DJ Rashad: Rollin' Vinyl 2LP

The first time I heard this, my jaw dropped - the frenzied jungle breaks, elephant sub bass, chopped up pads and frenetic 808 snares fit together perfectly, so why hadn't anyone done it before? DJ Rashad was a true master, having been at the forefront of a half-dozen mutations of Chicago house, from the classic ghetto house era with his earliest recordings on Dance Mania, through juke with DJ Godfather’s Juke Trax label, the OG ice-cold footwork sound surveyed on Planet Mu’s Bangs & Works and into the halftime trap and jungle-infused variants explored here as well as his genre-defining Double Cup full-length. Rollin’ was Rashad’s first outing for the highly-respected Hyperdub label, and by joining the ranks of cutting-edge 21st century artists like Burial, Hype Williams, Laurel Halo and Zomby, an entire swath of music nerds suddenly realized what they were missing all along and the entire Chicago footwork scene was instantly elevated to newly respected heights. The title track cleverly flips some vintage Jagged Edge into an eerie ode (or perhaps a warning?) to MDMA. “Let It Go” and “Drums Please” are two twisted rollers that show off Rashad’s sampling chops with soul for days, and final side “Broken Hearted” flips Stevie’s “You Will Know” for what is quite possibly the most heartbreaking juke track of all time; with Rashad’s passing rendering it all the more chilling in hindsight. Four tracks cut loud and deep at 45rpm, one per side, all killer no filler. Recommended.

• pressed at 45 RPM
• double vinyl pressing
• music label: Hyperdub 2013

reviewed by hannibal chew 02/2018