Out today, November 12: Sub-liminal boss Agro follows up his recent album Bad From Morning with an eclectic EP – The Trenches.

Four tracks in total, featuring Sammie Hall and Sam Harris, 50% of the profits will go to UK homelessness charity Shelter.

“I wanted to give something to Shelter because I used to live above the Shelter shop on Worthing High Street,” Agro explains. “It’s where I made my album Bad From Morning. I’ve seen the homeless situation in Worthing, Brighton and London and it’s pretty bad. I wish I could do more to help.”

Organisations such as Crisis report that homelessness has risen year on year for the last five years, with core homelessness being experienced by over 200,000 this winter in the UK alone. For Agro, real Ben Carvin, the severity of the situation has increased in recent years.

“I met up with an old mate in London who I hadn’t seen for years, and finding out he was homeless over Christmas last year really hit home,” he explains. “Also a man sleeping on an old mattress by my stairs in Worthing for a while during lockdown was an eyeopener. I used to sort him out bits and bobs.”

“I’ve never been homeless,” Agro continues. “But I’ve never had a lot of money either, so I’m happy to have had the support I have in life. I must admit it wasn’t looking good over lockdown. I don’t like to comment on politics usually but I think it’s important we vote out the Tories next time around.”

Ben’s mission for Shelter is a reflection of continuous support and help from the drum & bass scene for those less fortunate. The 2020 and early 2021 lockdowns inspired all kinds of fundraisers and missions from the Stay At Home Festival to the Mental Health Matters streams, which we reported in our Antivirus series last year.

As the world now begins to open up, the level playing field the lockdowns had temporarily created no longer exists and it’s once again reminded us just how extreme the rich/poor divide is in Tory UK right now, and how many people are having rely on the support of charities like Shelter. With the release of The Trenches, Agro hopes to raise as much money as he can for the organisation.

“The Trenches EP is a sign of things to come,” he tells us. “I’ve gone back to my true sound that I love and it’s more for my own satisfaction than trying to please anyone. So if anyone likes it as well that a massive bonus, thanks to everyone who buys the EP and helps me raise money for an important cause.”

Agro – Trenches is out now on Sub-liminal

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