Although an official statement has yet to be released, reports are coming in that DJ Rashad (a.k.a. Rashad Harden) has unexpectedly passed away. The news first received serious attention when Detroit’s DJ Godfather posted a tweet sharing the news, which he later added had been confirmed by some of Rashad’s “close peeps.” Other confirmations are currently appearing online, mostly via Twitter. For instance, DJ Spinn, Rashad’s frequent production partner, has retweeted a photo with an RIP message, and Lit City Trax label head J-Cush has posted the following words: “I lost my best friend today. Love you bro. I can’t even breathe. I’ll remember you forever.” Hyperdub boss Kode9 simply added, “broken hearted.”

Assuming that the news is true, the loss of DJ Rashad is a major blow to the Chicago music scene and the juke/footwork sound that it spawned. Having worked with Hyperdub, Teklife/Lit City Trax, Planet Mu, and a number of other labels over the course of his career, Rashad was arguably the juke/footwork world’s most influential figure. His 2013 LP, Double Cup, was one of the year’s most acclaimed albums.

Over the past few years, Rashad has frequently appeared on XLR8R. Earlier this week, it was announced that the newly christened Southern Belle label would be kicking off its run with a new Rashad EP. “Let It Go,” from his Rollin’ EP, was named one of XLR8R‘s Best Tracks of 2013, and last November, Rashad and UK producer Om Unit engaged in a lengthy conversation for one of our B2B features. On a lighter note, back in 2010, Rashad and Spinn put together an XLR8R podcast that spawned a full-on debate in our comments section about the general merits of footwork; those arguments seemed silly at the time, but now, they seem especially out of date.

XLR8R will continue to monitor the story, but unless we hear otherwise, we would like to express our condolences to Rashad’s friends, family, and fans. Rest in peace.

UPDATE: The Chicago Sun-Times has confirmed DJ Rashad’s death. On Saturday afternoon, he was found unresponsive in a Chicago apartment and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter. Police suspect a drug overdose, as drugs and drug paraphernalia were found near the body. An autopsy will reportedly be performed today.

Hyperdub has also officially acknowledged Rashad’s passing, posting the following message on its Facebook page:

“We’re absolutely devastated by the news that DJ Rashad has passed away. It’s heartbreaking to see such a talented and great guy stopped in his tracks like that. So many people do what they do because of him. Our Condolences go out to his friends and family, keep your heads up Teklife Crew x
We will really miss you.”

Throughout the week, a whole lot of material gets posted here on XLR8R. And while we know—and love—that some hardcore readers will eagerly pour over every single news story, interview, podcast, video, and MP3 download that appears on the site, we also realize that for most people, it’s impossible to see everything, which means that some quality XLR8R content is likely to get missed in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s daily lives. In the interest of making it easier for everyone to catch up, every Friday we present The Lowdown, a weekly wrap-up of the top 10 tidbits from our site.

1. We kicked off the week with Bulgarian producer KiNK (pictured above), who detailed five of the essential pieces from his elaborate studio set-up.

2. FACT’s Against the Clock video series has always proven to be quite popular, and the latest episode, which features Hyperdub affiliate Ikonika, was also a hit with our readers.

3. A new entry in the Music Nation video series surfaced this week, a documentary called Berkshire Goes Balearic that chronicles the spread of Balearic culture in the UK.

4. Bristol beatmaker Addison Groove gave fans a unique look into his production methods this week by starring in a new video tour of his home studio.

5. The Red Bull Music Academy took a serious look back at late-’70s/early-’80s NYC clubbing this week when it published an extensive feature on the legendary Larry Levan. Additionally, RBMA compiled an extensive playlist of the greatest Paradise Garage tracks.

6. With the release of his new LP for Ghostly rapidly approaching, Tobacco debuted an “extremely NSFW” video for album opener “Streaker.”

7. Minimal stalwart Ricardo Villalobos is known for his lengthy production excursions, and that reputation stayed intact this week when he let XLR8R premiere a stream of an 18-minute-long remix he did (with frequent studio partner Max Loderbauer) of Wolfgang Haffner’s “Melodia del Viento.”

8. A new Jamie xx 12″ will be dropping early next month, and this week, the London producer shared a playful animated video for lead cut “Girl.”

9. The latest XLR8R podcast was put together by Canadian-born, Berlin-based producer and New Kanada label head Adam Marshall.

10. Berlin’s Ostgut Ton label surprised everyone with the news that its forthcoming Panorama Bar and Berghain mixes would no longer be released on CD, and would instead be offered as free downloads.

An expanded version of the The Lowdown is also available via a weekly email newsletter. Those interested in an even more in-depth round-up of XLR8R content, including a complete listing of all the free downloads we’ve offered in the past seven days, should sign up by entering their email address below.

