Review: Two Legends of the game combine on this latest offering from Fabric Worldwide, as we see the classic link up of Kode9 & Burial once again in action, delivering a simply sumptuous duo of forward thinking originals. First up, Kode9 steps forward with a classic blend of emotional energy, footwork-sounding drum pumps and lucid melodies, wrapped up in jungle-style drum breaks for a truly unique sonic experience. On the flip to this, the immortal Burial steps up for his appearance on 'Unknown Summer'. Now this is a truly special experience, linking up floating chord chimes and tap dancing percussion for a divine drip through atmospheric soundscaping. Simply, awesome!
Review: There aren't many labels that can genuinely hold a candle to the electronic mastery that Hyperdub have been able to deliver over the last decade alone, seeing their catalogue now bulging at the seams with the most intuitive dance music innovation. This latest collection takes the title '10.4' and supplies us with a deep dive into the full spectrum of where Hyperdub are at, with legendary figures such as Ikonika, Cooly G, Scratch DVA, Martyn, Funkystepz and many more all making their return for a fabulous compilation display. From the high energy rave-inspired synth slinks of Ill Blu's 'Bellion' to the unorthodox percussive bubbles of 'Noyfb' from Laurel Halo & iconic glitchy melodies of Burial's 'Lambeth', this is a truly fabulous exploration into just how abstract electronic dance music can get. Another exceptional collection from a truly outstanding imprint!
Review: Escapology is Kode9's soundtrack album to the 'sonic fiction' Astro-Darien, which will be released later in the year on Hyperdub's sub-label Flatlines. The project began in 2021 as a two week audiovisual installation at Corsica Studios in London, utilising a multi-channel installation of the 50 speaker Acousmonium, courtesy of Paris' INA-GRM, and incorporating "off-world atmospheres into slices of high definition, asymmetric club rhythms, woven through thrilling sound design and vertiginous sonics." From the intoxicating, polyrhythmic sound design of "The Break Up" to the deconstruction of club music on "Torus" being just some examples, the Hyperdub chief has finally brought forth his follow up long-player to 2015's Nothing - and it is certainly worth the wait.
Review: It always feels few and far between a solo Kode9 release if we take into account the last drop under his name - and his name only - was the Xingfu Lu / Kan 12" before his 2015 long player, Nothing. Some collaborative LPs, remixes EPs and other left of field projects later, Kode9 opens Hyperdub's account for 2021 with a synth focused and sample heavy run through two juke joints of footwork inspirations of the Hyperdub bosses current sound and direction. Fresh off appearing in Lawrence Lek's most recent album as a ruthless label boss, Kode9 proves he's the goods for real with "The Jackpot" - harder and more ghoulish rave trip here, with "Rona City Blues" cut up by a fluctuating tremolo effect on its synth that's laced out by a sweet sequence of undeniable footwork drums.
Review: With 19 Hyperdub artists on show here, this intrigue of a collaboration to help Hyperdub commemorate its 15th year of operation sees the label connect with late night television network Adult Swim. The likes of Burial, Ikonika, Fatima Al Qadiri and Kode9 all sign in with tracks specifically made for the compilation, with stand out numbers coming from Skratch DVA via the toxic and percussive "Baka" alongside the white noise crackles and subtle dub and industrial techno grooves of Nazar's "Unruly". Other oddball highlights include Mana's "Climbing The Walls" and the slow march of Doona Kanda's "Perfume". Late night TV has never sounded so good.
Review: On the latest instalment of the long-running DJ-Kicks series, Peggy Gou paints a vivid picture. It starts with the widescreen ambience of Space Time Continuum's 1993 debut, "Fluresence", before moving into her own, cosmic "Hungboo" and the niggling acid of Pearson Sound's "Earwig", a contemporary cousin to Plastikman's Musik. There are other endearing oddities here, such as Andrew Weatherall's seductive house version of Sly & Lovechild's "The World According To..." and the raw drums of Kyle Hall's "Flemmenup". Gou has also included a Detroit techno classic, Psyche's "Crackdown", but balances this out with new, unreleased tracks from I:Cube - "Cassette Jam 1993" sees the maverick French producer deliver a frazzled, hazy affair - and Hiver's pulsating, acid-flecked "Pert".
