The world hasn’t quite been the same since the death of Chicago footwork pioneer DJ Rashad. Rashad Harden was on the verge of bringing a very localized music scene worldwide. His fast-paced high-energy beats were revolutionary enough to break out of Chicago’s West Side to London, where Harden and his Teklife crew signed to Hyperdub Records.
Half a year after his drug overdose and the electronic music community is still reeling from losing so much talent. Hyperdub and Teklife have brought their best forward to honor the legend with Next Life.
Next Life is an incredibly appropriate title for this compilation of footwork and juke beats. While Harden may have left this world, his spirit still lives on in his fellow musicians and their songs. Almost every song sounds like it could be pulled from DJ Rashad’s excellent final release Double Cup. Most of tracks are incredibly well-produced, blending the influence of U.K. garage with the frantic MPC-mashing beats that defined the footwork scene. Other tracks tended to either be completely U.K.-influenced or pure footwork dance tracks, and these tended to be the weakest spots on the album. RP Boo goes a little too crazy with the samples on “That’s it 4 Lil Ma,” and Gantman’s track “Jungle Juke” doesn’t even sound like it belongs on the album.
The strongest parts of this album were songs produced by DJ Rashad’s closest collaborators, mainly DJ Earl, DJ Spinn and DJ Manny. Songs like “Burn that Kush” and “Do This Again” exemplify the best aspects of footwork: soulful samples repeated over and over, tight snares that explode and surprise on every measure and basslines that sound like the beat of a heart exposed to at least a dozen narcotics.
Traxman’s “Sit Ya Self Down” combines dark and sentimental chords with a constantly thudding bass and a relentless sample of an old man asking the listener to sit themselves down. It was a sound fit for a rave in an empty snow-filled park at night.
Unsurprisingly, the most memorable song on this album was the one which Harden actually collaborated on. “OTS” has the massive amount of energy and Chicagoan vibe to go down as a classic footwork track. It’s pure, unadulterated fun in the form of Harden proudly declaring over and over “We Off The Shits.”
Next Life is an excellent dedication to DJ Rashad. Teklife has done an exceptional job at maintaining footwork as a complex yet fun dance genre, all while paying homage to one of the most influential producers in Chicago’s history.
Grade: B+
