Machinedrum

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Travis Stewart is better known as Machinedrum, formerly known as Syndrone, and is one half of Sepalcure. At 19 he released his debut Now You Know on Merck Records was heralded as the “standard to which the next wave of imitators aspires” by Pitchfork. They weren’t wrong.

An early influence on the label, we got to meet Travis at the heart of ‘New-New York’ – spending nights running his Cassette club and working through the day in studio with Jesse Boykins iii, Theophilus London, Addiquit & Azealia Banks. A role call that meant little in 2009 that are now helping define rap and rnb in 2012. Travis is now residing in Berlin to tour and support the music he’s become known for: the heady instrumental fusion of hip hop, juke, jungle and house.

On his first release with us, Many Faces, we stamped two polar sides of innovative club music – crisp sparkling hip hop, with a flipside of ghetto house and juke. No to mention an acid-drenched remix by our mello Bok Bok. In 2011, Machinedrum released a Sepalcure album on Hotflush, a Boiler Room anthem in the form of Alarmaa – the stand out dubplate on Jackmaster’s Fabric 57 Compilation (we pressed up 500 limited vinyl along with his other Bootleg’s of The Dream, Madonna & Weezy’s daughter. The Alarmaa 12″ flew in a matter of days from the warehouse). Travis also released the critically acclaimed full length Room(s) on Planet Mu which included artwork by LuckyUs right here. 2011 truly was a meteoric year for ‘Drum with releases rightfully placing him in the top ranks of this new fusion dance music.

On January 17th 2012 we are proud to announce the release of Machinedrum’s deepest release yet: a slab of vinyl called SXLND. A Deep House and UKF tribute cast in his own distinct voice, these are the hotly anticipated Rinse.fm staples mastered and cut to laquer for the first time. Every SXLND 12″ comes with 320mp3 digital downloads as standard, plus a sleeve of cut out paper Geisha, this is another deluxe release on LuckyMe.

Contact:

for booking enquiry mail here

for press, management or remix mail here

Links:

Machinedrum’s website

Listen:

Machinedrum Photography

NYC LuckyMe Showcase, 2010 – Hud Mo & Rustie B2B, The Blessings, Mike Slott, Jacques Greene, Lunice, Machinedrum, Eclair Fifi, Cubic Zirconia & Azealia Banks (+ANGO & Nightwave) – all on one night.

Edinburgh Festival Party 2011 ft Rustie, Machinedrum, Nick Hook, Eclair Fifi, The Blessings, Damu, Dema, Tom Lea, Konx Om Pax, All Caps Records, 7VWWVW, Claude Speeed, Nightwave & Respite

LuckyMe Special: Machinedrum, ANGO, Lunice & Hovatron Based Tribute @ Look Out Montreal, February 2011

LuckyMe x Earnest Endeavours x Desparrame, Sonar 2011

Applesap, Amsterdam 2011, Lunice, Machinedrum, The Blessings, Lando Kal, Oneman & Benji B

Machinedrum Mixtapes

101. Machinedrum – The Fader SXLND Mixtape

Click here to download

Commemorating the release of SXLND The Fader posted this tape by Drum. Its got some absolute exclusives from him and the rest of the crew. I can’t believe he put John Computer on here. That’s not out forever.

Peace to this girl

78. Machinedrum – The World Famous Show Mixtape

Click here to download

In 2010, with the release of Many Faces on LuckyMe, Machinedrum stepped from his place at the heart of Neu New York Hip Hop and RnB to take his place in at the heart of new UK/EU electronic music. After years of the most reputable beat production fused he was very influential to us here. But with his records on LuckyMe, Planet Mu & Hot Flush he’s now better known for this dubstep, techno and house hybrids which sound like they’ve been dragged into the teleporter from The Fly movies. HIs unique sense of melody and texture power the emotion of his music – but this tape here shows a bright bombastic love of old school electro, hip hop, stadium rock and boogie. No one expected it but fuck, aren’t you hearing what I’m saying. Machinedrum’s gonna mutate on us.

Peace to Sana

44. Machine Drum – Footwerk Classixxx Mix

Click here to download

There are new artists coming up all the time that we love here at LuckyMe, but if you trace these mixtapes wayyy back to our first episodes a couple of – I guess you could say – ‘innovators’ dominated our tastes around the formation of the label you see here today. Machine Drum definitely, definitely counts as one of those. Before the world lost it’s mind on ‘wonky’ and latched onto the ONE IDEA that electronic music doesn’t need to be quanitsed, this guy was fusing electronic music with hip hop and treating that ONE IDEA as everyone else should: something to flirt with and then move the fuck on. Now, a couple years down the line he’s making some of the slickest rnb that ever kissed an ear drum. It’s a great honour to have him represent on here. But you know, ignore the blurb,cause before Europe caught on to Footwork, Travis was making us tapes of straight fire ghetto house and juke. So unstrap your vandals it’s gonna be a long night in the circle – or just sittin still on the tube, listening on your ipod.

Peace to Helen