Celebrating 10 years of solidly cerebral club music releases, Infinite Machine is celebrating its first decade with an 19 -track compilation full of heat from label mainstays, new signees and some of the friends who helped them along the way. Infinite Machine was born out of a desire to run an dance imprint with the same DIY ethos as the hardcore/screamo labels that xWOLFx, IM's owner, was previously involved with. Over its decade-long lifespan, the label has rapidly evolved into a central figure within the hybrid dance music scene that’s formed on the internet; a place where dembow drum patterns can easily sit next to Sinogrime samples and dubstep sensibilities. In the last few years, as the label and it’s artists have matured, Infinite Machine’s output has taken a slightly cyberpunk turn, moving away from pure dance-floor slammers and towards more conceptual works which deal with our ultra-accelerated culture or soundtrack imagined off-planet worlds.
Some highlights from the release include Galtier’s ‘My Mess is a Face’, a real head-spinner full of granular synthesis and warped sample work. Later on in the comp, Bungalovv delivers a sensory delight with ‘Alacran’, a track so dense with layers of sound design it feels like you can sink your teeth into it. All Centre signee Duswunder pops up mid-way through the release with the frenetic and furious ‘Black Bile’ which is absolutely not a track to be missed. IDM upstart Daniel Ruane’s contribution ‘ZZZZZ’ is hypnotic perfection - one of those compositions that really has to be heard to be believed. Towards the end of the release, long-time Infinite Machine signee Yilan appears with ‘Cortisol’, another slow mind-bender of a track full of siren-like synths and rolling stutters of percussion. And rounding out proceedings is W3C’s ‘Templar’, a great example of the sort of forward-thinking music Infinite Machine loves to release. It’s a track rooted in club culture but, at the same time, transposed away from that context to some other-worldly space.
In an era of dance music consumption where genre trends or in-vogue labels can rapidly switch from flavour of the month to faint memories, this 10-year milestone is a testament to the independent label's unwavering enthusiasm for unearthing fresh talent and pushing our releases at a relentless pace, much like the hardcore labels xWOLFx previously ran. Three cheers for another decade of jaw dropping releases and Infinite Machine's commitment to the church of DIY.