Fifi Rong – Silently Violently EP – (Fifi Rong)

Fifi Rong has worked with both Tricky and Skepta, and given the eye those two have for quality vocalists it comes as no surprise to report that she meets the high standards both would inevitably set. ‘Violently Silently’ is a five-part, self-released EP that shows off her wares as a vocalist, as well as her ability to curl her voice around music of all shapes and sizes. The vocal for ‘Once’ is deceptive, as what at first might sound cutesy in an fka twigs sense is actually icy cool and with hidden power – as well as a catchy chorus to boot. Each of the five tracks is very closely related – ‘Once’ including a sample of the following tracks, ‘Slow Poison’ and ‘Since When’, which itself gets the remix treatment in ‘Outro’. In ‘Slow Poison’ the swirly textures give the music a weightless quality and with not too much bass the beats have licence to wander – and the music does so with restless energy, including what could well be a few references to her birthplace of Beijing in the scattered latter stages. ‘Since When’ brings in glassy string tremolos, part of an ambitious and hugely effective backdrop. Rong’s voice remains the star of the show though, closely mic’d – and I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more of it next year.

5 out of 5

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

{http://soundcloud.com/fifirong/fifi-rong-once}