Machinedrum – Star feat. Mono/Poly & Tanerélle

Taken from the album ‘A View of U’, released 9 October on Ninja Tune: https://machinedrum.lnk.to/avouYo

Machinedrum – Tell U feat. Rochelle Jordan

Less than a week from the release of his anticipated album Human Energy coming on Friday 9/30 via Ninja Tune, Machinedrum releases another uplifting banger called “Tell U” feat. Rochelle Jordan. A gorgeous composition, “Tell U” is the fourth single from the forthcoming album and comes in advance of his national ‘Human Energy Tour’ (dates below). Check out a quote from Machinedrum on the track to PAPER and share the song if you dig it. Don’t miss Machinedrum live on tour starting starting October 5th in Seattle, WA.

“This track is an example of how I took a homie’s vocal that they sent me in the past and reused it in a different context, just like ‘Do It 4 U.’ I took a sampling approach to Rochelle’s accapella and recontextualized her lyrics in the same way I would with an old 90s rnb accapella in some of my older tracks.” -MACHINEDRUM

Machinedrum – Human Energy LP

Machinedrum is back and you’ve never heard him like this before. The relentless pioneer and conceptualist of US electronic music has moved to Cali, fallen in love, and discovered a new warmth and beauty in his music. On his forthcoming LP, Human Energy, Travis Stewart draws on esoteric and new age concepts but makes its fun rather than dull and serious. The music astounds over and over again with the sheer brilliance of its execution and, yes, its unremitting energy. Who can say if Human Energy can heal you? It will certainly leave you with a huge, goofy smile slathered all over your face.

As a taster for this career-defining work, we bring you ‘Do It 4 U’, featuring vocals from Dawn Richard aka D∆WN. Having started out in the group Danity Kane working with P Diddy, D∆WN has now finally started to garner the success and acclaim she richly deserves via a more independent route on the Local Action label. In fact, her latest single, ‘Not Above That’ was her most successful solo work yet, produced by none other than… Machinedrum. ‘Do It 4 U’ combines her vocals with morphing, melting synths and the kind of transcendent d&b roll-out that will make this a favourite in clubs as well as on the radio.

A pioneer and a populariser, a restless and relentless seeker, Travis Stewart brings together coasts and continents in projects which are both conceptual and heartfelt, clever and banging. Having discovered that rare thing—spirituality and purity in electronic music—he is about to have a very big year. “It’s an exchange of energy through sound,” he tells us. “It’s a healing experience. We’re living in dark times and with so much negativity existing in the world I want to be a rare voice of positivity.” With Human Energy, he has made a career-defining album, one which will take him from best-kept-secret of the electronic music cognoscenti to breakout star.

“Human Energy” is out September 30th on Ninja Tune.

“HUMAN ENERGY” TRACKLIST
1. Lapis
2. Morphogene (ft. Ruckazoid)
3. Angel Speak (ft. MeLo-X)
4. Tell U (ft. Rochelle Jordan)
5. Surfed Out
6. Do It 4 U (ft. D∆WN)
7. Celestial Levels (ft. Jesse Boykins III)
8. Isometrix
9. Spectrum Sequence
10. White Crown (ft. Tosin Abasi)
11. Ocean of Thought
12. Etheric Body Temple
13. Dos Puertas (ft. Kevin Hussein)
14. Opalescent
15. Colour Communicator

DAWN – Cali Sun (Animation Video)

D∆WN (Dawn Richard) debuts an animated visualizer for her new track “Cali Sun” (produced by Machinedrum) today from her upcoming album REDEMPTION, the final installment in the trilogy, coming soon. “I’m excited to go back to animation: I started in animation with my own comics and drawing, and even the Danity Kane name came from a character I created in high school,” as told to Rolling Stone. “I find there is a lack of diversity in animation and comic writers and wanted to shed light on how many amazing black illustrators, writers, and designers we have. I was extremely happy to hear Marvel had asked Roxane Gay to be the new lead writer for The Wakanda Series. I hope more people of color are highlighted in the anime world,” said D∆WN. Check it below.

Machinedrum – Angel Speak feat. MeLo-X

Producer Travis Stewart AKA Machinedrum has just released his new track “Angel Speak” feat. MeLo-X on Ninja Tune (premiered via Fader) and announces he’ll be hitting the road this Autumn for a North American tour kicking off in Seattle, WA on October 5th. “Angel Speak” follows the impressive recent heater “Dos Puertas” feat. Kevin Hussein and is an audible display of Machinedrum’s versatility, combining pitched voices and precise synthesis with influences from reggaeton and Chicago footwork.

MeLo-X recently collaborated with Beyoncé for her Lemonade album and live show, earning co-writing and production credits for “Hold Up” and “Sorry” in addition to scoring and sound design. The end result when fusing all of these ingredients is “Angel Speak”, a beautiful and uplifting party anthem. Three years on from his previous full length Vapor City, the new output from Machinedrum is a refreshing sign of a bigger project on the horizon. Stay tuned for more updates via Machinedrum.net.

Machinedrum – Dos Puertas feat. Kevin Hussein

Zane Lowe just premiered Machinedrum’s new single “Dos Puertas” ft. Kevin Hussein on Beats 1, released today via Ninja Tune. The track is an atmospheric summer smash packed with vocal chops, rising synths and a potent groove. This is the first Machinedrum solo material since his lauded Vapor City project. Check it out now.

Roots Manuva – Like A Drum (prod. by Machinedrum)

Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva is arguably the greatest rapper ever to emerge from British shores. Over five albums of sonic invention, which, like all great hip-hop records, ran the gamut between funky fun and sharp-eyed lyrical incision, he’s carved out space for rappers in the UK, and become one the iconic voices in hip-hop from anywhere.

