Grime, Garage, & Guts: Hamdi Bends Genres with Abomination EP
July 11, 2025
July 11, 2025
“With his head in the stars and his roots deep in the underground, Skybreak is rewriting what the next wave of drum & bass and dubstep can sound like. Known for his lush melodic sensibility and genre-fluid energy, he now unveils “STONE KOLD” — a razor-edged, paper-cut collage of UK swagger and US weight.The record was sparked by a chopped grime vocal pulled from a royalty-free Looperman freestyle. Skybreak built the skeleton of the track from that raw moment of inspiration, and UK mic legend Subten brought it to life with a blistering topline, written and recorded within a day of first hearing the instrumental.” (Mp3pr Press Release, 2025)
“STONE KOLD” begins with shimmering instrumentals and echoing vocals that form into a catchy flow, courtesy of Subten. The glistening beat transforms into thick wubs that give the track a deep low end. The drums match the hype of Subten’s flow, effortlessly moving along with them and building hype. The wonky hints change into sweeping alarms that culminate in a “Stone Kold Killer” chant. The drums swap between crispy clicks and tropical fills. The song then enters the second verse with the drums taking center stage. Tropical notes rapidly increase in frequency as the wubs return. “STONE KOLD” briefly quiets down with salt n pepper shaker drums and a reverberating chant. The drums gradually increase in speed and intensity before the next drop. This drop changes things up. Throwing in random buzzes, ad libs, and some serious glitch notes. Fading out and folding in on itself like a resting flower. What a TRACK. This was one of my first exposures to UK Grime and I will definitely have to look into it more.
“While I showcased the more emotional side of this project with the first two singles, my goal with ‘STONE KOLD’ was to make the hardest banger I could. But to me, this track is arguably the most notedly ‘HALF BLOOD’; it’s got the energy of an American dubstep tune but the groove of a dutty garage tune you’d hear in a 250 cap club in Edinburgh. This one’s gonna be staying in my sets for a long time.”
-SKYBREAK (Mp3PR)
Connect with Skybreak: Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify | SoundCloud
Connect with Subten: Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify | Soundcloud