Magazine Culture
Debut single from DELS, 'Shapeshift', produced by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip.
Welcome please, to the world of Kieren Dickens aka DELS. The young MC has been creating a buzz ever since John Peel heard him as a teenager and put him on the radio. Now he's ready to re-write the rules of rap in the UK in a way that hasn't happened for years.
'Shapeshift' is a perfect place to start. The beat is courtesy of long-time collaborator Joe Goddard, better known for his work as part of Hot Chip. Goddard hooks up some ultra-squelchy, off-kilter electronic madness (as well as dropping in to deliver a poker-faced middle 8).
Over it, DELS does what he does best, in this case taking us back to a childhood in which his biggest dream was to be able to turn into something else. It's a proper recollection of childhood, its fears as well as its fun, not one of those fake lists of vintage products like Raleigh Grifters. DELS slams it out in a clear voice which shows the influence of Grime, while the cleverness of his punch lines and metaphors show he ain't kowtowing to any of the many cliches of the form.