London-based Hip Hop duo, Subculture Sage announce their new mixtape ‘Big Smoke Autumn Blues’ (set for release this November) along with the first single drop from the record.

The new single ‘Who’s Thinking?’ Feat. Tertia May premiered on Complex Music, but you can also stream it below. Free-download here.

Since the release of their debut single two years ago, Subculture Sage have manifested themselves as one of the UK’s most innovative and talked about Hip Hop acts. Features in the likes of Noisey, Mixmag, Complex, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit and radio support from Zane Lowe (R1), John Kennedy (XFM) and Rob Da Bank (R1) have all cited them as the leaders of the UK’s experimental Hip Hop movement. Their previous self-titled EP, released summer ’14, was described by Noisey as “stretching the sides of what Hip Hop can be” and Pigeons & Planes as being “at the front of the UK’s new wave of experimental Hip Hop… Subculture Sage are genuinely interested in creating something new“.

After spending the past year in the studio working on new material, the duo have officially announced the release of their first full-length record, ‘Big Smoke Autumn Blues’. The new single ‘Who’s Thinking’, kicks off proceedings in style. A swirling, hazy – yet entirely focused 3 minutes, this new single captures everything that Subculture Sage are about.

Hypeman Sage constructs verses swaying between topics of moral enlightenment, the current global economic malaise “and what I experience in my day to day life. I needed a hook that tied these topics together. Having Tertia on the bridge was a breath of fresh air. I want to challenge the listener’s interpretation to a point of self-resonation. I just closed my eyes and the words came.” A household name in London’s underground rave scenes, Sage spent many years invited on sets with some of the UK’s biggest D&B/Grime/UKF DJs – which helps explain his dynamism. On Who’s Thinking, Sage plays with the format of rhyming patterns and structures, whilst the production references Jazz, Indie and Trip Hop. 

Operating differently to many of their contemporaries, the production is meticulously created from scratch. Speaking on how he went about creating the new single, producer Subculture Sounds explains “…musically, it began with the wailing falsetto vocals and harmonies which I sang. I sessioned a bass player (Daniel Salomons, former bassist for Childhood) to redo the bass parts with more swag and spent a lot of time with a guitarist, messing with pedals and effects processors to create all the warpy sounds“. A former professional drummer, Subculture recorded the drums himself using layered brushwork. “I wanted to create a sound that’s textured, smooth, dreamy and romantic.” Noticing their desire to innovate, the duo have garnered continuous support from Brooklyn’s legendary ‘Firehouse’ studio (responsible for all the early Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr records) in a post-production capacity.

Much of their new music was created during a period of heavy touring, improvising and testing new material on stage. With more dates scheduled across Europe and the UK during their current tour period, tickets have recently gone live for their London launch party at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Friday 27th November. Buy tickets here.

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