Last month UK producer Mella Dee, one half of Mista Men, dropped his second solo EP of the year, the “Ruff Cuts” EP on Forefront Recordings. After the relentless fury of the “CTRL” EP and his hyper-energetic work with Woozee, not to mention their recent collaborations with Irishman Detboi and Mella Dee’s work with Squarehead, “Ruff Cuts” takes things at a slower pace for a brooding and sinister selection of garage-influenced house.

“Gassed” is an ominous jam with repeated vocal wails, perfectly setting the sound of grime MC Crazy Titch’s encounter with a con-artist taxi driver to his fluttering percussion. “Am I a dickhead?” Titch asks. “Do I look like a clown?” The delicately dropped synths are in stark contrast with the ever more aggressive interactions, while the warehouse bassline gives the track a slightly manic edge. The intensity builds as Titch sets the taxi-man straight, the sparseness of the production laying bare the darkly humorous exchange. “Fazed” meanwhile takes a single repeated line of “I never cared too much for love” and plays it against some gloriously broken beats and wide, dark stabs. It’s a low-key affair, perfect warm-up material, but one which will easily grab your attention – no frills, no nonsense. Vinyl-only track “In The Bits” kicks off with a muffled and de-pitched Janet Jackson vocal that comes in and out of focus as the track progresses. The breezy pop lyrics contrast greatly with the foreboding three-note phrase that shrugs and floats above, and it’s all underpinned by the same intricate percussion that’s defined this EP. Three tracks, three different ideas, all resolutely successful in their simplicity and execution. We’re just sorry to have taken so long in sharing it with you.

Stream: Mella Dee – Ruff Cuts EP

Mella Dee – “Ruff Cuts” EP is out now on Forefront Recordings