We first became familiar with the producer/DJ known as Akito through his near perfect remix of Jeremih’s anthem “Fuck You All The Time”. The remix blended the accapella with both Wiley’s Ice Rink, and Joe’s Claptrap, and reshaped the original slow-jam into something more suitable for the UK-leaning crowds and DJs. Around the same time he released his first original track titled Unacquainted on Sub Skank (a label which he co-runs), and although it was very well constructed it lacked the playfulness and character of his well-known remix. Fast forward one year to the follow up release Metamessage and this time Akito manages to get much closer to the mark.
Stream: Jeremih – F You All The Time (Akito’s F U On the Clap Trap Ice Rink – Bootleg)
As with many of the interesting contemporary club records it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly this music is, with influences spanning many of the “in vogue” genres, such as Grime and Jersey Club over the EP’s 4 tracks. The EP title track comes in two flavours; starting with the low-slung House original mix and is followed by a “Club Constructions” version of sorts which replaces the steady 4/4 with the sporadic Baltimore/Jersey style kicks that the series has become known for. Over on the B-side the track Aqua Tryst jumps between driving Jersey rhythms and laid back Grime patterns. The EP then closes with Bordello Bounce; the perfect combination of ennui filled atmospherics and tuff-as-fuck drums. Although the EP shares a very similar palette to many of the new wave of Grime artists, Akito manages to avoid many of their shortcomings, and by including elements from House and Jersey, he is able to re-inject some momentum into a sound which, I feel, is much too sluggish in its current form.
One of the EP’s striking characteristics is the depth of activity on each track. When looked at in a positive light this intricateness is what will keep people coming back to the record; however, at times there is a feeling of over-production and the songs lack the powerful minimalism heard on the aforementioned Club Construction series. Having said that, this detail and also his more Dub and Jungle influenced sound, is what separates Akito from his contemporaries and allows him to stand out in the every expanding and mutating “UK Club” spectrum.
Stream: Akito – Metamessage EP (Sub Skank)
Available digitally from Boomkat and all other good online distributors.
