DJ Rashad Documentary Released on Pitchfork
6 June 2014
In March 2014, Pitchfork made its way to Mexico, following the footsteps of Teklife crewmembers DJ Spinn and the now late footwork pioneer, DJ Rashad who went to perform at the NRML music Festival in Monterrey.
Barely two months later, the unthinkable occurred when Rashad tragically passed away in his Chicago home. Pitchfork released the final mini documentary – ‘DJ Rashad + DJ Spinn: Teklife in Monterrey’ on 3 June on their channel, Pitchfork.TV.
DJ Rashad was signed to Hyperdub Records, alongside bigwigs like Burial. His last album, Double Cup, was ranked eighth in Rolling Stone's best dance albums of 2013, and was one of the Guardian's top 30 albums of the year.
The 20 minute long documentary interspersed with radio interviews and personal discussions between the fellow producers paints a picture of Rashad’s life and character outside of his artist’s persona. What we get eventually is a seemingly light hearted portrayal of two music obsessed friends gallivanting around the streets of Monterrey, joking, talking music and generally having a good time.
The end product is of course a lot more moving, given the events that followed the filming. The black and white documentary is worth a look for anyone who was a fan of DJ Rashad and his musical legacy – his infectious charisma and commanding energy (both on and off stage) is palpable.
You can watch ‘DJ Rashad + DJ Spinn: Teklife in Monterrey’ below:
Words: Diya Gupta