In the wake of his MOBO Nomination for ‘Best Grime Act’, Manga Saint Hilare gifts us with self-produced ‘Ultima Deluxe’; 8 new remixes of a selection of earlier tracks.
Ultima Deluxe breezes in as yet another weighty project released by Saint Hilare this year, following preceding projects ‘Make It Out Alive’ and ‘Interlude Deluxe’.
This body of work boasts a profound subject matter blended with a cocktail of soulful samples and aptly pitched vocals. Manga explores a muddy chopped-and-screwed vibe for many of the tracks, sanctioning his bona fide versatility as an artist.
‘See Her Deh (My One)’ is evidently Manga’s offering of a “love-song” as he speaks supremely on his relationship with a female companion referring to her as “gang”, “fam” and “crew” over a choppy yet seductive instrumental. The track concludes with a sample of Grime Originals own Sharky Major illustrating the traits of his own “perfect” woman.
Tracks like ‘Who Jah Bless (Highly Favoured)’ demonstrate how the projects mellow yet feel-good vibe merges perfectly with Manga’s nimble word-play; a refreshing contrast to his usual energetic grime sound.
Despite the more dulcet ambience of Ultima Deluxe, ‘Top Boy Spitter’ superbly exhibits Manga’s grime roots, and is clear reminder that he is a veteran of his class. He divulges ‘Silly self-centered pr****, really think man a man gives two s****. One word – myth”.
Standout track ‘Mirrorman (Face Myself)’ is an alternative version to the original ‘Face Myself’ from the aforementioned ‘Make It Out Alive’ album, released 3rd April this year. Pleasantly relatable, Mirrorman comes as an open letter from Manga to himself, speaking on various personal experiences and hardships. The video for the track, directed by Adam Horton and produced by himself, is a fitting visual accompaniment to the song – watch it here.
In totality, this cannot be labeled as simply a collection of “remixes”; this cleverly conceptual project is a momentous piece from Saint Hilare, and undeniably solidifies his status as an innovative leader of the Grime genre.
‘Ultima Deluxe’ is available to stream on all platforms here.
Chloe Mykel @cocomykel
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