It looks like 23 year old Derek Meins - aka The Agitator - has been grabbing the attention of some big industry 'names' with his live shows. Dave Balfe - former Food records supremo - was so excited he made The Agitator the first signing to his new label. Jimmy Cauty, formerly of legendary industry pranksters the KLF, dug it enough to do the artwork and video for this, The Agitator's first single.
Politically charged and hard-hitting in its simplicity and directness, there's not a lot to it on the face of things. Just one man and some crashing, relentless hip-hop beats, played on a live drum kit. It's because of, rather than in spite of, this stripped-down, back-to-basics approach that 'Get Ready' is such a standout song. While contemporary production values tend to be on the side of spacious, dense and layered sound, or otherwise the slick minimalism of R'n'B, The Agitator's sound is mimimal, but angular: uncluttered, it has real power. It's got punch, and is all over in less than two minutes: a short, sharp shock.
|
'Let's Start Marching' is a real call to arms with chant-along-ability, as Meins denounces the political process and demands action. 'We really don't about the manifestos / some bunch of bozos, they're on their high horses / we really don't suffer from lack of interest / we've got one request, let's start the inquest,' he spits. The voice of a generation? Maybe. Eloquent and pissed off, he ought to be. Regardless, it's a cracking single.
http://www.myspace.com/theagitatormusic
|
