You’ll find bass-lines made of acid, shaker-races and creaking synthesizers – and still, DJ Rashad is presenting himself as soft as ever. While his previous EP was likely to blow all kinds of fuses, »Double Cup« is a rather relaxed first record for Hyperdub, at least when it comes to Rashad’s own standards. And we like it that way. Because this way, we can enjoy the record’s Chicago House that Rashad is capable of; we can even make out the various layers of the productions, in which different elements are trying to make their way to the fore. We can listen to the vocal-chops, and can even tap along with the rhythm without having to be a mad N64-tinkerer. It’s this rather melodic approach that does the record good, especially because you can listen to it all the way to the end without wriggling like a stranded fish. In contrast to the previous EPs, that’s a completely new approach. Of course, this is still far away from downbeat. It’s actually still footwork: Some of the songs go wild around the 160bpm-marker, drum-frameworks stumble, and the hi-hats miss the beat in the speed of light every now and then because they try to race after the bass. And still, the balance is just right. Under the vague frame of Footwork, Rashad combines Jungle, UK-Bass-music and R&B-Samples – and will thereby surely help the genre to keep sweeping across Europe.
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Double Cup
