Offie Mag

Surf Gang's rise over the last few years has been one of underground rap's most exciting success stories. What began as a loose collective of producers pushing New York drill into stranger territory has grown into a creative network connecting some of the most forward-thinking artists in hip-hop. Rather than defining a single sound, Surf Gang has become a home for artists willing to blur the lines between rap, electronic music and everything in between.

South London's Omari Lyseight has always belonged in that conversation. As founder of Trackout Records and a member of Ammi Boyz, he's spent years weaving together grime, UK funky, hazy rap and leftfield electronic production. Having already worked around both the Surf Gang and 10k circles, Digital is his long awaited arrival.

The album expands on Surf Gang's minimalist DNA with Omari trading sparse arrangements for warmer textures, vibrant synth work and surprisingly expansive production that never loses its intimacy. Tracks like 'Detonate the Fuse' and 'East End' balance weightless melodies with hard-hitting low end, creating enough space for Jadasea and 454 to bring two of the record's standout performances. Elsewhere, Earl Sweatshirt delivers a razor-sharp verse on 'Square'.

Despite appearances from familiar names including Harrison, Niontay and 30nickk, Digital is unmistakably Omari's record. Producing, mixing and mastering the project himself gives it a cohesion that ties together its many influences.

Digital doesn't reinvent the Surf Gang formula. It proves just how far Omari Lyseight has pushed his own. It's a confident, carefully crafted statement from a producer who's spent years shaping the underground from the sidelines and is finally receiving the spotlight he deserves.

Buy the album here.

Words from Louis Rowland