Article
Kate Simko

Albums
2562
3ofmillions
3 Seconds Of Air
Monty Adkins
Agoria
Anduin
Natalie Beridze TBA
Black Eagle Child
Boduf Songs
Bodzin Vs Romboy
Build
Marco Carola
Blake Carrington
Codes In The Clouds
Dreamsploitation
Federico Durand
Elektro Guzzi
Emanuele Errante
FiRES WERE SHOT
Rick Frystak
Garin & Gobart
Gerard and Graydon
Kraig Grady
Guthrie & Budd
Marcus Intalex
Jumpel
Slavek Kwi
March
Maschine
Melodium
Alton Miller
Obsil
Phaedra
Semiomime
Shaula
Kate Simko
Sleepingdog
Nobuto Suda
Moritz Von Oswald Trio

Compilations / Mixes
5ZIG
20 F@#&ING Years
Michelangelo Antonioni
Fabric 56: Derrick Carter

EPs
Agoria featuring Kid A
Aleph
A Story of Rats
Orlando B.
Ceremony
Cex
Matthew Dear
Entia Non & Tanner Menard
Nick Kuepfer
Clem Leek
Mat Le Star
Lulacruza
Paul Lyman
Moss
Resampled Part 1
Resampled Part 2
Snoretex
Subeena

Maschine: Maschine
Psychonavigation

Maschine's self-titled debut album would appear to have arrived at an unusual time, given that the group is now the sole concern of Eoin Coughlan after Aza Hand left the band last year to concentrate on a sound engineering career. What makes that unusual is that the album's ten tracks weren't produced by Coughlan in a sudden outpouring of activity but were instead produced between 1997 and 2006 and are therefore Coughlan-Hand creations, presumably. The collection blends crisp drum'n'bass, intricate breakbeat patterns, and electronica into a satisfying seventy-minute package.

Mangled track titles such as “FRaXeyeNEss” and “NewBInc” invariably draw connections from Maschine to Autechre, and Coughlan's music is sometimes reminiscent of the Warp act's: the bass drum throb and distorted voice effects dominating “NewBInc” and snappy beatwork and chiming melodies in “Mute” certainly suggest some degree of affinity between Maschine and Chiastic Slide-era Autechre, as does the closer “Marbley.” Another Warp reference that comes to mind is Squarepusher, given how easily Maschine's “DnB” could pass for a track left over from the Hard Normal Daddy sessions. That doesn't, however, prevent the cut from being any less engaging, especially when the powerhouse mix of electric piano, bass, and beats proves so ear-catching.

At the album's start, “Dubbed” rolls out with a snappy stealth that ably showcases Coughlan's beat programming prowess and his talent for getting maximum mileage out of a simple dub bass line. “Ebsolute” is likewise distinguished by intricate beatsmithing that might be complex but never loses sight of a fundamental focus on jazzy swing, and the mid-song interjection of an orchestral segment shows that Coughlan's aiming at something more than just a beat workout. An inspired dreamscaping-styled take on drum'n'bass, “Cordmash” stretches out for ten minutes of languorous splendour and avoids feeling overlong by changing the scenery ever so rapidly throughout. Why material created between 1997 and 2006 is only now seeing the light of day isn't made clear, but Maschine nonetheless can be experienced as a solid exploration that spans multiple genres.

April 2011