Produced by one of electronic music’s most exciting voices, NYC’s Machinedrum, ‘Like a Drum’ is the second cut from new single Facety 2:11. Urgent and reflective all at once, its percussion swings gorgeously behind a melody intricately weaved from jazz samples and warm pads, Smith’s vocal ruminating on his past, future and present.

In his inimitable words, the single is ‘a wee spring warmer in voodoo coptic dialect shape shifting: the remit the same as ever in awakening one’s inner, modern-day Sun Ra, ODB and Kate Bush on an overdrive of “doing because we can’t help ourselves…’

Facety 2:11 is out 4th May on Big Dada. Pre-order links: Ninjashop // iTunes

Tour Dates
13-Jun – Republic Of Ireland – BARE In The Woods Festival(Garryhinch, Co.Laois)
19-Jun – England – GoldCoast Oceanfest (Croyde, North Devon) www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk
20-Jun – England – British Summer Time – Hyde Park www.bst-hydepark.com/
11-Jul – England – Mouth of the Tyne Festival (Tynemouth Priory)
12-Jul – England – NASS Festival www.nassfestival.com
19-Jul – England – Citadel Festival (Victoria Park, East London)
26-Jul – England – Secret Garden Party www.secretgardenparty.com
01-Aug – England – Standon Calling www.standon-calling.com
21-Aug – Netherlands – Lowlands Festival www.lowlands.nl/en

JETS – The Chants

Jimmy Edgar & Machinedrum return as JETS with forthcoming 4-Track EP.

JETS sophomore official release, their highly anticipated debut on ULTRAMAJIC see’s the two artists display an approach to production that deals in the paradoxes and ambiguities of both studio songwriting and raw live performance; a somewhat soothing amalgamation of disproportion, But also weirdly right, evident that despite Edgar and Stewart’s careers sharing striking parallels, they have know each other for…well forever.

The 4-track EP reassembles a long-scattered sketchbook of songwriting confidence that the pair have filled with drawings of cosmic rhythms, experimental sounds and other analogue obsessions.

“Our first record was more of us finding out space and creating a new environment of sound to work with. This release was much more about exploring the building of our creation”

“U-N-I’s’” colour and pallor coming as much from the soulful palette of Jamie Liddell’s vocal performance as the dirty turps the pair washed their synthetic brushes in.

JETS production finesse, awash with a delicate nocturnal mood as analogue drums meet colorful chords against a nightscape of glossy darkness.

“We spent a lot of time on the sounds, which were mostly from digital hardware sources. We also focused on the recording process more than ever, as we mixed the record on mastering equipment and experimented with bouncing parts onto tape”

The sounds that often many attribute to Jimmy or Travis as solo artists are slowly transpiring to be the opposite, their respective contrasting styles not only behaving with vibrant influence over one another but in turn establishing an exciting benchmark in electronic music songwriting.

Tracklist:
A1) “The Chants”
A2) “U-N-I”
B1) “Pyrite Blue”
B2) “Pink Beat

Tour Dates:
– 5/25 – Movement Festival / Detroit, MI
– 5/30 – We Love Green Festival / Paris, FR
– 6/6 – Parklife Festival / Manchester, UK
– 6/18 – Sonar Festival / Barcelona, ES
+ MORE TBC

JETS releases ‘The Chants” through ULTRAMAJIC on May 11th.

Roots Manuva – Facety 2:11 (prod. Four Tet)

Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva is arguably the greatest rapper ever to emerge from British shores and after two years locked in the studio brewing up brand new music, he returns now with Facety, a stunning single produced by fellow UK maverick Four Tet. ‘Facety’ is patois slang for someone being rude – a barefaced cheek referenced by the insistent, cockney rhyming lyrical snip – ‘boat race’ – that makes up the chorus.

Another of electronic music’s most exciting voices, NYC producer Machinedrum, provides the beat for the B-Side, ‘Like a Drum.’

In his inimitable words, the single is ‘a wee Spring warmer in voodoo coptic dialect shape shifting: the remit the same as ever in awakening one’s inner, modern-day Sun Ra, ODB and Kate Bush on an overdrive of “doing because we can’t help ourselves…’

Pre-order links: iTunes // Ninjashop. Released 4th May 2015 on Big Dada.

Tracklist
1. Facety 2:11 (prod. Four Tet)
2. Facety 2:11 (Instrumental)
3. Like A Drum (prod. Machinedrum)
4. Like A Drum (Instrumental)

DJ Shadow – The Liquid Amber EP

DJ Shadow: I’m pleased to announce THE LIQUID AMBER EP. This single/EP serves as the opening salvo in what I hope is a long string of music, by myself and others, on my new imprint: LIQUID AMBER. There’s two new songs, “Ghost Town” and “Mob,” and a nifty remix of “Six Days” by Machinedrum.

“Ghost Town” is an ambitious ride through many of the micro-genres within the Future Bass umbrella that have inspired me recently, while “Mob” is an intentionally stripped-down, Cali-certified head-nodder.  Both songs were written, programmed, and mixed by myself, and they represent the forward steps I feel I’ve taken as an engineer.  The “Six Days” remix was something I asked Machinedrum to knock out as a tour weapon, and he crushed it (naturally), so I felt it deserved a proper release.

I’m excited about this music and the new imprint, and I really appreciate everyone’s time and consideration.

Stream the full EP below. Download “Mob” on Thump.Vice.com here.