Great Dane returns with ‘Respect:Self’ EP

Los Angeles beatmaker Great Dane has dropped off another project that injects his trademark hip hop swagger into the world of electronic music. The fabled LA beat scene has been a melting pot of hardworking producers for some time, and this latest release exemplifies all the things we’ve come to know and love about Dane’s production and the scene itself. Driving, clean drum work pairs perfectly with the project’s audibly living bass grooves, which is all laid over a landscape of hypnotic synthesizer work as the EP progresses.

Fully instrumental, the project is an exploration of a multitude of feelings. Starting with the hard-knocking “Hyphy for No Reason,” the EP slides easily into the contemplative “Me and You,” featuring excellent melodic chord work and rainy-day synths. The head-nodding “Break Yo Self” is full of textured bass and creative sound design, and the last track “Hypnopotamus” is a strong finish that exemplifies Dane’s signature sound in all the right ways.

Accompanying the EP release is a video for the first track. A tongue-in-cheek look at culture and ideas we collectively have about respect for ourselves, the video features Great Dane as a personal trainer and a cameo by Mr. Carmack.

Released on his label ADBC Records, Respect:Self is a powerful follow-up to last year’s full-length album Gamma Ray. The 4-track, 14-minute effort is emblematic of Great Dane’s style and accomplishes its goal as an exploration of the importance of self-preservation.