Your EDM Premiere: The Wait Is Almost Over! Machinedrum & Holly’s Sophomore Collab EP ‘River of Heaven’ Drops this Thursday [Vision Recordings]

It’s been only a few months shy of 4 years since Machinedrum and Holly launched Berry Patch, their breakthrough collab EP on Vision, and punters and DJs alike have been wistfully questioning if the duo would launch one other such crossover epic. Both artists have launched masses of killer tracks on their very own since January of 2020, as they’re every so gifted in their very own proper, however there’s no denying these are two nice tastes that style nice collectively. Now, lastly, this peanut butter cup of a brand new collab EP is nearly upon us. Get prepared for River of Heaven.

What’s actually cool in regards to the long-awaited River of Heaven from the Portugese-American duo isn’t simply that it picks up the place Berry Patch left off. This is actually a coming collectively of the evolution of two artists over the past three years. Fans shouldn’t go in anticipating similarities; this EP is actually solely a follow-up in phrases of chronology. It’s made clear from the opening title observe, written in Japanese script as 天の川. With this observe, the duo announce they’re firmly in crossover territory and they are going to be thus for many of the EP, with solely two tracks at or round 174. That’s not too stunning, as a lot of Berry Patch had masses of tempo modifications and different crossover parts, however style apart, there’s additionally lots of distinction stylistically.

With three of the tracks, “Novaform,” “Blueshift” and “Hide Sun” already out, followers will possible already see lots of variations in type, particularly in “Blueshift.” While the experimental dubstep-tempoed “Novaform” has lots of the heavy, dirty bass of Berry Patch, it’s additionally way more polished with masses of atmospheric work. “Blueshift” and “Hide Sun” are stronger indicators of what’s to return on River of Heaven: funky, liquid in nature and full of clear, crisp sounds. Machinedrum and Holly additionally experiment quite a bit in this EP with each tempo and common sound. Where Berry Patch was considerably simply classed as neuro-leaning, it seems as if the blokes have made it a degree to problem anybody to categorise River of Heaven. The mashup vibes by no means finish right here, and it’s clearly deliberate.

The fundamental instance of this purposeful fusion of types, sounds and genres can be our YEDM premiere, the illustrious “Luminae.” Slotted because the penultimate observe on the EP, it’s additionally an apotheosis of the sound Machinedrum and Holly got down to create this time round. Starting off as a bit of a trickster observe, listeners will possible suppose the intro is a gradual but complicated construct right into a D&B drop. Instead, the viewers is met with a slower (160?), unclassifiable beat that’s so damaged, one may name it fractured. This provides masses of area for the artists to construct up an enormous observe across the beat, however they hold it minimal, drawing a surprisingly funky construction with impeccably clear snares by the point the observe will get to the break. Ambient sine wave synths swirl out and in of that open area earlier than stated break, which is one other trick as a lone amen pulls the pitch up earlier than dropping into the mindfuck that’s that damaged beat as soon as once more.

There’s a lot occurring with the beat and sound design in “Luminae” that followers might not even discover that there’s a substantial crunchy bass drone a’la Berry Patch underlining most of the observe and giving it depth. Even amongst all this experimentation and new, mind-boggling sounds, the boys nonetheless like their bass. Updated as it might be after practically 4 years, there’s no mistaking this traditional combo the collab between Machinedrum and Holly creates. River of Heaven, in that sense, is much less of a follow-up and extra of an evolution; one other stamp in time for these two revolutionary artists.

River of Heaven drops on Vision Recordings this Thursday, August 31. Pre-save or pre-order right here.