3for82

by Machinedrum

Overview

Machinedrum's album 3FOR82 was created after Travis Stewart found a DOS emulator and accessed old hard drives full of beats he made in Impulse Tracker during the late '90s. He built up sound banks inspired by these beats, then experimented and came up with dozens of ideas, ultimately choosing the best ones to develop into full songs. When he invited vocalists to his studio to collaborate, he challenged them to converse with their teenage selves, just as he had delved into his own formative years as a musician for the album's creation. With all that in mind, 3FOR82 sounds nothing like the glitch-hop and IDM Stewart released on Merck during the 2000s. It's much more in line with his club-friendly later work, refracting hip-hop, drum'n'bass, and juke through a futuristic pop prism. "WEARY" is one of the more nostalgic-sounding selections here, with a hazy beat flowing underneath Mick Jenkins' hard, conscious rhymes and Jesse Boykins III's smooth chorus. AKTHESAVIOR and Deniro Farrar both address their younger selves during "HEAL," and on the glimmering drum'n'bass tune "U_WANT," KU¿KA similarly replays all of her mistakes in her head, assuring herself that better days will come. The d'n'b cuts generally end up being the album's highlights. "HON3Y" is a gorgeous, atmospheric jungle track with gentle guitars and bittersweet vocal fragments. "RISE" (featuring ROZET) is a much more party-ready celebration of friendship with well-timed bursts of heavy bass, and Tinashe is as effortlessly sensual as always during the ecstatic "ZOOM." The album ends with two downtempo R&B reflections. Tanerélle assures that you'll get through hard times on "KILL_U," and Boykins is "profound when you're around" during the apologetic "GODOWN." While 3FOR82 is less experimental than the previous Machinedrum album, A View of U, it's more focused on personal lyrics and experiences, and it's one of Stewart's most refined efforts. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2024
Label:	Ninja Tune
UPC:	5054429178210
Rank:	78361

Tracks

1. ORACLE
2. RESPEK
3. WEARY
4. H0N3Y
5. HEAL
6. ILIKEU
7. U_WANT
8. BLESSD
9. RISE
10. ZOOM
11. KILL_U
12. GODOWN