Hypersonic | Colta.ru

In May of this year, HyperDub , an electronic label from London, which has already reached the status of a cult, celebrates the ten -year anniversary. In honor of such a significant event, the electronic musician Stanislav Sharifullin chose ten reasons to love HyperDub, if for some reason you have not done this yet.

1. Kode9

Maybe this is not entirely logical, but one of the main reasons for love for Hyperdub is precisely the personality of his leader Steve Goodman, also known by Kode9 pseudonym. The musician, DJ and the club promoter, a former journalist, the owner of a doctoral degree of philosophy, the teacher, author of a very original monograph “Sound War” (is difficult to read, but curious) - there are so many facts in the KODE9 biography that could have been enough for several public persons at once. Interestingly, at the same time, he himself in every possible way avoids publicity, which, of course, is a slightly different story. It is impossible not to mention that Goodman is a source of just enchanting musical metaphors. And if his reasoning about music as a virus is still a little with abstruse academicity, then linguistic masterpieces like “crying microcircuits” (and this is how he at one time described the music of the Darkstar group) deservedly became niche memes.

Kode9 & The Spaceape - "9 Samurai"

The science essence of Steve Goodman is also manifested in the original clips

2. Burial

About the significance of the personality of William Bivan, as well as about the truth of the existence of one , we have already said so many nonsense that we, perhaps, will not. Under the anniversary of the label, one can only think about what we would listen now if Kode9 would not at one time get into the world of one of the most interesting electronic musicians of our century.

3. Ephemeral format

The constant change of musical course of the label is one of the permanent reasons for criticizing the activities of Gudman. Today, part of Hyperdub already calls him the conjuncturer, and indeed a traitor. On the other hand, one cannot fail to notice that the constant change of format is the same format - instead of “holding the brand” for years, Kode9 constantly demonstrates the variability of its own taste in the most affordable way, namely, issues your favorite music in vinyl. Largely due to the impulsiveness of Gudman, the label is so interesting to follow. The same property, apparently, is transmitted to some HyperDub musicians: for example, the same Darkstar once “wrapped” the finished full -format album to release a record with completely different, new songs - the old material never saw the light.

4. Fidelity to the roots

Yes, this contradicts the previous point, but this is also true. Inventing his “hyperactive dub”, Kode9 relied, first of all, on the classic reggae and musical culture of Jamaica, which is somehow traced in the line of release of the label. In addition to Gudman himself, the rear here are covered by the most powerful Trio King Midas Sound , one of the participants of which, Kevin Martin, at one time and then advised the journalist and a novice musician to organize his own records.

King Midas Sound - "Earth a Kill Ya"

The project of musician Kevin Martin, poet Roger Robinson and vocalist Kiki Hitoma - multicultural, extremely nervous and in the literal sense of the word foggy dub, which, it seems, could be born only on the territory of the United Kingdom

5. Evolution

The HyperDub record catalog is a visual guide to British electronic music of the last ten years. Armed with the Discogs service. COM , for example, we can calculate the approximate year in which the rebirth of the Grace or the boom UK occurred Funky (the spread of both genres, especially the latter, Kode9 is directly related), the peak of the popularity of Bristol's “purple” sound, where Dubstep was mixed in equal proportions with hip-hop and r'n'b , and much more. Interestingly, according to the releases of the label, it is precisely the step development of the local electronic underground. Thus, whether he wants it or not, Steve Gudman actively supports the Hardcor-Kontinuum myth- a journalistic hypothesis about the evolution of British electronics.

6. Accessibility

An interesting phenomenon: for all its underground severity, the impressive share of HyperDub music is really available to the widest audience. Instantly memorable melodies (albeit sometimes formidable, like a motive from “9 Samurai” ), interesting texts with an original presentation, an impressive pack of dance hits - and this is not even mentioning Burial , which received a nomination for Mercury Prize .

7. Female beginning

Relations with the beautiful half of humanity in KODE9 as the head of the label are simply wonderful. The Hyperdub team is decorated, for example, an eccentric singer from China, a teacher from Canada Jesse Lanz, our Inga Copland (aka Alina Astrova-Russian from Estonia) and who moved to New York from Kuwait Fatim al-Kadiri. For a long time, the main female “combat units” were two hooligans from East London - Cooly G and Ikonika , today the banner passed to Lorel Hale ( L Aurel H Alo) - the American experimenter recorded two albums for the label, which, by the way, took first and second places in the last year’s albums. The years of one of the main British publications about “smart” music, The Wire magazine. We will also tell you about the fact that the label actively supported and supports the DJ cultural worker Mary Ann Hobbs-it is worth recalling at least her “last” broadcast on the BBC1 radio.

Jessy Lanza - "Kathy Lee"

Clip Jesse Lanza - the same teacher from Canada, who last year became one of the main discoveries of the label

8. The connection of generations

For the most part, Hyperdub relies on relative beginners, some of which are completely pupils (the same Ikonika , Cooly G and, for example, Walton ). But this does not prevent Gudman from time to time to attract experienced musicians to work with the label: in addition to the above -mentioned Kevin Martin, Morgan Sarata from Spacek , Green Gartti Politti , Dabstep and Graim Danjah and many others, including legendary jinging, are Britta, who soon releases on the label the debut album of his new project F H Loston Paradigm .

9. International relations

Today's HyperDub is an international phenomenon. At different times, musicians from Japan, China, South Africa, Russia were published here; The album of Al-Kadiri, who was born in Senegal, has already mentioned above, is preparing to release the album, and spent most of her conscious life in Kuwait. A significant part of the label musicians are based in the United States, and the musicians are completely diverse: on Hyperdub there was a place for the bohemian party of Brainfeeder from Los Angeles, led by Flying Lotus , and representatives of two completely different schools of Detroit techno (Kyle Hall and Deepchord , this is a word about the connection of generations), and this Chicago Juke, and even American outsiders like Lorel Hale. With confidence, we can say that Goodman is relatively indifferent to music from Western Europe. In particular, in recent years, the widespread love of British musicians for the German techno boss HyperDub still does not separate.

DJ Rashad - "I Don`t Give A Fuck"

During the preparation of this article, it became known that 35-year-old Rashard Harden was found dead in his apartment in Chicago. The death of one of the "godfathers" of the Chicago Juke is certainly a huge loss for both label in particular and for the electronic underground as a whole

10. Music

Following the magic of numbers, we picked up ten more tracks, which, speaking of the label contribution, simply cannot be mentioned. Here, perhaps, you can do without comment.

Kode9 & The Spaceape - "Victims"

Darkstar - "Need You"

Burial - "etched headplate"

Joker - "Digidesign"

Zomby - "Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix)"

Burial - "Fostercare"

LV & okmalumkoolkat - "Boomslang"

Ikonika - "IDIOT"

Laurel Halo - "Tumor"

Hype Williams - "Rise Up"