Kordhell

In Kordhell’s heavy dance music, the dark sonics and antisocial lyrics of Memphis rap become a springboard into the abyss. On his hit “Murder In My Mind,” a Lil Slim sample and a brutal techno beat form the base for a gunshot-spangled industrial rave much stranger than the sum of its parts. It’s not about reverence for his sources or clever flipping. It’s about pushing them as far as they can go. The officially anonymous, UK-born producer is one of the most prominent practitioners of the genre known as phonk. Part of his appeal is that, while many of his peers are content to lean into the lo-fi side of their Southern-rap influences, Kordhell has more ambition. For him, hard bars demand harder beats. His 2023 album, A MILLION WAYS TO MURDER, is outfitted with thunderous dubstep and pummelling house; horror-inspired synths and distorted vocals fill out an already massive sound. It’s a case where high production values only add to the nihilistic fun.