Morgan Zarate: Hookid EP
Hyerdub

At a mere eight minutes in total, Morgan Zarate's Hookid EP burns with the fleeting, incandescant fire of a shooting star—a spectacular sight that might be missed if one's not paying attention. But that'd be hard to do anyway in this case when the release's three salvos are so ear-catching and brain-melting. He's been at it for a decade now and has in that time worked with Spacek, Raphael Saadiq, Amp Fiddler, Ghostface Killah, and Eska, among others.

Serving notice of Zarate's thunderous attack is “Hookid,” three minutes of dubstep-influenced bass-thudder that blazes through a violent metropolis of rapid claps, dizzying beat swirls, and ammo-firing synth treatments. If anything, “Buy Bye” hits even harder with a slamming beat pulse that Zarate splatters with trippily squealing synth melodies that fight to be heard above the convulsive fray. “SP” seems to review the entire history of industrial IDM and re-invents it in the process—or at least as much as that can be done in one minute's time. All of it's amazing and over in a flash; on the basis of this twelve-inch (his first EP for Hyperdub), the man's production skills and vision promise much for a forthcoming solo album scheduled for a 2011 release on Hyperdub.

February 2011