Werd

Werd, also known as Dj Werd, is a Berlin-based producer and Scottish rapper associated with Long Lost Relative and the Scottish hip-hop act Sons of Scotland (S.O.S.). The available information also distinguishes him from another Scottish rapper with the same name.

Solo work

His first solo album, The Path, is a melancholic melodic instrumental hip hop record built over two years. It is presented as a personal, private account of emotional experiences, moving through hopelessness, heartbreak, inner peace and joy. The music centres on analog instruments including Fender Rhodes, Moog Prodigy and eastern percussion, and it avoids samples apart from one track, Serpentine.

Werd performs and records much of the instrumental material himself, using the album to present a detailed picture of his creative process and personal struggles. The project is paired with visual artwork by the Swiss artist C-Line, who shares the experiences reflected in the album, and with three music videos made by Keep Yah Joy of Audiopharmacy.

Style and scene

His work is described as rooted in a dark atmosphere that reflects Berlin, the city he calls home. Across the material connected to him, he is presented as an artist who usually works in the background of the German music scene while making music that draws together melancholy, melody and instrumental hip hop.

Other activity

Under the Sons of Scotland name, he is part of a Scottish rap project that pushes the genre in the underground scene. The group appears on national UK radio and on international hip-hop stations in Germany, Norway, France and the United States, and works with both established and newer artists in Scotland and abroad, including producers and performers in Edinburgh and live appearances in major cities.