Hudson Mohawke (real name Ross Birchard) is a Glaswegian Emotronic Soul DJ/Producer. He’s been spinning since he was a wee lad at 15, winning the distinction of being the youngest finalist in the UK DMC (World DJ Competition.) He’s got a unique ability to take, make and recycle sounds from the past turning them into fresh reincarnations of genius.
For the tens of thousands of music heads who descend on Austin, TX each March for the SXSW music conference, the accompanying day parties have grown to equal the official night time showcases. And no place is this more true than this year’s Carniville—three days of music and mayhem presented by Mad Decent, Jelly NYC and IHeartComix. With headline acts Major Lazer, The Walkmen and Diplo, plus almost 40 other artists, rides, games…oh, and free booze, this is one fiesta not to be missed. Chinashop will be there and we asked IHeartComix head Franki Chan to get us psyched. Read the full story
Hudson Mohawke is a series of wandering blips, beeps and noises coming from a collection of turntables and synthesizers from the days of yore — from Casio to Korg, from what sounds like theme to Airwolf to an almost stream-of-consciousness solo on an old-school synth. It honestly could remind you of anything from the soundtrack to any old NES game or like deluge from an old Phil Collins-era Genesis track. It’s no surprise then that “The Hawke” sports the 80s logos and wrestlers of the old WWF on his myspace page — and it’s apparent this is what the guy loves to do, imagine a world that was and shall forever be permanently 80s. Every soundtrack from every Jean Claude Van Damme movie of the time, every one-hit wonder that filled the radio and airwaves of MTV, re-imagined with a hipper sound. Check out Red Bull Music Academy Radio for more.
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.
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