Albums
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Machine Drum 'Human Energy' (Ninja Tune)
Travis Stewart always has a project on the go, whether solo as Machinedrum, with Braille’s Praveen Sharma as Sepalcure or alongside Jimmy Edgar as JETS. With Machinedrum, Stewart synthesises his love for the hyperactive rhythms of footwork, dancehall and the UK bass continuum. ‘Human Energy’, he says, is inspired by falling in love and discovering healing and meditation. Stewart has long had a knack for creating grin-inducing, uplifting tunes. Now it’s dawned on him that marrying sweet but complex melodies with earthquake bass could have max commercial impact, Major Lazer-style, with the right vocalists. If the aim of both ‘Dos Puertas’, a grinding, quasi-trap freakout with Rihanna collaborator Kevin Hussein, and ‘Angel Speak’, an insanely catchy synth-horn grind with Melo-X, is dancefloor annihilation then they succeed with room to spare. Subtle? Nope, not really. But it’s hugely fun and definitely full of ‘Human Energy’, ensuring that it’s an album well-named.
7/10
