Jimi Jaxon here! And this is my new mix alongsideMachinedrumin Seattle! In awe that this is the third show I’ve played with Travis Stewart. I consider him to be one of the best artists around, a serious gift to the universe. Disco Droppings draws influence from this dude, and I intend to continue holding my light for diverse sounds such as these.
Wide range, reppin’ allies from this site, 7 Deadly Records, and my local area ++
I hope to see you at The Crocodile this coming Sunday ($10 Advance TIX, FB event page). This is a part of Chance The Rapper’s ‘Social Experiment Tour’. That show at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, is sold out. Now, my feature on DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn and the prolific Teklife crew.
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As I read this recent interview with DJ Rashad aka Rashad Harden on Pitchfork, I connected deeply with his friendly energy. For someone of such influence and authority to be so kind shows me somethin’..nice guys can finish first.
It’s the same feeling I’ve gotten from my interactions with Machinedrum. After playing alongside him last year, sweatin’ it up at his Leisure System After Hours (w/ Jimmy Edgar, Jets) at Decibel Festival 2013, witnessing his Vapor City live show + the whole package around that album AND hearing his Essential Mix, I’ve developed such a strong connection with the man behind the music, Travis Stewart. Behind all this innovation and energy is a thoughtful and deep person that’s just very passionate about music.
In that same vein, Rashad matches a bright personality with ferocious and diverse productions, that have vastly fostered new sounds and styles into the world. Search on Google for “DJ Rashad Interviews 2013” and you’ll easily find out, this man is a big deal.Tiny Mixtapeseloquently said, “He might not be the most veteran footwork DJ (that would have to be RP Boo) or the most batshit (there are lots of people in the running for that title), but it’s become increasingly clear sinceTEKLIFE Vol. 1: Welcome To The Chichanged the game that, flanked by his longtime partner-in-crime DJ Spinn, Rashad is among the kings of footwork and juke — as both hometown bastion and ambassador abroad. Welcome To The Chi was a huge landmark for what was until then a more or less underground scene, in one bold stroke defining footwork for a new international audience and pushing it to its breaking point.”
Rashad has recently teamed up with Kode9’s Hyperdub label, and the results have been huuuuge. I can’t say enough positive things about this label. The pairing has encouraged Rashad’s evolution as an artist; showcasing a broad range of sounds, textures and moods. There’s theI Don’t Give A Fuck EP, with energy so high I want to move until I pass out from sheer excitement. His previousRollin EP, with my personal favorite track, the emotional and freeing “Let It Go”. His newly released 2nd album,Double Cupfurther demonstrates his variety as a producer. It’s got plenty of soul, with an ultra smooth flow. Equally relaxing and gangsta’ in the best way.
I can’t talk about all this music without mentioning the Teklife crew. DJ Rashad is the chief member of this Chicago based unit, and you’ll notice many of the others in production collaborations. The releases I mentioned above also showcase DJ Spinn, Freshmoon (Tony Mundaca Jr. and Lacey Mundaca), DJ Manny, Taso, DJ Phil and DJ Earl (+ Addison Groove from across the water). There are others such as Traxman (see Teklife Vol.3 The Architek). Click over to their Soundcloud’s and take in this massive collection of vibrant tunes.
It’s such an honor to not only be opening for DJ Spinn for a second time in just a few months, but to be joined by DJ Rashad, who was unable to perform at dB Fest 2013’s Hyperdub Showcase. This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often; it seems the universe demands these two come to Seattle and wake the city up. It’s exciting to note that DJ Spinn is working on his album for Hyperdub as well..
I’ve been looking through the Hyperdub Discogs, and one of the newest releases is Walton’s debut album, Beyond. This was my first time hearing of him, and after discovering some of the tracks, I’m absolutely obsessed. This album takes various styles and genres and puts them through Walton’s brilliant perspective; creating distinct (and familiar) characters with wild lives of their own.
Although the end result is to me Walton’s unusually gifted talent, I draw some connections between his music and others in the underground. “Frisbee” reminds me of the Night Slugs and “Amazon” is like a cousin of Kingdom’s “Stalker Ha” living in the jungle. Could just be my ears, but I can imagine it.
It’s difficult to have cohesion in an album. I’ve listened through recent records that have great tracks, but one of my critiques is that there isn’t a unifying element to the collection of songs as an album. Amazingly, a 22 year old dude from Manchester has emerged with an effortless, unvided debut album for Hyperdub.
In an interview with Thump, Walton said the album “has quite an industrial feel to it.” It’s a perfect way to describe the similarity in Beyond. There’s an almost mechanical perfection of multiple sounds in dance music today, which is a little eerie but mostly just badass. Walton is making a strong statement as a producer with this Hyperdub release, and his age seems to show that he’s just getting started.
I’m going to share some personal experiences that influenced this post. I’m tired of being the odd man out when it comes to love. I have wonderful friends and family, but romantic relationships have been highly elusive. For the past 4+ years, I’ve focused my attention on music instead. Lack of that significant other, and an awareness of dysfunctional relationships as a kid have been a few of the forces driving my creativity. The other morning I was feeling lonely and a bit jealous of that relationship that I just can’t seem to find. I drove home thinking, “what artist understands isolation and loneliness?”. Burial.
I started his 2006 self-titled Hyperdubalbum. The environment created by the rain and the freeway worked perfectly with his music. I felt super emotional taking everything in. “Night Bus” was very moving, and a few tears later, I felt refreshed. I spend a lot of time reminding myself that if those feelings and experiences and longings can be collected, compressed and translated into art, something very special can come out of it.
Burial fiercely embraces solitude and anonymity. A rarity nowadays, with social networks encouraging constant communication to the point of overstimulation. Personal events that influence Burial’s music are a mystery, but I pick up on a deeply passionate and sensitive individual, who prefers introspection and realizing lingering memories through music. In an archived2007 interviewwith Fact, Burial says “The sound that I’m focused on is more, you know, when you come out of a club and there’s that echo in your head of the music you just heard…I love that music, but I can’t make that club sort of stuff…but I can try and make the afterglow of that music.”.
He reminds me of “The Hermit”, a tarot card that came up in my first reading recently. This character retreats for enlightenment. At night he travels alone across a bare landscape, staff and lantern in hand. Through examination he illuminates the areas that were once hidden, both in the physical world and his mind. The Hermit goes wherever the inspiration leads. He is similar to the lantern, lit up from within by all he is, able to pierce the darkness.
Burial presents the future with precision and balance. A foundation of UK garage and rave give birth to a shadowy dubstep landscape. References are made to various genres, but his delivery is more about the memory of hearing these sounds, bringing back those vibes in a ghostly way. Burial is unique to say the least, productive with releases without ever playing shows. His followup 2007 album Untrue solidified Burial as a visionary, with Resident Advisor saying inreview, “..the reclusive south London producer returns with his follow up album, Untrue, which lays another strong claim to Burial being the most innovative and expressive artist not only in dubstep, but in the whole of electronic music.”. Burial has worked with Four Tet (see “Moth / Wolf Cub” release on Text Records) and Thom Yorke (see “Ego / Mirror” release on Text Records), and remixed Massive Attack, Bloc Party and Jamie Woon among others. His newest release, “Truant / Rough Sleeper” can be purchasedhereon the Hyperdub site.
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