- Break It Down is the first high-profile release from Taye, part of the Teklife crew's younger generation. He uses the platform to present a unified front: the EP features input from Teklife affiliates new (DJ Paypal, Tripletrain) and old (Manny, Earl). It also follows established footwork formulas, but does so with vigour, particularly in the first half, where sumptuous soul and jazz samples are stretched over a spindly chassis. Taye conjures plenty of ear-catching moments, like the ecstatic string flutters on "Go Away" or the breakdown in "That Love," in which its sample is shredded and warped almost to the point of disintegration.
Leaner battle tracks make up the EP's second half. "XTCC" delves into Taye's Chicago heritage with a sample of Kym Mazelle's 1988 single "Useless." Over Taye's convulsive rhythms, Mazelle's lament ("There's a void where there should be ecstasy") sounds doubly bleak. On the title track, a sampled shout chatters like machine gun fire over a tsunami of sub-bass, before soul chords drift in to save the day.
トラックリストA1 Go Away feat. DJ Paypal
A2 That Love feat. Tripletrain and DJ Manny
B1 XTCC feat. DJ Earl
B2 Break It Down feat. DJ Earl