris), despite the quality and sound, it still did not quite connect as deserved, which brings us a couple years later to his new solo release, Durag Beckham.
I randomly came across the post, of the infamous Durag Beckham pic (when he met Prince Charles), with Dream captioning it, “feeling like a new me”, and then the trailer. With one of my earliest reviews being of Dream himself (like 10 years ago), my appreciation of his talent or belief in him remains, and so I was not only intrigued to hear, but to see if he’s able to sustain that momentum in today’s climate.
“I feel like a new man, I feel like David Beckham in a Durag..”
Produced by New Machine (one of the more heralded underground producers), someone who I’ve come to hear a lot of quality from (through his work with Phaze What), it was no surprise to hear something that sounds so left, yet fits right into what’s current today. The combination of a melodic loop caged between a catchy drum pattern, with a kick that you feel in your neck (props to mastering from none other than The Last Skeptik) with it’s laid-back sound yet uptempo energy, it’s easy for the lyricist to deliver a breezy flow, that slaloms on the beat, ultimately creating this wavy track. It’s cool, catchy and if you pay attention, it’s somewhat addressing this new feel and direction, and as a sign of more to come, I hope it’s pivotal in re-establishing himself as one of the more exciting acts in the country.
ONE Fáris 