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Oct 02, 2014 Issue #51 - September/October 2014 - alt-J By Ryan E.C. Hamm

Perhaps no label has been as sneakily influential on pop culture in the last decade as Hyperdub. The dubstep they helped popularize went mainstream, the clattering melancholy that was their trademark found its way into indie rock and hip-hop, and R&B in 2014 would sound out of place if it didn’t have some dustiness to it. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Hyperdub is releasing four compilations (consisting of both new and previously released material) in 2014. The second one, Hyperdub 10.2 has been referred to by label-head Kode9 as a sort of R&B entry in the series. And that description is spot on—ranging from more obvious R&B influences like Jessy Lanza’s wonderful “5785021” and DVA’s “Just Vibe” to more dub-infuenced work (Cooly G’s “Obsessed”), hip-hop (the late DJ Rashad’s towering “Only One”), and Burial’s spot of sunshine “Shell of Light.” Overall, the compilation shines a light on a wonderful label that’s grown into much more than “the one that releases Burial records”—there’s a lot of amazing music being put out by Hyperdub, and these compilations are a great place to start. (www.hyperdub.net)

Author rating: 7/10