It’s fair to say that we’ve been spoilt rotten for choice by Hyperdub this year. We’ve had a generous serving of UK funky from Cooly G, Kode 9 and L.D, a pinch of ultra-downtempo dub from King Midas Sound and a smattering of technicolour synth worship courtesy of “purple prince” Joker. This latest release, a collaboration between Global Communication and Harmonic 313’s Mark Pritchard and the Sa-Ra Collective Partners’ Om’Mas Keith, falls into the latter category and, in our opinion, is one of the most lighthearted, fun tunes that we have heard all year. The problem with “fun” tunes is that, often, they can quickly become tired novelties but this steers clear of this pitfall and manages to effortlessly maintain serious musical credibility.
Like the recent, wonderful Nadsroic EP, this tune takes the best elements of crunk and, like with most of the music put out by Hyperdub, throws the rule book right out of the window. The real power in this track comes from the low-slung and deceptively simple synth-line but it is this simplicity that lends the track a real heaviness. Personally, I am really into the fact that the emphasis on the synth is placed on the upbeat giving the track a groove and swagger that lock you in for it’s duration. This, once again, is another very simple trick but I have yet to hear a track this year that pulls it off so successfully and as a result, it is an absolute killer on the dancefloor, further proof that you don’t need lots of offensive mid-range LFO wank to get people moving. On top of Pritchard’s accomplished production we get some great tongue-in-cheek vocals from Om’Mas Keith delivered in a serious “get ready to party” manner.
On the flip is the Freak Mix of the track which adds a higher synth-line to the proceedings and the instrumental but, to be honest, it’s all about the A side. Another great release from Hyperdub and a fantastic collaboration and, with any luck, we’ll see these two working together again soon.