Remi, one of the most prominent of the young Australian rappers, has been stoking a local buzz since the release of his single Sangria last year, and compounded it with Livin and Tyson, both released on his own House of Beige label. Raw X Infinity is his overture to fans and public alike, telling them what he’s all about, which appears to be an interesting hybrid of championing a reform of Australia’s immigrant policies, and expounding energy while turning on all the usual suspects.
Energy is definitely a binder for Raw X Infinity, not only from Remi’s vocals but from Sensible J and Dutch, who are parts two and three of the Remi trio, and the fingers on the boards for the album. All of their instrumentals run with the jitter of tribal maracas and steel nerves before a hunt. For Opinionated Humans and Dope with No Seeds // Re-Lacks differ slightly with more spacious loops, while Ode to Ignorances sounds like ?uestlove circa How I Got Over. Lyrically, Remi is exploring a few styles of delivery; slickly understatedon Thats.That.Shit and emphasising syllables on F.O.H. with that aforementioned energy. He does this sour-worm thing, where he stretches the first part of a word and cuts of the end of it that most bars could do without, but he flexes it to great effect on the album’s best track, Tyson,where Remi goes H.A.M. from Die Hard to Crowded House.
Raw X Infinity‘s strength is that where others are affected by technique to the point of mimicry, Remi one-twos with enough spirit to warrant Raw X Infinity being Australia’s hip hop album of the year.
BY EDGAR IVAN
Best Track: Tyson
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: KIRK KNIGHT, YC THE CYNIC, STEVIE WONDER
In A Word: Better
