Municipal Dreams by Low End Activist

Teasing out the darkest, most brutalist components of UK garage, Municipal Dreams by Low End Activist tells an autobiographical story of life on the fringes of British society. The sonic environment mimics the physical space of a social housing estate, seemingly falling apart at the seams while vaguely indicating some higher, noble purpose that these components may have built towards at one time. Though percussive beats present themselves as functionally in-tact, we’re denied the safety of a steady, heavy beat, left to work with the dashed shards of extreme bass hits, shredded vocal samples, and haunted synths to construct something we can dance to. Though this decrepit state offers no easy path to comfort and doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that such a state exists within reach, we as the listener still make an effort, taking on the challenge of hope that stands on the horizon throughout the album.