Artist: Diesle
Title: Progress
Release Date: July 1st 2012
I managed to get my grubby little hands on a copy of the brand new release 'Progress' from Diesle who is also often referred to as D Power to share my thoughts on and let the people know what to expect from the grime vet and the cd and lets be truthful, were all expecting a lot from an mc who has wowed us in the past with releases such as Another Contender 1 & 2 floating about and his previous work with the grime crew D Power and with the promise of 'Progress' being a step-up from previous releases it was one I was intrigued to listen to.
After starting with an intro that showcases Diesle ability to stay on beat to the full as he effortlessly wheels off bars and shout-outs a few close allies the cd really gets going with the first proper track 'Go Nutz' that features Big Narstie as the pair combine to go in over G Tanks synth heavy production, starting the release of on the right foot Go Nutz acts as the perfect indication of what else is to come from the release as Diesles pin-point delivery is backed up to perfection by Big Narsties wild yet intriguing style of barring.
The cd then moves forward onto the track Take A Seat that features Diesles recent Lord Of The Mics 3 adversary Wariko and here the tempo is slowed a little as the pair share a tale of what its like when people get on their nerves when they're trying to enjoy themselves on a night out, the hook is catchy with Wariko being prominent throughout.
Track 3 is 'Hands Up' and sees Diesle once again joined by Big Narstie only this time he's also bought Boy Better Knows Frisco along for the ride and here the first thing that strikes you is the hook and Diesles flow, here he really seems to step up a gear and feel comfortable on the beat almost as if it plays to his barring strengths, Diesle at his very best here as he sets pace on the beat that Frisco and Big Narstie find easy to keep up with as the trio drop what is at the early stage the best track on the release so far.
The cd then moves on to the next and Diesles link-up with Discarda on 'Talking About' and here things get a little dark as violence is prominent, once again the hook is the (excuse the pun) part of this track we will all be talking about.
Track 5 sees Diesle go it alone on the track 'Big In The Music' and this acts as a nice little change from the previous tracks as here we get to hear where Diesles strengths really lay as he tells us exactly why he's big and points us in the directions of people to ask if we dont believe him, if im being honest im not too keen on the production to this track but the track is saved once more by Diesles flow which so far is razor sharp throughout.
Track 6 is a track that had the whole grime scene talking earlier in the year as Diesle once again goes back to the features as Frisco, Riko, Chronik, Flowdan and G Man are called upon for the track 'Horror Show' and here the cd steps up the gas levels, with the line-up that this track features it was always going to be one of the better tracks on the release and that's exactly what we get, here the 'skengman' line-up shows us exactly why they arent people who's bad side you should get on, as they excel in going in over a very dark production, this track is the epitomy of grime.
After cooling myself down I then proceeded to the track 'Me Not You' and once again Diesle takes centre stage as he points out exactly why he's better than most in the scene as he points out others flaws and his strengths, once again im not too sold on the beat but Diesles rhyming schemes are the most intriguing thing about this track and every bar seems to have a place with none acting as fillers.
Track 8 is Runway and Diesle is joined by Nasty Jack here, here things take a slower pace as tales of women are prominent 'this year im going solo, I dont have to give my girl my last rolo' the kind of bars you can expect from this track, the hook is catchy with Nasty Jack showing us his strength here.
'My Life' follows and is as the title suggests a track all about Diesles life and it's a deep thoughtful track that shows us how hard things have been for him to date, the piano is a nice touch with the production being much slower than most on the cd and Diesle moving into storyline mode, this is a track for those who prefer the most conciense tracks.
Track 10 is 'Goes Off' and here Diesle moves back into full dark grime mode as violence returns 'everybodies rough to the guns go off' providing evidence of what this track offers, once again Diesles flow is the ear-catching factor.
Track 11 is Looking For The Paper and here Diesle tells us what his main objection is (chasing money), again the beat lets down what is a very solid track with Diesle on the same kind of form he has been on throughout.
The final track on the release is Warrior Kings and this is some way to end a cd as Diesle joins forces with Newham Generals Footsie, both mcs bounce off each other here as their distinctive and different styles of barring fit together perfectly.
The one thing that I noticed throughout the release is the Progress Diesle seems to have made since his earlier releases so 'Progress' really is the perfect title for the release.
Progress has a nice selection of tracks ranging from all out dark grime to the some more thought provoking and conciense tracks with Diesle dropping an all round impressive release that should appeal to grime fans of all ages and creed, the features are genuine heavyweights of the scene with Footsie, Flowdan, Chronik, Wariko, Big Narstie, Nasty Jack, G Man, Discarda and Riko all dropping welcomed verses and the productions are fully on point with Diesle choosing beats that play to his strengths.
Lets be honest we've all heard releases where the features have stole the show but throughout Progress it's clear to see Diesle is the star of the attraction, he is on fine form throughout providing us with exactly what we want to hear from grime, his flow is razor sharp, his bars are dark,edgy and intriguing and he showcases different styles thoroughout, nothing is too samey with nothing repeated or becoming monotomous, each track is as impossible as the last to skip.
In summary it's been a long time since ive heard a release where every track gets played but Progress stops the rot, I have been thoroughly impressed throughout by the release and Diesle has shown massive improvements, he is a much more polished mc now and he proves this with the different style of tracks on offer.
Score: 9.5/10
Best Tracks: Horror Show and My Life
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