Preview: Decibel 10: Hyperdub Showcase with Kode9, Ikonika, and DJ Rashad

07 Sep 2013 — Evelyn Malinowski

Seattle proudly hosts the 10th Decibel Festival this month. The program is packed full of both recognizable and unfamiliar names and labels, ranging from classic to up and coming, while hybrid artists fill the space of the polarity.

Decibel of course declares and celebrates its ripe age, its seasoned deliverance and steady growth. It seems that this year they want to do something bigger, better, defending its maturity, that they know what they're doing more so than ever. The line-up does this, and also conveys a subtle nostalgia. Like Kelsie reflecting on the way the festival has grown, there is a whiff of looking back in the air, something indicative of transitioning from its first decade into its second, and something that makes moving forward slightly less pronounced.

On Wednesday, September 25, Hyperdub will be showcasing at the Crocodile beginning at 9pm, motoring through any hints of squishy nostalgia. Appearing on behalf of the fierce and friendly London label which has seen so much action this year, is Kode9, Ikonika, DJ Rashad, and flashy local Jimi Jaxon.  

Steve Goodman aka Kode9 is the head of the eclectic label as well as a new breed of techno intelligentsia. Whereas Goodman is known as a very busy man, Kode9 is reputed for noisy dance music and jarring pitches which accommodate fast, indecipherable movements, and usually hostile environments. As a visual extension to Goodman's soundscape, Zach Walker's work with organic electronic representation will likely provide an overall strong sensual experience which may remind some of us of Goodman's redux of the 1962 Chris Marker film La Jetée, premiered at Unsound Krakow in 2011.

Leading up to Kode9's late night ambush is Ikonika, who has been well-received since her first release on Hyperdub in 2008. Outright, she consistently displays an amazing capability for navigating through techno labyrinths with a smile emulated by 8-bit melodies. Her sounds, both comical and driven, focus on concentrated techno-scopes that are gateways to futurist nostalgia. We can imagine that she will cast a glow of concentration and joy on the 25th. This year's Aerotropolis is exemplary of that concentration.

With his recent release “I Don't Give a Fuck,” and with a reputation for working the crowd, DJ Rashad's set will surely provide a rush of urban aggression and rhythm. He has a tendency to slap vocal samples around as if they don't pose a problem for beat syncing. Such craft excites and engages an audience in a brutally unique form.

More brutality will be had from Jimi Jaxon, as he will be providing the showcase audience with some progressive sensuality and sharp-edged house crunches. His pairing with the Hyperdub line-up confirms a type of awareness that Decibel, in conducting its biggest year yet, undoubtedly possesses. 

See you on the dance floor!