Traxman needs no introduction. With juke and ghetto house origins on iconic labels like DanceMania and Ghettophiles, as well as massive contributions to the footwork dynasties of Geto DJz and TEKLIFE, Traxman is a Chicago veteran who’s put out release after release of bombastic bass and skittering hi-hats for over two decades now. After 2012’s iconic Da Mind of Traxman (Planet Mu) and 2013’s The Architek (Lit City Trax) — not to mention the endless stream of fire mixes he’s been tossing up online — Cornelius Ferguson is back, here with Slash Time, the full-length follow-up to the 2014 EP of the same name.
Although Traxman’s been touring Europe and Asia extensively over the last few years, here Ferguson returns to form, with the sharp snares and 808 hits that define the style from its origins. With five tracks featuring fellow Tekk Djz member DJ Fred, the album settles back into footwork battle glory — raw and rapturous, fresh and unfazed. Back with the menacing intensity of Chicago’s West Side, Traxman piles on samples and 808 chaos, scouring deep beneath the skin for something brash and booming, sprawling and triumphant.
With Swiss imprint Duck N’ Cover, Traxman offers works like “Taken A Trip U” and “I Like Two,” absorbed in blistering samples like “deadly weapons” becoming “a style unheard,” according to the press release. The tracks build on the racing intensity of of the genre with squelching acid house synths and layered effects — chaotic, blistering, seedy, splendid, and new.
Here at TMT, we’re pleased to premiere the entire album in full. Slash Time is out today, available on limited vinyl, CD, and digitally through Duck N’ Cover Records.