Dizraeli - Eat My Camera EP (Community Sounds)

Bristol born rapper and multi-instrumentalist Dizraeli isn't exactly a newcomer; his is a name that has been doing the rounds in hip-hop circles for years now, with a number of successful projects out there. Eat My Camera is his latest release, a six-track EP which takes an acoustic direction, exhibiting a humble perspective and making use of a variety of influences.

Eat My Camera is introduced by the acoustic, bluesy 'Marvellous'. The track is recorded in an intimate, live-setting, and the spacious, passionate vocals are executed with clear diction, excellent volume control which makes Dizraeli's intense, frantic performance enthralling and captivating. His vocal is strong, and the vibe unorthodox, setting him apart from many of his peers. The title-track follows, and it's the strongest tune on the project. His stellar, soulful vocal is absorbing, and he mixes the raw folk-esque sound with tongue-twisting, percussive flows which are always on the melodic side; Dizraeli takes us far beyond stereotypical, traditional hip-hop with this project, which makes him an exciting artist to keep a keen eye on.

This 'back to the roots' vibe continues on 'Ariane'. The stripped-back orchestration works so well, and Diz emits an organic vibe throughout; his intricate guitar lines are complimented by complex vocal melodies and thought-provoking observations. His writing is poetic and the genre-bending EP is diverse and exciting. 'Cool & Calm' is subtle, yet even with this restrained approach Dizraeli's passion shines through, both in his lyrical content and delivery as well as in the entrancing picked guitar lick, which repeats for the duration of the song. The spoken-word style is best exhibited on 'Morning Light'; the internal rhymes and off-kilter phrasing are excellent, and the EP closes out with the memorable 'Dona Diaz'.

Eat My Camera is well worth checking out; Dizraeli's dropped a project that is very much his own here. The direction is folky, a somewhat untapped resource in hip-hop, and Diz shows just how well the genres can be blended. There's definite pop-appeal on here, and with the blues and folk injection to Diz's raw lyricism, there's definite potential for him to be a breakout star. He's got our attention, only time will tell if he can fully capitalise from it. This direction has endless possibilities; natural and authentic story-telling, politically conscious and socially aware lyricism, and Dizraeli is certainly talented enough to benefit from this route.