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I first heard about the Glasgow-hailing producer, Hudson Mohawke via one of my favorite BBC1 radio DJs, Benji B. Save perhaps Rich Medina and Gilles Peterson, Benji B is the best at mixing soul, funk, electronica, r&b, hip-hop and jazz selections into a seamless continuum of pure goodness. Before he played Mohawke’s track, “Overnight,” he warned the listeners, “This guy is so good, but his songs are so short, so I’m going to have to loop it back to back.”  He was right. What followed was a terse cut that sounded like a Timbaland-esque, stutter-step beat spliced with Atari-style electronic blips, and the kind of melodic, syncopated, bass chops that made the Neptunes and J. Dilla household names. It was an instrumental that felt as if it was rising to some kind of head-busting crescendo, but that sweet release never came – instead it steadied to a frothy, simmering tableau … and just like that, it ended. DJ Benji B was right, it would be an unforgivable sonic travesty not to give this joint an immediate encore.

So as a dutiful music journalist, I had to do my research on this Hudson Mohawke fellow, and indeed, the means justified the ends. Hud Mo is just 22-years-old, but at the age of 15, he was already the youngest ever UK-DMC DJ finalist. He’s an alum of the Red Bull Music Academy Class of ’07, and he runs with a consortium of renegade, uber-creative beatmakers dubbed the Lucky Me crew (This posse also includes Rustie, Heralds of Change, and gifted vocalist, Nadsroic).  He’s also put time in with US acts like Oddisee and PPP’s Wajeed – all Grade-A artists/producers in their own right. So yeah, this kid is barely in his twenties, but he already has more stripes than that funky Cheetos tiger.

If you’re into raw electronic beats that don’t require the popping of any pills to fully connect with the music, you MUST sample Mohawke’s unique magic. His full debut summer LP drops later this summer on Warp records, but for now, you can secure his Polyfolk Dance EP (also on Warp) to get familiar with his method of audio mayhem. My other favorite song on the EP is “Monde,” but I’m certain you’ll find many faves of your own.

Words by Geo Hagan, photos by Christina Kernohan

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