Surely we’ve all heard more than enough praise showered over Machinedrum’s outstanding 2011 album “Room(s),” and some of us have ended up with the LP memorized back to front. We weren’t sure what to expect when an extended re-release of the album was announced for 2012’s Record Store Day, but the new installment actually delivered more than we could’ve hoped for. The extended edition comes with twelve tracks, one more than the original album’s eleven, nearly establishing itself as an entity to be reckoned with separately. Machinedrum is an incredibly prolific artist, and it seems fairly evident that for every track he puts out, there are probably another five where that came from. On the reissue of “Room(s)” there are three B-sides to the “Sacred Frequency” EP (including “Listen 2 Me” and “Fantastix“), three entirely unreleased tracks, and the previously iTunes-only bonus “TMPL.”
The five remixes on the extended edition come from Falty DL, Lando Kal, Chrissy Murderbot, and Traxman. The Falty DL take on “U Don’t Survive” has the original uplifting vocal emerge from an initial cacophony throughout an intro that lasts for over half the song, and when the tension feels ready to burst, all the elements drop out for an anti-climactic break which rebuilds itself through the layering of percussion – including some amen drums, which are an easy move when remixing a track at footwork tempos but not necessarily expected in such a calm song as “U Don’t Survive”, especially in the chilled-out Falty version. The same drums turn up on Chrissy Murderbot’s remix of the same track, whether it’s coincidental or not is debateable, but the energy-level of that remix makes it more understandable. Lando Kal’s remix of “Now U Know Tha Deal 4 Real” employs a bassline that takes the track firmly out of its footwork-influenced origination and into Lando’s own territory, filling in what some might have taken for sparseness in the original with his own changes. He brings it into the 4×4 more dancefloor-friendly zone, but of course retains the infectious sample that lends itself to the title.
Stream: Machinedrum – Flycatcha (feat. Body Language)
The standout remix for us was Traxman’s take on “She Died There” (stream below). The huge amount of praise the Chicago producer has received for his debut “Da Mind of Traxman” (which was also released on Planet Mu) affirms our belief that whatever he touches can turn to gold. Producers like Machinedrum have done well at taking a footwork influence and making something of it that’s both tasteful and inspiring without parodying the original. Unfortunately at the same time there are also dozens of producers who support a narrow stereotype of what the sound actually entails, and perpetuate a brash caricature of it. Traxman hones in on just the right elements of “She Died There” to make a remix that is both true to the original track and takes it down the footwork path in a way that’s entirely real without the in-your-face signature elements so many “footwork” producers feel the need to throw in your face.
Stream: Machinedrum – She Died There (Traxman remix)
It’s easy to imagine any of the non-remixes included on the Extended release being at home on “Room(s)” the first time around, and we certainly aren’t jealous of whoever had to call the shots to cut them. We are happy, however, that the opportunity to release them in this format came about, because we love them just as much as the eleven tracks that were released last year. “Flycatcha (feat. Body Language)”, which was included on the “Sacred Frequency” EP, has the same ephemeral thoughtful feeling that applies to many “Room(s)”-era tracks, as quickly as you get lost in them they’re over. That feeling left us with a hunger for more that a handful of EPs since “Room(s)” hasn’t been able to satiate, so we’re grateful for this renewed iteration of the album which offers a more coherent and concrete liaison with its predecessor.
If you already owned “Room(s)” and were wondering whether purchasing the extended edition was worth your money – it is. If you’ve held off on purchasing either, we’d highly suggest getting in on this while you still can. All-in-all you end up with 18 original tracks, each as strong as the next, plus five remixes which are all worth your time – for the price of the original album?! Sign us up.
Machinedrum’s “Room(s) Extended” is out now on Planet Mu.
