Adam Freeland - Hate EP

Hate, the blistering new E.P. of original tracks from Adam Freeland, caps a triumphant year for the pioneering DJ and Grammy-nominated producer. In 2007, Freeland dropped numerous acclaimed remixes, spanning artists ranging from Fujiya & Miyagi to Marilyn Manson. As well, Gui Boratto's mix of Freeland's original track "Silverlake Pills" is shaping up to be one of the year's biggest tunes; you might've also heard Freeland's grooves coming from your television set or Playstation Two, as he revamped The Who's "Baba O'Riley" to create the new theme for CSI: New York and provided the thundering soundtrack to the smash videogame Juiced 2. Somehow he found time to put out a new mix CD, Global Underground: Mexico City, the 32nd entry in the renowned series, which proved its most controversial. That's thanks to the mix perfectly capturing Freeland's trademark combo of genre-smashing innovation and uncut dancefloor assault that marked raucous DJ sets rocking everywhere from Coachella and Beijing to Glastonbury and Dubai, as well as an Australian tour alongside M.I.A., MSTRKRFT, and Justice.

True to form, the new Hate e.p., released by Freeland's own acclaimed Marine Parade label, features him doing what he does best: making dirty electronic funk, shot through with signature sonic iconoclasm. The crunching title track - already the floor-filling highlight of Freeland's sets - sums up his latest musical direction. From its first snare crack, "Hate" instantly transforms into a stripped-down, balls-out anthem free of the fromage usually associated with that word. "Hate" proves a minimalist masterpiece, molding stuttering, squiggly beats and squelching, distorted bass booms into anarchic electro fury; the only vocals feature a synthesized voice hauntingly repeating the title over and over. Expect this one to become a cross-genre smash a la Freeland's breakthrough hit "We Want Your Soul": from Ed Banger electro freaks to dubstep heads, breaks geeks to even forward-thinking techno/prog spinners, all will find something to love about "Hate."

The e.p.'s second track, "Where's Your God Now," continues Freeland's ability to defy convention while keeping asses shaking. Opening with a surreal burst of krautrock synths, "Where's Your God Now" slows down the tempo to showcase a meat-cleaving hard rock riff that suggests what might've happened if Josh Homme and Jack White were Moog manglers instead of guitar heroes. This is drone rock for the dancefloor, Freeland style, riding an unforgivably funky beat into a transcendent flurry of shoegazed-out feedback bliss. Meanwhile, true to its ironically ravetastic title, "Glowsticks," the e.p.'s closer, brings it all back home with a club killer par excellence. Glitchy synth hooks give way to Moroder arpeggios and menacing acid basslines before a shamelessly hands-in-the-air, future-retro breakdown raises everything to a higher state of consciousness. Providing the perfect taster for Freeland's upcoming artist album (due Spring 2008), "Glowsticks" epitomizes his explosive attitude that's perfectly captured fia Hate's thrill ride: keep the crowd moving while surprising them with every twist and turn.