- DJ Mastercard is a member of Mall Music, an internet crew that's also home to DJ Orange Julius, DJ Instant Message, DJ Boy Drama and DJ Paypal, their ringleader. Their music transcends the self-aware irony of their identities: over a series of digital releases and collaborations with other labels, the crew have laid out a glossy, information-age take on footwork, trading in the soul and R&B influences of Teklife for something more synthetic and futuristic. Virtual Crime, on Slugabed and Jake Slee's Activia Benz, is DJ Mastercard's first release, and it paints him as the downcast one of the bunch.
The tracks on Virtual Crime are as fast as any other Mall Music release, but there's a sense of melodrama here, particularly on the EP's opening run. The crestfallen "Bad Credit" features baroque piano runs and ominous choral pads, while the shinier "Submerged City" is somewhere between dystopian Hollywood thriller and Japanese RPG music. "Step In" buries a deadly serious melody underneath layers of stabbing vocals and drums, and on "Praying Hands" Mastercard pares down his busy structures for an eerie closer full of disembodied voices.
The collaborations on Virtual Crime show a different side of Mastercard. Both take on the lusher textures of '80s funk, particularly with the clammy synths of "Cryogenics." "Savage," a collaboration with DJ Paypal, really sticks out, combining Mastercard's lustrous sheen with Paypal's effortless warmth. Practically bursting at the seams with ideas (and drum fills), "Savage" rounds off a wonderful debut for Mastercard.
Tracklist01. Bad Credit
02. Submerged City
03. Cryogenics feat. 4J LTE
04. Savage feat. DJ Paypal
05. Step In 03:55
06. Praying Hands 03:20