NL premiere

Iceboy Violet is a British rapper and producer whose unique releases have been bolstering the northwest UK’s experimental scene over the last few years. Borrowing inspiration from places as far flung as the hardcore punk scene to Odd Future to Daniel Johnston, Iceboy Violet’s songs, although painted with a harsh brush, are hued by vibrant colours. In an interview with The Quietus they said, “I want to make music that allows you to have the escape I often need.” The sonic world they build for listeners to escape into is vivid and engulfed in reverberating echoes. Tinted with nostalgia but truly forward looking, warm distorted synths swim over tectonic bass drums as Iceboy Violet spits their verses. Cavernous soundscapes define their debut album Not a Dream But a Controlled Explosion (2023), which is a project about desire and fantasy. These lush ideas rub up against frictive textures and moving vocals that bring a crooning, stretched-out quality to the often frenetic rap canon. Amidst the noisy debris of Iceboy Violet’s tracks is a humble and comforting sense of self-discovery; they have said that forcing themself to be vulnerable to connect with people is a core part of their music. When they perform at Rewire 2024, the audience will surely sense this powerful vulnerability as it rebounds across the burnt-out tonality of their songs.