New Aïsha Devi – “Hakken Dub”

Aïsha Devi is a new name in these parts, but the Swiss-born producer who used to go by Kate Wax has immediately captured our collective imagination through her vivid re-interpretations of pop fare and and brutal retrograde persuasions. On first listen, it might difficult to draw a correlation between the pristine, clutter-free sound of “Jesus & The Math” and the near-beatless drone of her LX Sweat remix, but an attention to complex percussive textures, left-field vocal manipulation and a deep seated understanding of propulsion all find place in her myriad productions. Devi’s newest project comes in the form of her second EP for Danse Noire, a release centered around the Dutch gabber referencing “Hakken Dub”, a track that sees her driving a dark, jagged stake into her former Kate Wax persona. It’s not difficult to imagine the hakken dance as Devi’s reverb-drenched wrecking balls brutalize your cerebral cortex and your previous mental stasis is replaced by a taut rubber band of anxiety. The appeal and affect of gabber has been rightly lost to time, but its intense linearity and seeming technological infallibility make it an interesting topic of revitalization. For her part, Devi has drawn the most of gabber’s pneumatic explosivity. Hakken Dub/Throat Dub is set for a July 21 release date and will feature remixes from Hieroglyphic Being and IVVVO.