Mercury Prize Nominee: Rudimental – Home

In May 2012 the track ‘Feel the Love’ hit the airwaves for the first time. It debuted on the charts at number one in June after selling over 90,000 copies and being dubbed Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record in the World’. The tune quickly became one of the summer’s anthems. To say it was a surprise was understatement – especially to the four unknown Hackney producers responsible for the mesmeric sound.

Rudimental, also known as Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Rolle, grew up together in Hackney, London. They came from fairly ordinary backgrounds and had ordinary jobs before they began joining forces in 2011. The foursome were signed to Asylum Records and began mixing up guitar solos with drum and bass. In a recent interview Amor commented that ‘labels didn’t want us because they didn’t know where to put us – I think we scared them off a bit’. The labels were made to eat their words when Rudimental’s debut Home Charted at number one in April this year.

Rudimental played 40 Festivals this summer
Image Credit: bbc.co.uk

Home is a diverse album which masterfully balances drum and bass, rap, soul, gospel and pop. It’s a brilliant mix of songs, opening with the steady backbeat of the title track that ooze before launching into the anthemic ‘Feel the Love’ which with the help of John Newman’s vocals creates a party feeling of excitement and adrenaline that gets any dance floor grooving. Whilst not as fast paced, Angel Haze’s slick rapping on ‘Hell Could Freeze’ showcases the producer’s ability to mix it up and lay down house-infused hip-hop beats.

Home slows down in the middle with songs like ‘Spoons’ that can be best described as a trance-saturated haunting song that showcases the strong soul influence on the record. In fact, some of their soulful songs are at least equal to their anthems. The strings and piano in ‘Powerless’ add a softer note to a striking vocal that hits home like a hammer blow on the chorus.

Anthem fans fear not, Home picks up as it heads for the end. ‘Not Giving In’ sees returning John Newman deliver a powerful vocal performance, while the ubiquitous penultimate track ‘Waiting All Night’ marries catchy lyrics, blaring trumpets and a throbbing DnB to form a perfect pop song. Home finishes as it started: with a soulful voice and a beautiful tune. The climax track ‘Free’ demonstrates the eclectic talents of the producers as it tones down the electronic feel of the hit singles in favour of a more vocal-orientated sound that makes it all the sweeter to listen to. It’s a beautifully mellow end to a very exciting album.

The standout feature of Home is not just the blend of music on the album, but the wonderful mashing and moulding of genres. From the trumpet blaring over a drum and bass beat on ‘Not Giving In’ to the piano riff  on ‘Right Here’, Rudimental show a love for all kinds of music; it is this fusion that makes them stand out in the monotonous pop music scene. There isn’t another sound like them around and whilst the theme of drum and bass/electronic music is the main event, there’s something for any listener to latch onto and enjoy.

They may not be the bookies favourites but Rudimental have what it takes to win the Mercury Prize. They’ve come from nowhere to produce an album where every song is unique and fantastic. It’s more than just the jaw-dropping vocals; it’s the brilliance of the production, and the skill of matching the vocals to music. And it is this marriage of originality, craftsmanship and quality that ensure Rudimental stand as much a chance of winning the coveted Prize as much as anyone of the shortlist.

Thomas Davies

So what exactly is the Booker Prize?

Anyone with half an eye on the literary world can’t help but notice the hype around the Booker Prize which is everywhere at this time of year. Recently, this Booker frenzy has only been intensified by the contoversy surrounding the decision to make American authors eligible for the prize. But what exactly is all the fuss about? Elli Christie, Books Editor, takes a closer look…

Photo Credit: TheManBookerPrizes

The Man Booker Prize, or as it is more commonly known, the Booker, is a prize which many British and Commonwealth writers have long yearned to win. Soon it will be possible for writers the world over to join in this yearning, since it was recently announced that from 2014 the prize will open up to any work which is written in English and published in the UK.

This news of change has created a uproar in the literary community. The Booker has been at the heart of British publishing since it was first started in 1968, when it was originally known as the Booker McConnell prize due to the company which sponsored it. However, this change in criteria is not the first in the Booker’s history nor is it the first controversy. Previous arguments have seen Trainspotting removed from the longlist in 1993, Anthony Burgess refusing to turn up and many of the judging decisions being called into question.

Those in charge of the Man Booker committee also love to have spin-off competitions; which has led to Midnight’s Children winning The Best of the Booker, the Booker of Bookers prize and the Man Booker itself. In 2010 there was also an attempt to rectify the misfortune of losing a year when the rules were changed in 1970 so that books were no longer considered from the previous year but instead from the current one. J. G. Farrell’s Troubles won this prize after a shortlist was given to the public vote.

This year the shortlist has proved to once again epitomise the eclectic nature of the Man Booker prize, ranging from Colm Tóibín’s The Testament of Mary to Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries and also including NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names, Jim Crace’s Harvest, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland and Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being. The winner will be announced on 15 October, having been previously slimmed down from a long list of 13 titles and a possible pool of 140 novels by a judging panel chaired by Robert Macfarlane.

Elli Christie, Books Editor

Master's student makes Student of the Year shortlist

Image credit: MTV

Exeter student Ashley Jenkin has been shortlisted for MTV’s Student of the Year competition.

The competition was open to anyone over the age of 18 in higher education. Entrants had to submit a short video, CV and description of themselves which were then displayed on the competition’s website. A shortlist of 20 finalists was created on 20 May, which included Jenkin.

If Ashley wins, his prize package will consist of a paid Sumer placement at the “famous MTV headquarters in Camden,” “a trip for two to the MTV Europe Awards” and a host of other “money can’t buy” prizes totalling around £7,000.

The shortlist was created by a panel of expert judges, including the NUS President, Toni Pearce and the creator of Geordie Shore and head of MTV UK, Kerry Taylor. To progress from this stage and claim victory, Ashley will have to win a public vote against the other candidates.

Ashley entered because he saw it as an opportunity to consolidate his involvements at university, which include “ theatre, intramural sport, RAG, as well as being able to balance work with probably too many visits to arena!” He says he would also like the chance to fulfil his “long time” ambition “ to work in the television industry” which will hopefully cumulate in “bringing back SMTV, that’s the dream!”

Everyone who votes for Ashley will be entered into a draw to win tickets to the Isle of Man festival, on July 6, which he admits would be “pretty cool too.”

So why should you vote for Ashley? He describes himself as “ creative, hardworking and friendly, but in a non annoying way” and of course he’s an Exeter student. Whilst he admits that at this stage the competition is just a “popularity contest” any votes he does receive will be “greatly appreciated”

Those wishing to vote for Ashley can do so by clicking here.

James Smurthwaite, News Team

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