The Boombox Project runs from 2 to 7 December at London’s XOYO, in collaboration with the Whisper gallery. Owerko has hunted high and low for rare and obscure models, so prepare for some serious collector envy.

He has a book out, too.

You never quite know what you’re going to get from New York City’s Machinedrum – a producer who veers from hip-hop and soulful house to spiky electronics. His latest album, Room(s), out on Planet Mu, is a footwork- and jungle- inspired record delivered in that trademark Machinedrum panache that makes him so compelling.

We caught up with Machinedrum, or Travis Stewart, to chat NYC, hip hop and sitting in his underwear, twisting knobs…

You’ve put out a lot of music – and covering all sorts of different genres. Do you actively seek to experiment with other styles?
I actively seek out good-sounding music all the time for entertainment and inspiration. Naturally, this influences my sound.

What attracted you to the juke/footwork sound?
The rawness and simplicity of it. The drum programming reminded me of IDM, honestly.

What’s great with your new album is that you seem to have taken these influences and made them your own. Are you aware of creating a distinct personality with your music or is it something that comes naturally?
I am made aware of it after the fact, typically.  When I’m in the process of creating something I tend not to think about it. If I am creating a personality or maintaining one, that gets in the way of just feeling and doing.

I’ve read that you experiment with both analog and digital forms – what did you use to make Room(s)?
I’d rather not get in to what I used to make it as I think its less interesting than letting the listener lose themselves in the music without picturing me sitting in my underwear twisting knobs.  I will say that a lot of the songs were made while travelling.

What you working on now? Looks like you’re doing a lot of touring. Do you miss making music when you’re travelling or do you get immersed in the DJing?
I’m always working on different things. Finishing up the Sepalcure debut LP for Hotflush with Praveen Sharma, otherwise just making songs without knowing where they are going or who’s getting them. Like I said before, I make a bit of music while touring so I get my fill.

What’s your feeling on hip hop these days?
I feel like hip hop has influenced so much music that’s out there that I don’t necessarily miss it being “dead” or whatever. It’s as if the ghost of hip hop exists within new genres, however big or small its presence. I got tired of rapping anyway; there’s only so much of someone speaking in rhythmic rhyming schemes that I can take until I have to hear someone sing.  I still listen to the classics from the 90s and they never get old.

And how’s the scene in New York? I chatted to FaltyDL recently and he spoke very highly of you. Anyone else we should be looking out for?
Aww yeah, Drew [FaltyDL] is such a cool and extremely talented dude. It was refreshing when he moved to New York, actually, because it reminded me of how excited I was when I first moved to Brooklyn and how inspired I was by the city. I feel after living there for five years the inspiration has kinda died away for me. I’ve seen so many friends and other artists come and go, everyone seems to be really involved in their own thing. People and scenes tend to become very insular and self-involved with everyone focused on becoming successful rather than trying to create a movement with others included. People talk about movements in NYC for days but in reality they’re more focused on their own career and hype than anyone else.

Fortunately there are still a few really good inclusive things going on like Percussion Lab radio, which tends to feature all kinds of New York-based talent – typically electronic, but also showcases artists from out of town. Twisup is a good party as well. Its ran by Dave Q from the now defunct (and very missed) Dub War night.  Also check out the bands New Villager and Body Language as they are making very positive and fresh music. They are dear friends of mine.

Machinedrum’s Room(s) is out on Planet Mu on July 25

We’ve been keeping a close eye on Silkie ever since we saw him play FWD>> back in 2009. There was something special about his music – a soulfulness and bounce that set him apart.

Two years on and West London’s Silkie continues to shape his sound into beautifully sculpted textures that sit comfortably between the dance floor and the living room. He’s about to release his second album on Deep Medi, City Limits Volume 2 – and already it’s landed some glowing reviews.

“I’m probably more proud of this album than I was the first [City Limits Volume 1] because I had a lot more time to think about it,” says Silkie. “It’s more of a calculated effort – not to be dull but to be more on point. Going to a lot more raves has definitely influenced me to blend that energy with something you’d listen to at home – that has that same energy and bounce.”

On point it is, with rollers like ‘Feel’, ‘Lucky Master’, and ‘Taxi Me Get’, with its Silkie-style crescendos. One of the standouts, however, is the Silkie-Skream collabo, ‘Untitled’, which we’ve been waiting to get our hands on for some time now.

“I definitely want to do some more collabos,” he says. “I like working with people – you find out more about your weaknesses and your strengths, and you learn a lot. I’m making tunes with Swindle at the moment and they’re sounding good.”

