Hudson Mohawke – Biography, May 2011

There are few young UK artists who can unite the affections of Chris Brown (http://youtu.be/7Vl9bjwHCMM), Flying Lotus, Just Blaze “I am listening to new @moanhawke and almost just got moved to tears. Wow. These are the chords I hear in dreams that I forget when I wake”, Battles and The Weeknd – however that’s just the effect Hudson Mohawke’s neon-lit take on postmodern R&B has on people. The Glaswegian producer’s ascent has been swift and steady over the past few years. The one-two punch of the Polyfolk Dance EP and full-length Butter has made fans not only out of wide eyed clubgoers, but also the kind of critical minds in the position to make grand statements. One such grand statement in a recent issue of The Guardian called Hudson Mohawke “the new J Dilla” while placing him atop a new generation of producers including Mark Ronson and Jamie xx.

On 2009’s Butter, HudMo took in a spectrum of influences ranging from Cybotron and Outkast to Aaliyah and Prince. Satin Panthers casts just as wide a net in its five tracks, with a particular eye on the energy of early rave records. Fusing the sound of contemporary American R&B and the still-present spectre of classic UK rave may sound like an obvious proposition, but nowhere has it been executed so well as here. The dizzyingly huge melodies of “All Your Love” and “Thunder Bay” recall euphoric morning hours in sweaty warehouses while “Octan” opens the EP by giving a glimpse of what it might sound like if Jean-Michel Jarre happened onto some ketamine in Daft Punk’s studio. An unequivocal focal point, “Thunder Bay” adventurously takes a psychedelic marching band riddim on a euphoric ride through dirty south hip-hop stylings and hands-in-the-air synth breakdowns.

“Cbat” dips it’s toe into the heyday of The Neptunes production for artists like Kelis and The Clipse, and so it’s no surprise that Tinie Tempah has snapped it up to rhyme on for his next release. Tinie isn’t the only star clamoring for HudMo tracks, as Just Blaze constantly tweets his praises and Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and their Young Money associates get in on the scoop. All of this activity, along with Hudson Mohawke’s recently massive remixes for B.O.B, Krystal Klear and Jamie Woon help to frame his rise to the role of budding super-producer. All of this activity is set to reach fever pitch in 2012 with his sophomore long player, with early material shaping up to be nothing short of beguiling.

Right now in 2011 however, most artists would freely give up limbs to be reaching the level of all-killer-no-filler releases like Satin Panthers. With a steadily globetrotting schedule and overwhelming enthusiasm coming from all the right places the future’s looking intensely bright for Hudson Mohawke.

Hudson Mohawke
Satin Panthers EP
1st / 2nd (US) August , Warp Records