Premiere: Scratcha Inches Closer To EP Release With “Bless The Earth”

Tomorrow, September 3, Scratchclart, aka Scratcha DVA, will release his new four-track EP, Afrotek, via Hyperdub.

We got the first taste of the EP last month with the title track, a team-up with SA producer Mxshi Mo; and then the second this time last week with the visuals for “Flex”, which featured Baltimore vocalist and producer :3LON. Today, we have the second track, “Bless The Earth”, a collaboration with Nottingham sheller Mez along with DJ Polo and Scottie Dee, two producers who last collaborated with Scratch on his & Baga Man EP back in February.

Together, Scratch, Polo and Scottie have created a tornado of jumpy drums and thudding bass patterns over which light-footed flutes and keys dance in and out of the mix. It’s an intoxicating mixture and the ideal backing for Mez to and his warnings about living a better life in advance of the coming rapture.

The EP as a whole was born of Scratcha’s ongoing exploration and love of the nexus between South African gqom and UK underground club music. Between chest-crushing bass, mesmerising drum patterns and the potential for finding melodies in unexpected places, it’s a combination he’s been having endless fun with lately — and “Bless This Earth” is a prime example.