Hudson Mohawke – Cry Sugar
Hudson Mohawke makes a grand return with his third album Cry Sugar, which celebrates dance music across the years
When Ross Birchard, aka Hudson Mohawke, released his debut album, Butter, in 2009 he was a little-known but well-respected producer from Glasgow making mind-bending sounds and co-running local record label LuckyMe. Since then he has gone on to produce some of the biggest records of the last decade and played an undeniably influential role in shaping the sound of hip-hop in the 2010s. On his third album, Cry Sugar, Birchard doesn’t shy away from his ties to hip-hop, and to Kanye West in particular, using various soul samples throughout and running to a lengthy 19 tracks.
But Cry Sugar is really a celebration of dance music across the years. Intentions features a house vocal that proves Beyoncé isn’t the only one bringing house back and Is It Supposed takes us straight to Ibiza with its Balearic influence. There are nods to footwork in Bicstan and to hyperpop on Dance Forever and Come a Little Closer, while Tincture takes cues from garage.
At the very least, Cry Sugar acts as a reminder of Birchard’s originality but, at the most, it’s a broad and diverse exploration of the many faces of electronic music past and present.
Listen to: Rain Shadow, Tincture