Innercity Grid Records – Volume 1

Releasedate: 14-09-2009; Label: Inner City Grit Records
By: Sabine van Gameren

InnerCity Grit records is a quite young company from Bristol, UK. The label started in 2008 to break free from “the current dinosaur operations that are in motion in the music industry at the moment”. The label has band signed from UK as well as from The Netherlands.

16 songs, 16 different bands all in genres that has a span from post punk to drum & bass to industrial, as well as the more accessible genres as alternative and indie.
The first part of the sampler has the most accessible songs, but there is also the band Cradle, who seemed to have a quite dark atmosphere in the song “Ready”. A bit of a macabre sound, showing the world that it is not always the sun shining. Also to find here are the band Avacate(CD review) and the female fronted I Wish I Knew, which impressed me already in early 2008 with a live performance on the Emergenza bandcontest. The starting band The Black Bloc is the one who surprised mostly, with their post punk music.
The second part of the sampler seems more calm on the very first sight, but is yet as intense. Viso Nero and Alex Jones go into the brain with “Hexo Gram”. Zoon Van Snook is more simplistic, instrumentally at its top but perhaps not really an act that keeps you listening time after time. Mamuschka has a more classical approach and brings a contrast to the song before because the vocals are here to bring the peace, instead of the instrumental part to stand up front.

overall the sampler gives you a good impression of what kind of music Inner City Grit has signed. It is a good way to find your potential new favorite artist as well, so you should have a look at their MySpace

Tracklist:
01. The Black Block – Death Of A Culture
02. Pint O’Spirits – Sensible Thought Embargo
03. Big Joan – Here Comes The Flood
04. Person X – Lack Of Vision
05. Avacate – Magdalene
06. Cradle – Ready
07. I Wish I Knew – Lover Collection
08. Vibratronic – The Warning
09. Viso Nero ft Alex Jones – Hexo Gram
10. Shadz & Avacate – Celebrate
11. Thor LTD – 1984
12. Miss Anthrophy – 5dark3
13. Zoon van Snook – Shall He Shanty
14. Mamuschka – So It Was You
15. Spirez & Emily Teague – Ok Ok Ok
16. Unknown Artist vs. Dark Chemist – Prophet Dub

Links:
Inner City Grit Records MySpace