Review:
Travis Stewart has been producing under the Machinedrum moniker for more than 10 years; in that time his sound has gone from IDM through hip-hop and ghetto house, but on Room(s) he takes the blueprint of the subgenre of 150BPM Chicago house known as juke (which has been an underground phenomenon for the past 10 years) and runs with it. Despite the album's 150BPM plus pace (which is never anything less than a complete adrenaline rush, even during it's more sedate moments), fatigue never sets in. This is primarily down to Stewart's rhythm programming. While juke would typically utilise untreated drum machines, Stewart isn't afraid to use organic drum samples. "Come1" for example contrasts euphoric piano chords with a freeform jazz rhythm; he gives the track just enough syncopation to give everything enough room to breathe, similarly, on "Lay Me Down" he employs clattering percussion and reverb in a similar fashion to Burial. Stewart also swathes an impressive palette of colour and texture across the album's whole. His grasp of melodic balance is exceptional; any chords he employs in the tracks add just the right amount of emotional pull without negating their ferocity. In short, one of the best albums you'll hear this year.