Hyperdub 10.1

Like 2009's 5 Years of Hyperdub, 2014's Hyperdub 10.1 looks back on five years of releases from Kode9's label while paying equal attention to the present. The setup is similar: a disc worth of fresh material joined by a similar quantity of past highlights. In addition to standouts from long-term Hyperdub artists like DVA, Burial, and Kode9 himself, the disc of new material features a brilliant six-track stretch from Chicago's Teklife crew of footwork producers. These choppy, crude, but energizing contributions -- led by DJ Rashad, who released the album Double Cup on the label and died just prior to this set's release -- add yet another dimension to the label's catalog. The selections of previously released material once again get casual listeners up to speed. It's unfortunate that Laurel Halo, Jessy Lanza, Fatima Al Qadiri, and Fhloston Paradigm aren't present -- two of them are featured on the follow-up Hyperdub 10.2 -- but there's an abundance of high-caliber tracks from the likes of Cooly G, Ill Blu, Terror Danjah, Zarate, Rashad, and also veteran Mark Pritchard, whose one-off meeting with Sa-Ra's Om'Mas Keith spawned the unadulterated foolywang that is "Wind It Up." From years six through ten, Hyperdub has remained as reliable and forward-thinking as it was during its first five years. That's no small feat. ~ Andy Kellman