Bleep

After embarking on nature inspired ambient hikes as tstewart and returning to his musical roots with last year’s 4#TRAX EP, Travis Stewart presents his first Machinedrum album in four years with 3FOR82. In the vein of previous albums A View Of U and Human Energy, 3FOR82 features a host of vocalists poised to breach the surface of the underground, but this time with an overt rhythmic focus that harks back to those early days of club experimentation; a veritable comeback to classic dancefloor material while giving trap and R&B his signature futuristic touch.

Ecstatic starshine sparkles on ‘ORACLE’ frame a monologue from aja monet on mutual love and care inspiring introspective confidence, easing in with spiritually rejuvenating themes that are immediately pummelled by the fangs-bared verses of ‘RESPEK’, pitting eerie detuned music box-like synths against thistly sawtoothed bass. These are just two sides of Stewart’s highly varied career that 3FOR82 makes an opulent retrospective out of, and their contrast shows off his prowess as a multitalented producer.

Mick Jenkins flips hip hop braggadocio into a muse on healing with ‘WEARY’, throwing wordplay across crystalline blocks of soul piano and funk guitar notes split open. Meanwhile, the album’s sole instrumental cut ‘HON3Y’ is a playground for jungle experimentation, ultra textured from lofi digital sizzle to glossy reverb with syrupy, dreamy tempo switches. ‘ILIKEU’ continues in that molten mood with silky, smoky vocal edits and woozy pitch shifts, offset by the occasional serrated bass growl of two step rhythms

From celestial shimmers and speaker shaking bass, 3FOR82 shows Machinedrum’s full versatility in his own kaleidoscope of styles.