Much has changed for Brad Strut since the 2007 release of Legend: Official. The Melbourne MC has relocated to North London and since linked up with acclaimed producer Beat Butcha to release an intense six-track EP entitled Fallout Shelter. Despite the highly vivid choice of concept, Strut opens up a vast gamut of emotions and material to cover. It is impressive to see a veteran of the scene attack a distinctive angle with such ease. The EP is coupled with the impressive Rejuvination LP remix disc featuring 13 tracks from various Brad Strut releases and mixtapes.
Fallout Shelter opens with the eerie Hello To Goodbye, a chilling introduction to the conceptual premise of the EP. Beat Butcha underpins the panicked sentiment with an effective flute section. A series of well-placed atmospheric samples also contributes to the execution of the track. Strut’s on-point lyrics reveal a thirst for storytelling. Butcha’s stone cold effort on Blastin ‘Em is reminiscent of Trem’s haunting soundscapes with Lyrical Commission. It is an ideal musical foundation over which Strut’s verses illuminate paranoid schizophrenic recounts of catastrophic experiences. The seamless chemistry between producer and MC has yielded impressive results on Blastin ‘Em as well as others including New Dawn. Here, the succession of base human emotions takes an upwards diversion through both Strut’s positive, optimism-tinged lyrics and Beat Butcha’s delightful beat. The latter of which is spearheaded by shimmering string sections and complimented by a dreamy guitar loop and soul-soaked vocal sample. New Dawn is a precursor of sorts to the slightly more upbeat tones of the final tracks of EP.
Fallout Shelter’s value is compounded by the inclusion of the Rejuvination LP remix project featuring a host of leading producers from Australia and the UK including: Trials, Dazastah, M-Phazes, Simplex, Mortar, Ciecmate, Tornts, Jehst, Beat Butcha and Chemo. The quality of the two-disc release affirms Brad Strut as one of Australia’s leading MC’s. The EP is an impressive effort on its own, a highly potent collection of six tracks centred around the notion of survival. Fallout Shelter is out tomorrow.
