DJ Rashad: Double Cup (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP – Turntable Lab Exclusive DJ Rashad

Lab exclusivo! Celebrating ten years of DJ Rashad’s full-length masterpiece, newly reissued on Partisan Records with refreshed gold foil stamped cover art and printed inner sleeves, this Turntable Lab Exclusive edition of 500 is pressed on one crystal clear LP and one opaque purple LP. Original Lab review:

Break it down, roll it up, pass that shit, WTF. On Double Cup, DJ Rashad & the Teklife crew move further away from the rapid-fire 4×4 juke stylings of their early 00s releases and the stripped-down battle anthems found on the breakthrough Bangs & Works compilation that lured all the hipsters into their orbit. Double Cup slows things down to a codeine-soaked halftime lurch, incorporating trap cadences, chopped-up jungle breaks, drank, kush, barz, (actual #bars courtesy of DJ Spinn on “She A Go”), while retaining enough triplet hi-hats, blown-out 808s and ice-cold hooks to still unquestionably be considered footwork. Rashad & Spinn (who co-produced more than half the album’s tracks) do more than just abuse the MPC; they make genuine anthems, drawing on three decades worth of R&B acapellas and Chicago house tropes, even going so far as to recontextualize a classic Larry Heard track into an ode to high-grade weed (“I can’t quite understand… why you smoking reggie”). Put this on from start to finish at any party and watch the floor swell. What’s most striking about Double Cup is how much soul comes through on the tracks; check out the jaw-dropping Roy Ayers chop-up on “Feelin,” or the hyperactive R&B of “Let U No” and “Only One,” or the expert deployment of the amen break on “Drank, Kush, Barz” & “I’m Too Hi.” The strongest long-player to emerge from the footwork movement to date, sadly bookended by Rashad’s untimely passing just 6 months after its release. Rest in peace to a true innovator and genius of the Chicago house diaspora. Highly recommended.

“Those who know, know, but for those new to DJ Rashad and Footwork music it is the grandchild of House, the child of Ghetto House and the older cousin of Drill. The music features high BPM tempos infused with complex sampling and heavy driving bass beats. It started in Chicago clubs in the ’90’s and grew into a global scene around the success of DJ Rashad and the Teklife collective.” – Partisan Records

• Turntable Lab exclusive
• crystal clear & opaque purple colored double vinyl pressing
• gold foil stamped jacket w/ new cover art by original sleeve designer Ashes57
• printed inner sleeves
• limited edition of 500
• original release year: 2013
• music label: Partisan Records 2023
• TTL Editions 114

reviewed by peanut dust 10/2017