It sure has been impressive to see how DJ Spinn and the Teklife Crew have kept alive DJ Rashad‘s memory and influence since his tragic passing last April. I jumped at the chance to see DJ Spinn perform in Seattle during last year’s Decibel Festival, but I wondered what the mood of the show would be knowing that this was supposed to be part of Rashad’s well deserved victory lap, with 2013’s Double Cup LP, out on the UK label Hyperdub, having helped to put Chicago’s Footwork scene on the global map. It had been a long time coming, with Rashad and Spinn having met as kids back in the early 90’s while attending Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois. The pair would go on to become central players in Chicago’s Juke scene, rising through the ranks as members of local dance troupes like the legendary House-O-Matics, while helping to fuel the dance competitons through the tracks they would create back in their home studios.
Double Cup was lauded by Pitchfork, and it’s release on Hyperdub, a hugely influential electronic label in it’s own right, meant that a vital cross-pollination between Britain’s thriving electronic music scene and the Midwest’s was again underway! When Rashad passed away unexpectedly in April of 2014, it was as though someone knocked the needle off the turntable, and the air seemed to go out of the room immediately. But in the coming weeks and months after their comrades passing, Teklife would redouble their efforts while making sure that Rashad’s sonic accomplishments wouldn’t be relegated to a mere blip on electronic music’s map. On that night in Seattle, Spinn began by invoking the spirit of his close friend, gently reminding a roomful of party-goers that Rashad would be there, too. This was his music also, and while he could no longer be with Teklife physically, his spirit would always shine through this crew, and the music of Footwork.
Today, we check out one more example of how tightly knit Teklife is, with this awesome video for the track “Dubby“. The cut features Danny Brown, and was co-produced by Rashad, who also makes some awesome cameos in this excellent video by Ashes57. Watching this, you can almost imagine that Rashad isn’t gone, as his presence still looms so large in this footage. Quite a touching tribute, really. “Dubby” will be on DJ Spinn’s upcoming EP Off That Loud, due out October 2nd via Hyperdub.
