• Basket
  • RA Store
  • Login / Register
  • Login
  • Register
Resident Advisor
×
Search
Submit
Did you mean
×
  • Resident Advisor
  • Magazine
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Features
    • Videos
  • Listings
    • Events
    • Clubs
    • Festivals
    • Photos
  • Music
    • Artists
    • New Tracks
    • DJ Charts
    • Podcasts
  • Search
  • Podcasts

RA.386 Machinedrum

      • Published /
        21 Oct 2013
      • Filesize /
        149 MB
      • Length /
        01:02:00
      • Comments /
        49 / View
      • Previous
      • Next
      Share

      The multifaceted artist takes us to Vapor City.

      When Machinedrum reinvented himself in 2011 with footwork as his muse, it sent seismic waves through bass music. By then footwork was the sound du jour, but Travis Stewart stood out by blending it with the pastoral textures of Boards Of Canada, the heart-in-mouth thrill of jungle, and his own polished aesthetic. We liked Room(s) so much that we gave it 5/5 rating. Needless to say the pressure was on for this year's follow-up, the excellent Vapor City, a concept record about an imaginary city and his first album for Ninja Tune.

      Critical acclaim aside, Machinedrum's impact is evident in his RA podcast—one look at the tracklist and you'll see there's a whole legion of producers mashing up jungle, footwork and drum & bass into a thrilling fast-paced amalgam behind him (along with some tasty unreleased material of his own). Fracture, Om Unit, Tessela and Ital Tek are among the ranks bringing renewed attention to the tempo.

      What have you been up to recently?

      Tons of touring! Constant travel! Moving back to NYC in the middle of all of it. Going to the doctor today to get earwax removed. Gonna eat vegan haggis in Edinburgh on Thursday.

      How and where was the mix recorded?

      The mix was recorded at my studio in Vapor City, using powerful crystalline equipment that I found in an abandoned club.

      Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

      This mix represents the Njord District of Vapor City. It's the financial and commerce center where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, rising and falling daily.

      Did you continue to produce "as quickly as possible" when you were putting together the new record? What's the lower bracket for how quickly you'd finish a track?

      Yes, but I spent a lot of time with the final mixes, which is a big difference to how I approached Room(s). [With] most tracks on Vapor City I would at least get the arrangement finished within three - five hours. The mixing, however, would average three - four days.

      Do you feel like there's been a more widespread and meaningful exploration of higher tempos in dance music of late?

      Yes, but with attention to its slower halftime-tempo counterpart. The songs may be written at 160 - 170 but can easily fit in a set of 80 - 85.

      What are you up to next?

      I'm moving back to NYC, as I said. Going to spend a lot of time with my family and my girlfriend, both of whom have been quite neglected over the past year from all the traveling. 2014 will be less about touring and more about getting to work in the studio where I belong.

      Tracklist /
      Machinedrum - Rise N Fall
      Machinedrum - The Palace
      Machinedrum - Show Ur Love
      Future Sound of London - Ill Flower (Machinedrum Remix)
      Machinedrum - Knowfuture
      Skeptical - Eyes Down
      Om Unit - Deep Sea Pyramid
      System - Sound Man
      Tek 9 - Spring
      Rob & Goldie - Shadow
      Dwarde - Algid
      Tessela - Hackney Parrot (Sam Binga Crackney Parrot Refix)
      Ital Tek - BB
      Jon Convex - With You (Kid Drama's Autonomic Mix)
      Instra:mental & dBridge - White Snares
      Naibu - Just Like You (Fracture's Astrophonica Remix)
      AMIT - Human Warfare (Machinedrum Remix)
      FIS - Love Drama Stress (Machinedrum Edit)
      Machinedrum - Overtime
    0/
  • Comments loading

    0/ #247179
  • More on Machinedrum

    • Machinedrum

      View the full artist profile

    • Upcoming dates

      • Wed 25/Apr 2018

        Pennsylvania

        Machinedrum x Chrome Sparks

      • Thu 26/Apr 2018

        New York

        Machinedrum x Chrome Sparks Tour

      • Fri 27/Apr 2018

        Montreal

        Machinedrum & Chrome Sparks

      • Fri 27/Apr 2018

        Montreal

        Machinedrum x Chrome Sparks Tour

      • Sat 28/Apr 2018

        Toronto

        Machinedrum x Chrome Sparks Tour

    • News & features

      • Wed, 13 Sep 2017

        3 comments

        India's Magnetic Fields announces 2017 lineup

        Ben UFO, Four Tet, Machinedrum and Actress are all billed for the Rajasthan festival in December.

