In a genre so alarmingly prone to increasing bouts of insularity and speciation,
Machinedrum's debut long-player is something of a pleasant diversion. Although there are few fabrics on this record that haven't been sewn before,
Machinedrum's
Travis Stewart travels from reference point to reference point in such an unencumbered and celebratory fashion that it's difficult not to get swept up in it all. As a result, certain tracks that seem like direct homages to various major players on the IDM circuit are released from the stranglehold of scrutiny, no questions asked. The joyous chimes of "Hello My Future" (
Plaid), the drunken, angelic strut of "Hihowareyoudoingimfine" ("Arovane"), the positively stunning climes of closer "Jewlea" (
Boards of Canada) -- each and every one absolved of sins of derivation by way of their stunning compositional structure. It all amounts to a devastatingly fulfilling debut, doubly promising when you take into consideration that Stewart was a mere 19 years old when he recorded this. An absolute must. ~ Mark Pytlik