In territory not too sonically and lyrically distant from what was once the province of Lone Ninja, MRKBH follows up recent single Lingchi with one 888 over a dusty beat courtesy of Hong Kong producer Grymeman on their first collab. Where the former was about wishing the most excruciating of Chinese tortures on your worst enemies, the latter – ostensibly named after the breakdown of the day (eight hours to sleep, eight to work and eight to play) – is about promising to happily ‘kill’ any distractions that impinge on the three ‘eights.’ Not that (as with Lone Ninja) there’s the slightest obsession with lyrical ultra-violence here. Still, the juxtaposition of such with a sombre, slo-mo, hauntingly piano-led beat is always enjoyable.
(Out now on Dark Ages Music Group)
