DJ Rashad

UK label Hyperdub, along with Planet Mu, is pushing some of the most forward-thinking dance music around right now, and this new release from footwork pioneer DJ Rashad is no exception. It's unlikely there's been a more appropriately titled project from Rashad or any of his cohorts yet. Ill-advised forays into straighter hip-hop from others in the Chicago scene, no doubt in response to the international acclaim that the drill scene has received lately, has meant a noticeable drop in output, leaving it to the Europeans and Japanese to pick up the slack. It's therefore relieving to hear that the originators are still pushing those illogical breakneck bass lines. This is Rashad at his most dissonant — vocal samples are pitched and looped into sinister cries for help that underpin the rapid subs and 808s on "Brighter Days," featuring regular collaborator DJ Spinn, while the Amen strangling and mellow synth stabs of "Way I Feel," featuring DJ Manny, recall the bounce of ghettotech pioneer DJ Assault. The title track is the main attraction, where sinister movie samples coexist with industrial grade subs. It's disorientating and thrilling in equal measure.