Macclesfield’s Mr. Scruff teams up with upcoming Manchester-based artist Superlative to drop their new track READ ALL ABOUT IT, as part of CO-LAB THEORY, a collaborative music & design project, developed to mentor a new generation of Northern creatives

Amidst the lockdown in March, Mr. Scruff released his ‘DJ Kicks’ compilation on K7, a culmination of three decades of DJing, producing, and putting on parties all over the world, showcasing his broad appreciation for genres and sounds – a time when parties and clubbing had sadly ceased somewhat – although creative output, it seems, was to continue regardless.

Having been asked at the back of end of 2019 by Reform Radio (the award-winning, Manchester-based online radio station) to take part in ‘Co-Lab Theory’, a project aiming to partner eight different industry names (including Swing Ting, Lovescene, and Werkha) with eight members of the next generation of the city’s musical talent to collaborate and trade knowledge with, as an advocate of new artists both in Manchester and beyond, it was a no brainer – and Reform promptly paired him with the rising star that is Superlative.

Rapper/producer, Superlative has been continually working to build his profile over the last few years in and around the North West, having been selected for the Red Bull ‘Raise The Bar’ challenge to feature on production from well known Afrobeats trio, Team Salut, as well as performing with a number artists in and around renowned Manchester venues such as Band On The Wall. Under the mentorship of Mr. Scruff and following what Superlative describes as a couple of,

“Banging home-cooked lunches”,

from the producer, the sonic wizardry of ‘Read All About It’ was birthed in just a few hours in the studio.

Via a punchy, high powered vocal performance, Superlative delivers fine-tuned and lyrical wordplay of emcees many years ahead of him atop a drum-led minimal broken beat production, accompanied with sides of deep garage bass wubs and high-tension synths served up by Mr. Scruff. ‘Read All About It’ cleverly fuses together rap flows with the bassier sonics of UK garage and bashment, presenting an altogether unique offering stylistically, which seems to have truly satisfied both collaborators.

In the words of Superlative, “Working with Mr. Scruff was a massive reassurance. He kicked down the doors of what’s sonically expected and provided the space for us both to just jam out ideas. He reminded me that the key to a great track is to have fun and let it all flow”.

Mr. Scruff said of the collaboration, “Corey (Superlative) was an absolute joy to work with. He had a lot of input into the music and we had a great time recording ideas and elements for the track. He has a strong sense of his own musical identity and is very comfortable and quick to get into the zone”.

To complement the collaborative musical experience, the Reform Radio team also introduced a visual component to the project, linking the talented Manchester-based videographer Rosie Eliza (21st Century Tribe) with Superlative and Mr. Scruff to deliver a grainy monochrome animation to accompany the track, capturing the minimal yet somehow high energy vibes of ‘Read All About It’.

Superlative X Mr. Scruff – Read All About It via iTunes/Spotify

Rhythm Lab Records presents: Co-Lab Theory releases on the 30th of September, 2020 Pre-Order HERE

www.facebook.com/DJMrScruff
https://twitter.com/mrscruff1
https://instagram.com/mrs_cruff
www.facebook.com/SuperlativeUK
https://twitter.com/officialsprltv
https://instagram.com/official_superlative
www.rhythmlabrecords.com
www.facebook.com/rhythmlabrecords
https://twitter.com/rhythmlabrecs
https://instagram.com/rhythmlabrecords