      • Tue, 15 Aug 2017

        Post a comment

        Machinedrum starts new label, IAMSIAM

        The first release is a Machinedrum-produced single by singer Rochelle Jordan.

      • Wed, 2 Aug 2017

        5 comments

        Machine Love: SchneidersLaden

        Mark Smith meets the man who's played a vital role in shaping the modular synthesis industry.

      • Tue, 4 Jul 2017

        1 comment

        Ableton reveals first guests for Loop 2017 summit in Berlin

        The music software company has confirmed acts like Jlin, Machinedrum and the Discwoman crew for this November's gathering.

      • Thu, 30 Mar 2017

        32 comments

        Flying Lotus, Âme, ABRA play RA stage at Field Day 2017

        We'll also host Forest Swords, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Moodymann at Victoria Park on June 3rd.

      • Tue, 24 Jan 2017

        32 comments

        Field Day adds Run The Jewels, Âme, PC Music for 2017

        Machinedrum, Dekmantel Soundystem and ABRA will also play the East London festival in June.

      • Wed, 18 Jan 2017

        13 comments

        Dawn Richard: Warrior

        Andrew Ryce meets the woman fusing R&B, virtual reality and underground dance music into some of the most adventurous pop around.

      • Wed, 16 Nov 2016

        Post a comment

        Clark, Machinedrum, Randomer play Bangface Weekender 2017

        The much-loved electronic festival has announced its first names for next year's edition.

    • Reviews

      • 2 comments

        Rochelle Jordan - How U Want It

        on

        IAMSIAM

      • 48 comments

        Various - #savefabric

        on

        Fabric Records

      • 39 comments

        Machinedrum - Human Energy

        on

        Ninja Tune

      • 6 comments

        Machinedrum - Movin' Forward

        on

        Self-released

      • 4 comments

        Aden - Tanz

        on

        Ultramajic

      • 16 comments

        Machinedrum - Vapor City Archives

        on

        Ninja Tune

      • 12 comments

        Various - 5oFoF

        on

        Friends of Friends

      • 2 comments

        Machinedrum - Fenris District

        on

        Ninja Tune

      • 2 comments

        Machinedrum - Vizion Centre

        on

        Ninja Tune

    0/
  • Features and films

    More features
    • Francis Inferno Orchestra: Dreamtime

      Matt Unicomb checks in with one of the Australian dance scene's new leading lights.

    • Grime 2013

      Through artists like Visionist, Slackk, Rabit and Filter Dread, grime has recently hit new levels of creativity. Angus Finlayson surveys the scene.

    • Breaking through: Young Marco

      Aaron Coultate speaks to Marco Sterk, the Amsterdam producer whose oddball tastes mark him out from the pack.

    • Rashad Becker: Nontraditional music

      He's a renowned sound scientist responsible for one of the year's most challenging records. But as RA's Jordan Rothlein discovered, there's method in his madness.

    More features


    0/
    • RA
    • Copyright © 2018 Resident Advisor Ltd.
    • All rights reserved.
    • Privacy & Terms
    • Resident Advisor /
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Jobs
    • RA Events

    • RA Tickets /
    • My Tickets
    • Ticketing FAQ
    • Resale
    • Sell tickets on RA
    • Submit event

    • Apps /
    • RA Guide
    • RA Ticket Scanner
    • Elsewhere /
    • Watch on YouTube
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Listen on Apple Music
    • Stream on Spotify
  • RA is also available in Japanese. 日本版
    • RA on YouTube
    • RA on Facebook
    • RA on Twitter
    • RA on Google+
    • RA on Instagram
    • RA on Soundcloud