Rollin EP

Following unrelenting demand over the previous six months, Chicago Footwork don DJ Rashad’s March 2013 debut EP for Hyperdub is finally lined up for repress, having sold out of it’s initial 500 copy pressing in double quick time.

These four tracks show DJ Rashad at his unpredictable best. The EP opens with the sorrowful R&B vocal cut up of Rollin. It’s half time drums and layered, pitch shifted vocals give way to double time 808 kicks and hi-hat rushes, building up to tense arpeggiated tones.

Let It Go does something entirely different; with a nod to past UK Jungle and hardcore but gradually mutating into footwork's present, it opens with a perfect recall of early jungle’s mix of 160 amen breaks, euphoric diva wails and surging, ravey strings before the drums pull away, leaving a carpet of bass tones and firing 808’s, the euphoria of the track kept moving over hectic drums and a frantic piano melody.

Drums Please featuring DJ Manny, adds a tough rush of rolling, martial snares to the morse code of clattering toms, sweet Detroit techno chords, and a siren-like tune that breaks out into the upper register, somewhere between melody and noise.

Broken Hearted is more familiar territory for Rashad, this time featuring long time partner DJ Spinn. Vocal lines and synths are layered and chopped to gorgeous effect with half words left echoing and punctuating the stop start rhythm.