South London's Conrad Kira is a name you'll probably be hearing a lot more of in the near future. The rapper/producer's new EP Rictus, which features the relentless power of "Island" (which you can hear below before the EP's release on Sept. 4), is a hugely memorable cut that blurs the lines between hip-hop, grime, and experimental electronica. It's easy to hear Kira's influenced by the darker, harder side of rap, particularly the dense productions of El-P and Run The Jewels. Within this dense production, an Eastern-influenced melody and a surreal, almost hypnotic refrain emerges that breaks up the brutal industrial beats. And those industrial beats are so powerful it's almost disorienting, chaotic even. But there's a method to the madness. You're just going to have to trust him.
