Listen: Moslem Priest - "House Arrest"

Variety is certainly the keyword when introducing Kuala Lumpur-based Moslem Priest, a musicmaker with a true talent and passionate penchant for beats. The first track of his I heard was “Real Swimmin”, a Dadaist collage of sounds from gunshots and running water, to phones ringing and an alien-esque vocal sample, all set to foundation-shaking sub-bass. It was real evidence of greatness at work.

Priest’s latest track, “House Arrest”, isn’t short on his collage-creating style: percussive sounds of all shapes and sizes scattered into the depths of a foot-tapping breakbeats rhythm. Taiko drums, shuffling hi-hats, guns cocking, echoing woodblocks and what could be a pitch-shifted sample of someone eating something crunchy all join together in complex patterns as nebulous waves of ectoplasmic synth sound hover in and out of earshot. It’s a veritable orchestra of cold, brutal sounds - some sharp, some blunt, others somewhere in-between - but all arranged for a dynamic assault on your person. Deal with it.

And this guy is prolific, having at least three albums’ worth of songs uploaded onto his Soundcloud (which we sincerely recommend checking out). “House Arrest” is available now as a free download.