- "Future body music," say the gentlemen behind Machinists of their label. That those gentlemen are Ewan Pearson—one of dance music's smartest practitioners—and Finnish producer Sasse Lindblad suggests that this is some serious business.
First up to show off his Oberheim Matrix 12 and Roland MKS-80 synths is Sweden's Markus Enochson. On "Boo Hoo," they manifest themselves in a chopping rhythm and a huge, gothic synth motif that sounds like a refugee from a '70s horror flick; it's potentially rather enormous. "Boy" is a more sedate affair, its fluttering, skeletal tech funk of drilling synths and crunching percussion punctuated by a Speak & Spell vocal, while "Bad Choice" is a foray into dark disco, featuring what sounds like a twisted harpsichord doing battle with a relentless wave of devil drums.
It's a menacingly brilliant trio of tracks, although you're left wondering how Pearson and Lindblad will police their self-imposed analogue-only policy. Can we expect World Anti Doping Authority-style dawn visits on unsuspecting producers to check their gear, perhaps? One can only hope.
TracklistA1 Bohoo
A2 Boy
B Bad Choice