TuneLab
MACHINEDRUM and DAEDELUS in The Lab LA
A back-to-back with Machinedrum and Daedelus in The Lab LA? We're here for the controlled chaos, the genre-blending ADHD that defines the best of leftfield electronica. This isn't a club set; it's a listening session for people who think in breakbeats. The vibe is studious but playful, like two professors deconstructing rhythm in a soundproofed bubble. Technically, this is a tour de force of breakbeat and IDM, with a wildly variable BPM average of 148.4 that speaks to its eclectic nature, though it often anchors in the compatible keys of 12A and 10B.
The energy profile is fascinatingly mid-forward at 27%, allowing complex melodic and rhythmic ideas to shine over a steady 68% low-end bed, with highs kept deliberately sparse at 5%. Their mixing is more about collage and contrast than smooth blends, creating a restless, exhilarating narrative. For crate diggers, the opener 'Ryuichi Sakamoto - Rain (I Want a Divorce)' is a breathtakingly beautiful ambient gambit. 'Lone - Hyper Seconds' injects vibrant, video-game arpeggios, while 'Seven Moon - Back2back' offers a slice of crisp, modern breakbeat.
The truly epic 'Groove Armada - Captain Sensual' provides a long, psychedelic journey within the journey, and the inclusion of 'Supermode - Tell Me Why' remixed is a genius trance-inflected moment. The peak is a whirlwind of spliced vocals and frantic rhythms, perhaps during 'KiaBHN - I Said Yes Already', before the journey settles into the deep, techno-minded closing of 'Dustin Zahn & Joel Mull - Vesperum Winds'. This is a set built for repeated listening, each Shazam yielding a new treasure.