Planet Mu will release the new album from DJ Nate, Take Off Mode, arriving a full nine years after his debut album, Da Trak Genious, landed on the label.

DJ Nate is from the West Side of Chicago and was the label’s first-ever footwork signing in 2010 back when Myspace was still a place to contact artists. His strange, maximalist, trippy, and sample-heavy sound opened the door for the label to then sign such artists as DJ Rashad, Jlin, RP Boo, and Traxman. 

The album title is a reference to Nate’s recovery from being paralyzed from the neck down two years ago. Although he’s spent a lot of the last decade producing hip-hop and R&B, he’s continued to make footwork cuts and it’s a selection of these personal tracks, uploaded to YouTube between 2010 and now, that caught the ear of Planet Mu and inspired Take Off Mode. 

We’re told to expect an album that sounds like it’s in “direct continuity with DJ Nate’s debut release and the early sound of footwork.” 

Tracklisting

01. Bring Your Best Crack

02. You Ain’t Ready To Battle

03. Come Back

04. Oh Woooaaah

05. Get Rid Of Em

06. Fuck Dat

07. Wat U Wont 2 Do

08. Go Krazy

09. Get Back

10. Get It Right Hoe

11. Just Be Truu

12. Pack Em

13. Aww Baby What U Waitn

14. Talk 2 Me

15. Planet Mu

16. Get Off Me (Betta Get Back)

17. La Happy Day

Take Off Mode LP lands April 26 via Planet Mu, with “You Ain’t Ready To Battle” streaming here.