Sporting Life is known for his incredible work as one-third of New York rap outfit Raking, giving the group its foundational just-dusty-enough beats. Now, Sporting Life (birth name Eric Adiele) is gearing up to release his debut album 55 5's on Belgium label R&S Records. Inspired by other future-thinking producers like Arca and DJ Rashad, 55 5's is looking to be more beat tape than album (the album will actually be the first cassette tape release from R&S in 18 years), full of raw instrumentals that don't look to be anything other than what they are. First single "Badd" is one such instrumental, a frenetic track that manages to fill in the gaps between footwork and drum & bass.
"In some ways 'Badd' feels like the most experimental track on the album," Adiele told the FADER via email. "It feels like The Matrix to me—the sample that sounds like a voice is actually a drum, just manipulated. All of the duplicated sounds on the track are cousins of the original sound that take on their own presence and life." Listen below, and keep an eye out for 55 5's which drops September 18 on R&S.
