Melbourne’s own Kut One returns with the third installment in his acclaimed Live Wires series, and it may just be the best one yet. On each one of this album’s 10 tracks, Kut One proves that he’s not only one of the genre’s best turntablist/producers—he’s also an incredible curator. He teamed up with a slew of incredible talents spanning several generations, including King Magnetic, Craig G, Rasheed Chappell, Estee Nack, Daniel Son, Jamal Gasol, and Guilty Simpson, to deliver a cohesive, straight-up dope project.
For Kut One, there isn’t some magic formula for how he puts together his Live Wires compilations, even as he collaborates with new artists and pushes himself creatively. It’s a relatively simple answer for why it always works.
“I just collaborate with artists whose voice I think sounds best for the beat as well as those I’m a fan of,” he explains. “There’s a long list of artists I admire and respect, so I figure out who would sound right on the track and see if they’re down to collab.”
The results are equally dope, but sonically diverse tracks like “Good For Nuthin’” (feat. Daniel Son, Estee Nack, and Saipher Soze) and “No Room to Grow” (feat. Craig G). On the former, you have a trio of gruff-voiced emcees spitting raw-as-hell bars over one of Kut One’s more experimental type production. And on the nostalgic “No Room to Grow,” Craig G spits bars of wisdom with his signature flow. Other standouts include “Mount Up” (feat. Guilty Simpson) and “It’s My Word” (feat. Rasheed Chappell).
It’s a fitting collection of highlights for Kut One, who says this release marks the conclusion of this compilation series. While he doesn’t plan on disclosing what he has in the works just yet, he does plan to work on more one-on-one projects where he produces for a single artist.
Live Wires 3 has arrived through all major DSPs, and is also be available for purchase on CD via Bandcamp through Chopping Block Records.
© 2023, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
