[Hyperdub]

Steve Goodman’s Hyperdub imprint has been spearheading forward-thinking dubstep since 2004, though as Kode9 he has often been overshadowed by his first and most famous signing Burial. The 2008 release calendar for Hyperdub was marked by distinctively fresh sounding product from the likes of Flying Lotus collaborator Samiyam, Zomby, King Midas Sound and this incredible offering from the label head himself and L.D.

Like many of the Hyperdub releases earlier in the year, “Bad/2 Bad” broadens the public perception of dubstep even further (or perhaps keeps it mired in a certain amount of confusion as to what it is really is). “Bad” layers breathless female vocal clips on top of a beat that will have you thinking of broken beat house tracks and a distinctly looser version of old UK garage. The drums and vocals ride high in the mix with the insistent single-chord synths squashed down tightly into the track, highlighting the intricate percussion and massive boulevard-wide claps. “2 Bad” stretches out the vocals a tad, though they remain largely incoherent, and shuffles the sound further into the direction of the broken beat scene a la Bugz In The Attic and New Sector Movements. The synths are allowed more room to breathe, giving “2 Bad” a touch more musicality than the more simplistic A-side. Kode9 and L.D. are covering multiple bases here with both tracks having so much cross-genre appeal. And whether you’re at a loss to peg the name of the sound or not, all that matters is that this release truly lives up to its name in the most colloquial sense.