One of the biggest questions in dance music over the past few years has been: “Where the hell is RL Grime?”
The celebrated producer—whose real name is Henry Steinway and who pioneered the rise of trap music with hits like “Core” and Tell Me”—had been largely absent from the spotlight of late. Other than the occasional track, his primary output was his lauded Halloween mixes.
But now it’s apparent why he’s been absent for a while as Steinway has just released a three-part album: PLAY.
Containing 24 tracks in total, there are three series of eight that fall under their own moniker: APEX, GRID, and RUSH. Each of these series harbors its own sound while still feeling authentic to Steinway’s unique style.
Longer-term fans of his may remember he used to produce and perform under a previous name, Clockwork, which was very genre-fluid. It seems with PLAY, Steinway is revisiting those inclinations.
The opening series, APEX, sees Steinway dabble in various forms of dancefloor-driven music including the techno heater “Jewel” and the breaks tune, “Zone,” alongside his classic trap sound on tracks like “Ultrawide.”
Then comes GRID, which is on the ravier side, working in genres like drum & bass with “Slow Dive,” and even going pure rave in “I Am The Ocean,” which is a collaboration with fellow trap stalwart, Baauer. This series also features some pop influence from major guests like 070 Shake.
Finally, RUSH closes things out with some of Steinway’s most raw and honest music to date. The beats in question are still varied, but they are laid against mellow synths and serene soundscapes. One track is literally called “I Think I’m Getting Emotional.”
Clearly, this album is a result of an emotional time for Steinway. He wrote in an Instagram post in the days leading up to the album:
“currently sitting in a park reflecting on the last few years and wanted to get some random thoughts down .. from feeling completely stuck and sitting at home with no drive to make music whatsoever, to where we are today, hours away from releasing my third album is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. It’s hard not to get caught up in the relentless and ever impending content/virality race of the current music industry .. for a long time it weighed down on my creativity and ultimately pushed me away from engaging at all with social media. thankfully this album process set me on a trajectory to regain my confidence not only as a producer but more importantly as a person.”
That explains why he was rarely seen in and around music over the last few years, but now RL Grime is back and surely big things are ahead.
Listen to PLAY in full below:
Featured image from Rukes
