Machine Drum

by Mark Pytlik
 
Of the many aliases attributed to Orlando, FL-based artist Travis Stewart (aka Syndrone, tstewart) Machine Drum is handily the most well-known. Although initially conceived as an outlet for Stewart's drill'n'bass meanderings, Machine Drum's first public release was a hazy, skittering melange that owed more to hip-hop and ambient than early Squarepusher. Indeed, the bursting &Izey Rael& would prove to be the template for Machine Drum's ensuing long-player. Recorded during the summer of 2000 through to early 2001 on location in Hickory, NY, and eventually released on Merck, the brilliant Now You Know would eventually be released to underground acclaim, firmly establishing the 19-year-old Stewart as one of IDM's brightest hopes.