Modeselektor - Social Distancing

The second EP being released in the wake of the recent Extended mixtape, Social Distancing showcases Modeselektor’s talent for bridging the gap between hip-hop and the rave. The title track reunites the Berlin duo with Flohio, who first appeared on their 2018 single Wealth, but after the hotly tipped London rapper heard an early version of Extended and gravitated toward the track Soda, it didn’t take long for the guys to rework the tune, stitching her confident flow into the song’s booming beats and silky marimba melody (which originally came out of an old Casio synthesizer). Social Distancing is the end result, and while the swaggering cut could easily carry an EP on its own, Modeselektor have decided to up the ante by inviting a talented crew of friends and colleagues to put their own spin on the track.

Brainfeeder affiliate Little Snake transforms Social Distancing with his corroded beats and playful sound design, while Bay Area rebel Bored Lord lightens things up with a bouncy groove that nods to classic UK garage. Looking closer to home in Berlin, Modeselektor also tapped frequent partners in crime (and Spandau natives) FJAAK, who cooked up a rowdy bass-techno hybrid, and also got a hard-slapping rework from J. Manuel and Anna Z., two artists with ties to FJAAK’s burgeoning Spandau20 imprint.

Like all good hip-hop EPs, Social Distancing comes with an acapella version of the title track, but here, Flohio’s rhymes have been maniacally stretched, smashed and warped by veteran producer Richard Devine, who originally delivered 23 different versions of the song (Modeselektor somehow distilled them all into a single off-the-wall production). Rounding out the record is Social Engineering, a sleazy, static-laced techno reimagining of Social Distancing on which Flohio’s voice has been pitched down to the point of being almost unrecognizable. It’s a lot of fun, which makes sense, because even after all these years in the music game, having a good time is still Modeselektor’s primary m.o.