After Hyperdub's first compilation of 10th anniversary dancefloor heaters, 10.2 features some of the label's best songs of the last five years or so.
Hyperdub is often associated with dark and brooding instru- mental music, however, this mid-summer compilation release casts some sunshine over this dread filled reputation, showcasing an underrated cast of talented songwriters, vocalists and producers.
The album is laced with brand new cuts from Kode9, Cooly G, Morgan Zarate feat. Eska and Ghostface Killah, Jessy Lanza, DVA feat Zaki Ibrahim, Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland. Ranging from melancholy R&B, garage, funk, footwork and icy pop, 10.2 covers this overlooked side of the label's back catalog.
The album opens with Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland’s grime lullaby, ‘Signal 2012’, one of their final collaborations, moving into Burial's dubbed-out R&B on ‘Shell Of Light’ from his seminal album Untrue and stand-out cut from Jessy Lanza's ‘5785021’, before sliding into the digi dub meets R&B slow jam of South London’s Cooly G with ‘Obsessed.’ King Britt features next, with his Fhloston Paradigm project, on the deeply emotive ‘Never Defeated feat. Rachel Claudio.’ After their collaboration on his ‘Pretty Ugly’ album, DVA is joined again by South African singer Zaki Ibrahim with their brand new summery mutant garage track ‘Solid.’ Dam Funk jumps on Ikonika’s funk bomb ‘Mr. Cake’, adding a fun, party vocal.
Continuing the 80s funk vibe, comes Morgan Zarate and Roses Gabor’s ice cold Prince influenced ‘Pusher Taker’, lead track from his 2013 EP. Jessy Lanza contributes some more sparkling R&B with the brand new ‘You and Me’. This is followed by another track from Morgan Zarate, a lost dub featuring the soulful Eska and Wu Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah.
The tempo raises in the final stretch of the album with DVA’s and Fatima’s collaboration ‘Just Vybe’, Terror Danjah & Meleka’s shimmering R&G cut ‘You Make Me Feel’ and the 160bpm soul of the late DJ Rashad’s ‘Only One’ from his acclaimed Double Cup album. The CD closes with the lo-fi, bashy mutation of Kode9 & copeland’s ‘Lies Lies.
10.2 calls on Hyperdub’s sirens to balance the moody energy of 10.1 with fourteen slices of hypersoul. Let them lead you astray.
Tracklist:1. Dean Blunt & Igna Copeland : Signal 20122. Burial : Shell of Light3. Jessy Lanza : 57850214. Cooly G : Obsessed5. Fhloston Paradigm : Never Defeated feat. Rachel Claudio 6. DVA : Solid feat. Zaki Ibrahim 7. Ikonika : I Know (That U Are The 1) feat. Dam Funk 8. Morgan Zarate : Pusher Taker feat. Roses Gabor9. Jessy Lanza : You and Me10. Morgan Zarate : Sticks & Stones feat. Eska & Ghostface Killa11. DVA : Just Vybe (Soule Power Mix) feat. Fatima 12. Terror Danjah : You Make Me Feel feat. Meleka13. DJ Rashad : Only One feat. Spinn & Taso 14. Kode 9 : Lies Lies Lies feat. Copeland