Silkie also benefits from a good working relationship with Mala and the Deep Medi family. “Mala’s pretty relaxed as label owners go,” he says.

“With the first album it was more of a collaboration of what me and Mala thought should go on there. We had a pool of like 17 tracks and were arguing our case for each one. With this album, Mala didn’t get involved at all with the tracklisting. I think that’s down to him trusting my judgment more. It’s a good feeling to get that kind of freedom. Deep Medi is pretty good at letting the artists express themselves.”

City Limits Volume 2 is also being released on the Japanese blues and soul label P-Vine – testament again to Silkie’s ability to transcend musical boundaries and capture the imagination of all manner of music lovers.

City Limits Volume 2 is out on 27 June 2011 on Deep Medi Musik.

As one of the UK’s finest emcees, it was with great excitement that we listened to Jehst’s new album, ‘The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family’, due out on his own YNR imprint on 27 June.

The good news is that it’s everything you’d expect from the man – witty, incisive and intelligent. And to celebrate the new record, he’s giving away a free track.

There’s also a launch party at Fabric this weekend that looks pretty unmissable.

There’s also a limited-edition record of Huess’s EP, which features remixes from Fulgeance and Kelpe.

Here’s a free track to whet your appetites.

Inaudible Answer’s next release will be from MOTLH, due this summer.

FIVE EASY PIECES PRESENTS…

Friday 27 May

Maurice Fulton – bubbletease communications
Illum Sphere – hoya hoya
Ossie – hyperdub / lightworks
Royalty – five easy pieces
Chairman Kato LIVE – pictures music
Auntie Flo – huntleys & palmers

For our second event of 2011 we’re bringing some of our favourite producers from around the UK under one roof. It’s going to jump off. Headlining is the darling of the electronic underground and the deepest guy in Sheffield if not the whole of yorkshire, Bubbletease Recordings head honcho Maurice Fulton, playing his first London gig in over a year.

Driving over Snake Pass to make the journey south with him will be Manchester club promoter / producer / DJ extraordinaire Illum Sphere. Ikonika recently said of the Hoya Hoya resident: ‘One of the most exciting and individual producers in the UK’, Five Easy Pieces recently said: ‘this guy is a fucking don’.

The night is rounded off with 4 soon to be massive acts on 4 dope UK labels. Ramadanman & Joy O fav Ossie, the regal Dalston electro boogie act Royalty, the uber talented electronic producer Chairman Kato, fresh from his Tea Smith art / music installation, and Huntleys & Palmers very own Auntie Flo.

Black Star, Hammersmith Apollo, London, 10 May 2011

Seeing friends again after a hiatus can make for some awkwardness. Are you going to have anything in common? Are they still going to laugh at your jokes?

Often it comes right after a while in each other’s company, and this is just what happened when I was reunited with Black Star at their gig at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Talib Kweli, Mos Def and me, we go way back. I had my photo taken with Talib once and I’ve gazed at Mos Def from across a crowded gig a few times too. Their 1998 Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star record soundtracked many a late-night rap-a-long and I knew these boys intimately – loved that they themselves were close like Bethlehem and Nazareth, and that they were so forthcoming with all the juicy details about a certain brown-skin lady.

And then they went their separate ways; Mos having substantially more commercial success than Talib, who rinsed the indie circuit and had a couple of bangers along the way. The collaborations they’ve had since that record haven’t quite captured the magic of their early endeavours but the memories live long and true. Which is why, at this sold-out gig, the hyped crowd greeted each tune with a roar. The enthusiasm might have waned after the novelty of recognition wore off and the tinny sound began to grate, but there were still hands in the air like we just didn’t care.

The last time I saw Mos and Talib on stage together was at the Jazz Café many years ago – Talib was doing a solo gig and asked us if it was alright if he brought an old friend on stage. “Of course,” we cried. “Y’all heard of Mos Def?” he asked. “What a stupid question, Talib, you wind-up!” we replied. And there he was, Dante Smith in his flat-capped finest. They kicked it a little and it was magic.

I was kind of hoping for a similar experience this time round, but sadly that Black Star chemistry wasn’t in residence. There were flat caps for two and matching waistcoats, but it was clear that these two have well and truly gone their separate ways. Not to say that joints like  ‘History’ and ‘Just Begun’ with Jay Electronica, a surprise guest on the night, aren’t any good.  They’re just very much one-offs now.

It was also notably Mos Def’s show – both sartorially and sonically. He performed lots of his solo work and brought his art-house flavour to the performance – there were moody musical interludes and the likes of ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’ interspersed with spoken-word-style acapellas. Talib fumbled uncomfortably with his waistcoat and put on some sunglasses.

The performance was in stark contrast to De La Soul, booked as the warm-up act that night along with the OG, Rakim. More than 20 years in the game and De La’s still mining that rich seam of conscious party rap, still wearing the same polo shirts and still having fun.

Mos and Talib, however, gave their matching red microphones a decent pounding but it didn’t ever feel like they were particularly enjoying themselves.

But there were flashes of magic and because we were so pleased to see them there together, hearing ‘Definition’ and then that neat segue in to ‘Re:Definition’ meant we forgave them for the disjointedness.

We did have something in common after all. We breathed a collective sign of relief. For even though life has moved on for all of us, there’s nothing quite like an old friend to remind you of some truly special moments.

UK-based African artists will now be able to benefit from Africa Unsigned’s crowd funding initiative, which has garnered support from people like Damon Albarn, Tony Allen and Baaba Maal.

Here’s the details:

Lake of Stars festival presents Africa Unsigned UK launch at Market Club.

When: Sunday 15 May 2011

Where: Rich Mix, on the corner of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green Road.

Cover: Free entry

Time: 12noon – 10pm.

Live music: Rina Mushonga

DJs:  Noisettes, Tayo, Dirty D.is.ko

Here’s the video for their first single, ‘If The Feeling’s Right’:

And here’s where else to catch them:

13th May – **Album Launch Party** Plastic People, London, UK
14th May – Orange Rooms, Southampton, UK
20th May – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
21st May – The Basement, Waterford, Ireland
27th May – Asylum, Newcastle, UK
28th May – Libertine Supersport, Brussels, Belgium
28th May – Heavy Gossip, Edinburgh, UK
3rd June – Discocaine, Frankfurt, Germany
12th June – Parklife Festival, Manchester, UK
18th June – Twisted Pepper, Dublin, London
24th June – Belvedere Pool, Bucharest, Romania
25th June – Heavy Gossip, Edinburgh, UK
2nd July – Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain
7th July – Space, Ibiza, Spain
15th July – Hultsfred Festival, Hultsfred, Sweden
30th July – Vintage Festival, London, UK
30th July – Heavy Gossip, Edinburgh, UK
31st July – Indiependence Festival, Mitchelstown, Ireland
5th August – Venue TBA, Sardinia
26th August – Subclub, Glasgow, UK
27th August – Heavy Gossip, Edinburgh, UK

This year, Breakin’ Convention’s curator, Jonzi D, put together yet another excellent programme that blended crowd-pleasing streetdance with challenging hip-hop theatre and provocative solo work.

France’s Sebastian Ramirez and Korea’s Hyun-Jung Wang, performing as the duo Clash 66, stole the show with their sensuous love story. Both are impeccable dancers and the chemistry between them was electric.

Korea, always a favourite, represented again with the Morning of Owl crew, who performed a piece called ‘Harmonize’ that fused gymnastic breaking with bold visuals and a sweeping soundtrack. These boys’ techniques are ridiculous.

And in the spirit of hip hop, Jonzi likes to flip the script once in a while. This year, he brought a Chicago footwork crew over to unleash their frenetic leg action on London. LiteBulb, AG, DJ Manny and Spinn – to DJ Rashad’s deft mixing – took to the stage, old-school dancing circle style, and gave us a lesson in uptempo jamming. For the uninitiated, it might have seemed a step too far from the familiar but for the fans, it was wonderful seeing it happening in the flesh and not via a grainy YouTube video.

Jonzi also invited Tabu Flo, a crew from Uganda, to do a piece inspired by b-boying and traditional Ugandan dance. The result was a mesmerising performance that, funding permitting, will be developed into an hour-long show in its own right. The crew deserves all the support it gets, teaching break-dance classes back in Kampala to more than 1,000 people twice a week in a bid to empower them and give them focus.

But, for all the globetrotting, Breakin’ Convention closed with a homegrown crew for the first time. Boy Blue Entertainment gave us a lesson in timing with ‘Klockz’, a piece they first performed in 2004 and reworked especially for the occasion. Celebrating their ten-year anniversary, we wish Boy Blue much luck in the future.

And to Breakin’ Convention? Next year can’t come fast enough.

Images: Paul Hampartsoumian