Machine Woman - When Elegance Becomes Violence

4 Oct

After the absolute powerhouse of an album, In The Basement of 83 Men (2023), released on the very own Take Away Jazz Records. Machine Woman has released numerous captivating and challenging electronic works for several years. She has a sound that snakes through genres like house, techno, and electro. The one thing that stays consistent is the glitchy deconstructed club vibe through all releases. Throughout many tracks, Machine Woman experiments with mixing sound selection and structure, culminating in this wildly funky yet futuristic and cybernetic style. Taking a break from releases on Take Away Jazz, the mechanised femme fatale set sights on the forefront of electronic music. Delsin Records, one of the most renowned and well-respected electronic labels, her latest record, When Elegance Becomes Violence (2023).

Off-beats become the bedrock of 'Heavy Cream' as Crashing claps occupy the half-spaces, propelling this already off-kilter electro ride into a perpetual forward gallop. Clattering hats add to the chaos as whining synths creep into earshot. The "best of British" oozes out of the track with a killer bass reminiscent of old-school bassline cuts. 'Heavy Cream' will heat the dance floor like plasma. Instability comes from its erraticness and the warbling saturation, while 'Untitled Glitch House Beat' is wonky differently. This next offering combines all sorts in a witch's brew. Distorted lows and contorted midrange seem to attempt melody only for their instability to lead them astray. Machine Woman incorporates a slow March that is as powerfully repetitive as house and techno get. The ecstatic high end is bright and exciting, going from scratchy and resonant to text-alert chirps.

'Voices', the shortest track of the lot, boasts heavy-weight experimentation and takes after its creator. It sounds like a colossal machine woman. Impressive glitch is all over this track, be it the vocals or dubbed percussion and atmospherics swell and stutter, giving hints of mechanism. At the same time, 'I Received Your Email Today' is structurally familiar with the Machine Woman Midas touch. It is a track where the kicks operate like a bass and vis-à-vis. The lead takes on this grotesque tearing motion like skin attempting to pull itself away from the record's T-1000 skeleton only to be drawn back. It's a track that doesn't give you that "kind of closure", but I love it even more for it. Finally, 'Yes Mate' challenges everything you know about time as Machine Woman expertly introduces individually mismatched elements that build and build into a complete whole. The track continually evolves and devolves throughout its runtime, with the titular vocals "Yes mate…" being chopped and skewed into an incredibly pleasing blend between an experimental lead and something more additional and monotonous. When Elegance Becomes Violence is irrefutable evidence that Machine Woman is thinking further outside the box than most. Reinventing club music without a second of hesitation, it really feels like it's her world, and we're just living in it.

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