Review: The big, bad Kode9 makes a much awaited return to his own Hyperdub stable with a new album, and that is exactly what we were wanting to hear from the one of the founding fathers of contemporary UK bass music. His explorative style is perfectly suited to the album format, and "Zero Point Energy" is the perfect opener to a stunning sequence of events - large folds of bass deconstruct over sci-fi sonics and sink into the pensive melodic flux of tunes like "Notel", and "Void". There is also plenty of beat-laden material here, so don't worry, and "Holo" even ventures into a bit of jump-up juke, but there's no point trying to dissect Kode9's music; the album is all made up of hybrid tunes, and it's exactly the sort of music that pushes boundaries further and genres to their very edges. Quality, of course.
Review: The third full-length album from Steve Goodman comes weighted by the untimely passing of his long time sparring partner Stephen 'Spaceape' Gordon, marking the first time he has flown solo on a long player. Stylistically the production reaches out into many of the spaces you might expect of the Hyperdub label boss in this day and age, from rapid-fire threads of footwork to hyper-modern house mutations, but by and large the clean, crisp and angular flair that embodies the Kode9 sound is still very much intact. At times the sparse concept behind Nothing can feel positively unsettling, as on the eerie "Zero Work", but there is still plenty of room for the playful lead lines that shed light into Goodman's brooding sound world.
Review: Inspired by some time spent in Shanghai, the Hyperdub main man makes a long-awaited return with this no-messing two tracker that sees him venturing into ever more curious realms of rhythmic abstraction. "Xingfu Lu" shudders on a trap-like framework, sparse but heavy hitting all in the same breath. The melodies sport that oddly comforting sense of otherworldliness that has always characterised Steve Goodman's musicality even as the groove playfully fits and starts. "Kan" is a more feisty proposition, moving erratically between different motifs and getting even twitchier in the drums department while found sounds slip in between the miniscule cracks between the hats and snares. It's a bewildering effect that suggests interesting pastures new are in sight for Kode 9.
Review: Much lauded Hyperdub label boss and author of esoteric electronic music literature Kode9 teams up with long term collaborator Spaceape in "Otherman", which as the title indicates, is as much an exploration into the notion of "otherness" as it is a somnambulant journey into a jungle-tinged dubbed out sonic landscape. It is one characterised by crackling atmospherics, muttered lyrics reminiscent of a tribal MC Kemo and a delicious synth haze that washes over all. "Love Is The Drug" (feat. Chinese singer Cha Cha) pairs chopped up vocals with a driving beat and pervasive sense of melancholia. It's a fantastic snapshot of what we can expect from Kode9's forthcoming album Black Sun, out later this month!
Review: The Hyperdub head honcho hooks up with The Spaceape, five years after their debut album Memories Of The Future, for another eloquently crafted and superbly narrated journey through bass music's ever-shifting landscape. With its milestones of dub, techno, house, dubstep and 2-step, the pair's sound has unsurprisingly evolved into something fresh and new. From the dread riddim "Black Smoke" which starts the LP, through the pacing, King Cannibal-esque "Am I" to the hissing, mellifluous sounds of "Black Sun (Partial Eclipse)" and the more maudlin, synth-drenched "Green Sun", it's very much an album of now and makes for essential listening.
Review: Always at the top of the pecking order for apocalyptic producer-MC combos, Kode 9 and The Spaceape are back in action once again and sounding as visceral as ever. "Chasing A Beast" suggests a change in stance for the pair, with Kode 9 working a cheekily swaying groove and Spaceape delivering a slightly less baritone, mildly Americanised flow. It's still as dark as ever, but "Devil Is A Liar" too shows a lighter, more limber approach to the finished product, not so leaden in British urban dread. The minimalism reaches a peak on "Heart" with its slithering smatterings of trap and plush chords, while Spaceape rips the human condition to shreds, and the later into the EP you go the more adventurous the tracks become. It's a fresh approach that will keep the fans on their toes while proving this is a pair that will never rest on their laurels.
Review: The ten year celebrations from Hyperdub continue apace here with the second of four planned label compilations arriving with the stated intention of casting "some sunshine" over the label's sometimes "dread filled reputation". Arriving on just one disc this time round as opposed to two, the fourteen tracks nevertheless features productions from DVA, Morgan Zarate, Cooly G, Jessy and Burial among other Hyperdub regulars, who are joined by the vocal talents of Dam-Funk, Fatima and others. Perhaps most exciting is the inclusion of an unreleased track from the defunct partnership of Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland; fans of the latter will also be intrigued by Kode9?s "Lies Lies", which features the talents of Inga in her new solo guise, copeland.
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