Mad Hatter EP

Description

DVA comes with a four tracker, including a DJ Rashad remix, which works really expressively within a tight format of stabbing melodies and swirling psychedelic atmosphere. The EP starts with the very broken beat of Mad Hatter its chewed up snares slung around a driving kick and frantic off beat tones that disappear down wormholes of fx before popping up again. 'Gang Gang Riddim' is deconstructed dancehall, taking driving claps that wouldn't feel out of place in a Lenky track and wrapping nervous stabs and a sliding funky worm-like melody through them, with the occasional rasta sample dropping into the mix. 'Chilli Burrito' starts off being all about pounding moody kicks and hypnotic, brassy stabs, but wait until the dialogue of a new MDMA user starts and the music becomes a witty, sardonic accompaniment to the girl's drug fuelled mood swings. Finally, DJ Rashad remixes the now classic 'Walk It Out'. It starts super minimal and pounding, just the vocal, a bass tone, and drums, chopped and looped, before the track opens out onto a lush funk break, giving it a whole new energy. The special extended CD version also includes the best tracks from last years highly acclaimed Fly Juice EP, which contrast well with the new material as colourful chunky techno that switches up every 8 bars, like grime, with plenty of shuffle and offbeat to counter the 4/4 drums. Fly Juice opens with sweet jazz funk Rhodes before dropping into weightless bouncey chopped vocals and stuttering drums building through 8 bar patterns, dropping in the Rhodes as a sweetener. Do It runs a stuttering voice, a huge deep bassline and relentless building stabs against shuffling drums. Walk It Out's repetition of the titular hookline over a 4/4 two note melody is positively dumb, but pitched against swirling effects and whooshing chords the effect is epic. In Rumours, the voice of Hype Williams' Inga Copeland is swirled around the mix, as the track breaks down into a wonky jump up melody. As an extra bonus, two more tracks are exclusive to the CD - DJ Rashad's footworked version of Fly Juice, and French Fries' instrumental mix of Ganja which breaks the original down into a twinkling digi dub. Listen: