These bastards again: the balaclava, the plain white label and music that will make your stylus overheat from the friction. Raw Culture is having a moment, and the label (based “Nowhere”) is making music that gives the more precious “lo-fi house” a sucker punch and steals its bike. There has not been a single release here that failed to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, including the sickening “Acid Cuts” by Christian Lisco, For Muthafucka Use Only by Asymmetrical and Paul Johnson’s remix of Ghetto 25’s “If You Are A DJ! Suck My Dick Bitch.”
This is the label’s 3rd V/A with their “best quality dealers.” Asymmetrical is back with LKSMN with “Run,” which sounds like industrial machines grinding through a cover of Black Flag. “Fucking DJ” by Security DJ is slower, in the sense of a slow burn with a loop of a woman (presumably Sophia De Jong of the credits) taking the piss out of the selector. Michael Ferragosto’s “Furious” is horribly distorted in the style of the best jack tracks Chicago ever produced. 19 year old Chip E. would love this shit. Cajmere up until about two years ago would have too. TC White’s “Motodrive” is some kind of demented UKG or 2step from an MC that’s slowly going insane. The glowering “Da Bremen & XTC” from Drew C Mance is about the most stable thing that a DJ will be able to wrap his hands around.
You can read this thing a few different ways and that’s not my intention. Raw Culture is about everything that’s beautifully fucked up about dance music. If they produced a new record every day I would buy it.
V/A: Raw Culture’s Pushers 03 / Raw Culture
A1. Asymmetrical & LKSMN – “RUN” (Fauna53 Jam cut)
A2. Security DJ – “1Fucking DJ” (feat Sophia De Jong)
A3. Michael Ferragosto – “Furious”
B1. Drew C Mance – “Da Bremen & XTC”
B2. TC White – “Motodrive”
Love for the Underground: Originally published in 5 Mag issue 173 with Timmy Regisford, Bonobo, Soul Clap, A Man Called Adam, Rocksteady Disco & more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