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Returning to the Delsin label after an extended break, Claro Intelecto has revealed details of the forthcoming Stanza EP, his follow-up to 2012’s Reform Club LP. As Resident Advisor reports, the time-tested UK producer’s newest effort will feature everything from “his usual deep, dubby house and techno stylings to swathes of lush ambiance and delicate sound design.” Furthermore, Delsin plans to release the EP in both vinyl and digital format, with the first 100 records available in a limited-edition color. Stanza is set to drop on May 26; the forthcoming EP’s art and tracklist presented below.

A1 Remember
A2 White Sun
B1 A Nightmare Before Bedtime
B2 Blank CC

Prolific and frequently unpredictable Chicago DJ/producer Jamal Moss (a.k.a. Hieroglyphic Being) will release a new album under his IBM alias next month. Set to appear on the +++ label—an offshoot of Moss’ Mathematics imprint—IBM’s Eat My Fuck LP will offer 12 new productions from the veteran artist bearing such, ahem, stimulating titles as “Rectum,” “Karma Sutra,” “Fingered,” and “Vortex of Desire.” The upcoming LP from IBM (an acronym for Insane Black Man) is expected to drop in mid May. In the meantime, it’s artwork and tracklist are included below. (via Resident Advisor)

01 Eat My Fuck
02 Rectum
03 Karma Sutra
04 Paradoxia
05 Into The Black Box
06 Oral Fixation
07 Fingered
08 Vortex Of Desire
09 Submit 2 Me
10 Autoluminescent Sex
11 Psychomentsrum
12 AS-FIX-8

Intended as a companion piece to last year’s Obsidian LP—or as the press relase puts it, “the Dia De Los Muertos to Obsidian’s Halloween”—Baths (a.k.a. Will Wiesenfeld) will release his Ocean Death EP via Anticon next month. Along with the announcement, Baths has shared a stream of the record’s title track, which trudges in a somewhat different direction from his 2013 album, meshing Wiesenfeld’s’ angelic falsetto with more techno-influenced production. Interestingly, the track is said to predate Bath’s debut LP, with the accompany press releasing stressing that it “existed before a single note of 2010’s Cerulean had been recorded.”

Ocean Death is set to drop on May 6 via Baths’ regular label home, Anticon. In the meantime, the forthcoming EP’s title track can be streamed in full below, where the record’s tracklist has also been included.

01 Ocean Death
02 Fade White
03 Voyeur
04 Orator
05 Yawn

Set to appear via London’s Hypercolor imprint, former XLR8Rpodcast contributor Kevin McPhee has shared details of his forthcoming Boris EP. While McPhee had previously released his Blue Organ EP in 2011 for Hypercolour sublabel Hype_LTD, Boris will mark the Canadian producer/DJ’s first record dropped directly via the label. The four-track effort is set feature a trio of original compositions by McPhee alongside a remix from veteran producer/DJ, Trevino. Before the record drops on June 9, its complete tracklist has been included below.

Boris EP
01 CC XXX YY NNNNN
02 CC XXX YY NNNNN (Trevino Mix)
03 Branch
04 DD YYY ZZ OOOOO

Continuing to operate anonymously from his home base in Berlin, Marquis Hawkes‘ next effort will come in the form of a four-track EP for Clone‘s Jack for Daze imprint. The announcement of the former XLR8Rpodcast contributor’s upcoming Outta This Hood EP comes with few exact details other than that the record will see a release “soon.” Still, the label has shared a preview stream for the record which gives a glimpse into the jacking, floor-focused productions Hawkes has in store. That stream can be found below along with the complete tracklist for the forthcoming Outta This Hood EP.

01 Outta This Hood
02 Peanut
03 Talkin Shit
04 Like That

Sister labels Night Slugs and Fade to Mind obviously maintain a very close relationship, but the two imprints took their relationship a step further this month by teaming up for a joint release. Oddly enough, the record is a sort of reissue, one based around an eerie house cut called “Icy Lake.” Originally released in 1998 by NYC duo Dat Oven, the track has now been reanimated and fleshed out with remixes from the likes of L-Vis 1990 (pictured above), Total Freedom, and DJ Rashad & NA (of Nguzunguzu). However, the team effort hasn’t stopped there, as the two labels have also joined forces to create a short film, Icy Lake, which is described as “[exploring] the mystery behind Dat Oven’s suicidally hot ‘Icy Lake’ track while connecting the dots between tribal house, vogue, grime, and the future.” Directed by Wills Glasspiegel, Icy Lake traces a unique strain of dance music history, and includes an interesting peek into what drives the Night Slugs/Fade to Mind vision today. Following weeks of anticipation, the film premiered this morning on Thump, and can be viewed in the player below.