It was back in 2009, around the same time I started my undergraduate degree, that I first found myself getting into Hudson Mohawke. He’d just released the anthemic ‘Butter’ and it’s fair to say, when it came to making pre-drinks and party time tune selections, the majority of people in my circle of friends were obsessed with putting on ‘FUSE’.
Of course, one tune does not an artist make and all of that – although, with a robust stack of tunes in his arsenal, it seems a bit futile to even make the comment in relation to Hud Mo. In more recent years he’s steadily attracted more attention, starting with the release of ‘Satin Panthers’ in 2011 and progressing further after teaming up with Canadian Dj/producer Lunice to form TNGHT, climbing the ranks of both electronic music and hip hop.
Amassing credits on Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ tracks ‘I Am God’ and ‘Blood On The Leaves’ (the latter of which adopts an un-released TNGHT track, originally called ‘R U Ready’, for its beat), as well as working on Drake’s ‘Connect’ and Pusha T’s ‘Hold On’, Hudson Mohawke has made his ascension: once an underground artist whispered about by tastemakers, now he’s sitting as an influencer at the top of the rap game.
His new EP ‘Chimes’, which some are considering an effort to stave off questions concerning his much-delayed full length LP, opens with a track of the same name: known by many for its appearance in an Apple laptop advert this summer. Reeling in the glittery showmanship of his TNGHT projects, it’s interesting to see him pulling back as he marks his solo territory once again. Notably, his contemporary Rustie did a similar thing with his most recent LP ‘Green Language’ earlier in the year.
‘Chimes’ harks back to the good old days of Hud Mo. Built on a strong kick drum with a weighty bass end, as well as a big throaty fanfare of brass surfacing intermittently, still there is a marked restraint to the track that reminds us of everything we liked in his early solo releases. Following on with drifting off-kilter choir work and surging synths on ‘Brainwave’, before moving into funky video game esque melodics on ‘King Kong Beaver’, the release finishes with a remix from UK hardcore’s DJ Gammer.
For those looking for something really meaty and original, given that it features a selection of revarnished old tracks alongside a somewhat perplexing hardcore remix, the ‘Chimes’ EP may be a disappointment. Considering the influence he has had on the ascent of maximalism in electronic music, it’s interesting to see him scaling things back on this new release. As to whether it’s a marker of a larger move back into subtlety, or rather an accidental signifier that’s been borne out of the use of older material, only time will tell.
In the mean time, check it out for yourselves below and if you’re feeling it you pick up a copy here.
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