Machinedrum - Nastyfuckkk

Our man, our main man. Machinedrum is probably collectively (along with Actress, Zomby and Falty DL) our favourite producer and we inevitably get psyched over any of his releases, and it is inevitably amazing. Apart from the title track, however, this one does not rank with his best. Nastyfuckkk sees Machinedrum pursuing a far darker sound than what is presented on any of his recent releases. I am always apprehensive when an artist moves away from a sound that I think they have perfected (James Blake instantly springs to mind as the biggest disaster), but this EP still has a lot to offer.

The tune starts out in absolute badman fashion with a mean, monstrous acid flex, booming subs and dry footwork beats. Halfway through the flavour changes entirely, from menacing to soothing, as MD brings out his signature swelling synths and spacey pads that will caress the ears and warm the heart any day of the week. A great song that proves that this man is capable in any territory.

'What You Wanted 2 Feel' takes on a slower, more brooding vibe. The song comes complete with stuttered beats and incredible bass pressure yet never takes off, it is stagnant in a sluggish groove until its eventual fade out.

'No Schnitzel' takes off where the first half of Nastyfuckk takes off, with dark, jukey beats and a scratchy cut up rap sample. However unlike 'Nastyfuckkk', 'No Schnitzel' does not build dark, heavy tension before allowing cathartic release and hence leaves me, as a listener, somewhat unsatisfied. My slightly negative reaction may just be because I come to expect straight fiyah from MD everytime (that is, after all, all that he has been giving us), and when a couple of average songs come along they seem worse than they actually are.
On a lighter note Machinedrum has ALSO released a minimix of forthcoming tunes which is fucking amazing.

So, after this relatively small blip in MD's 2012 we already know that fucked up shit is headed our way. If Heavy Weight, A New Meaning and High on Hope get released on one EP it could be an early contender for release of the year.