Double Cup (Vinyl 2LP)

On Double Cup, DJ Rashad & the Teklife crew move further away from the rapid-fire 4x4 juke stylings of their early 00s releases and the stripped-down battle anthems found on the breakthrough Bangs & Works compilation that lured all the hipsters into their orbit. Double Cup slows things down to a codeine-soaked halftime lurch, incorporating trap cadences, chopped-up jungle breaks, drank, kush, barz, (even actual #bars courtesy of DJ Spinn on She A Go), while retaining enough triplet hi-hats, blown-out 808s and ice-cold hooks to still unquestionably be considered footwork.

Rashad & Spinn (who co-produced more than half the album's tracks) do more than just abuse the MPC; they make genuine anthems, drawing on three decades worth of R&B acapellas and Chicago house tropes, even going so far as to recontextualize a classic Larry Heard track into an ode to high-grade weed (“I can’t quite understand… why you smoking reggie”). Put this on from start to finish at any party and watch the floor swell. What’s most striking about Double Cup is how much soul comes through on the tracks; check out the jaw-dropping Roy Ayers chop-up on Feelin, or the hyperactive R&B of Let U No and Only One, or the expert deployment of the amen break on Drank, Kush, Barz & I’m Too Hi. An essential entry in Hyperdub’s consistently inventive catalog, and the strongest long-player to emerge from the footwork movement to date, sadly bookended by Rashad’s untimely passing just 6 months after its release. Rest in peace to a true innovator and genius of the Chicago house diaspora. Highly recommended.

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