I’m not a very superstitious person, but I do believe in karma, based on the principle that every time I lose a lighter I seem to serendipitously steal someone else’s soon after. Ergo: given the crumbling hellscape of a world that we endured for the duration of 2017, I desperately believe that this coming year will be equally abundant in blessings. This is (presumably) why Hyperdub has announced that their first release of 2018 will be Still Trippin, the debut LP of Teklife’s DJ Taye; because we fucking deserve it, goddammit.
Not that the world of footwork music has been in desperate need of more talent, since the underground genre pioneered by Teklife founders DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn has grown out of Chicago into a global footwork movement in less than decade. After the untimely passing of the legendary DJ Rashard in 2014, however, many wondered what would hold for the boundless potential left within the genre. But Taye says the tragedy inspired him “to continue evolving the music that I loved so much coming up in this world” and pushed him to “make something brand new.”
The results are out March 2 on double LP, CD, and digital. And although Still Trippin’ certainly features its share of “classic” talent from around the Midwest, like The Cool Kids’ Chuck Inglish (on the project’s vivacious and electrically charged first single “Get it Jukin,” listenable down below), DJ PayPal, and DJ Manny of the Teklife crew; Taye is also notably expanding Teklife’s range and diversity (both musically and geographically) by featuring female talents such as Jersey’s club queen UNIIQU3, Canadian singer Odile Myrtil, and Fabi Reyna, bass player and editor of women’s guitar magazine She Shreds. “I took this as an opportunity to not have boundaries with footwork. Different approaches to our ‘underground’ sound to make it broader, Taye says. “It’s only underground until it crosses that threshold.”
Believe in karma or not, there’s something to be said for continuing to do good while wading through the shittiest of circumstances and finding the hope to advance your causes into the future. In fact, a good attitude can be even better than good karma. Try me, 2018.
Still Trippin’ tracklisting:
01. 2094
02. Trippin
03. Need It (Ft DJ Manny)
04. Smokeout (ft DJ Lucky)
05. Same Sound (Feat Odile Myrtil)
06. 9090
07. Another (Feat DJ Manny)
08. Bonfire (Feat DJ Paypal)
09. The Matrix (Feat DJ Manny)
10. Get It Jukin (Feat Chuck Inglish) 02:47
11. Pop Pop ( Feat DJ Paypal)
12. Gimme Some Mo (Feat Uniqu3)
13. Truu (Feat DJ Paypal)
14. Closer
15. I’m Trippin
16. I Don’t Know (feat Fabi Reyna)
More about: DJ Manny, DJ PayPal, DJ Rashad, DJ Taye, UNiiQU3
