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Hydra Machine Instincts

There’s simply no stopping Michael Robinson with another release hot-on-the-heels of his Assigned EP on Ozone Records last month. This time Robinson puts his iNFO moniker to the side to record under the name Hydra Machine, delivering a more reflective and soulful take on intelligent techno.


Released: 25 August 2020
Instincts

Coming out on the prolific Spacetime imprint, we’re eased in gently with the title track from the EP as ‘Instincts’ slowly unfurls across a laid-back electronic landscape.

Crisp metallic sounds lay down the infrastructure for a warmer, futuristic soundscape with soft strings and sub-atomic bass kicks. ‘Face’ wastes no time getting going, taking a punchy approach that again whisks us off-world into alien landscapes while still managing to take influence from Detroit’s techno and electro pioneers. The third track on the EP again allows for Robinson to explore his own personal influences while continuing to shape his own emerging personal sound.

Subtle influences and tones of old Warp artists like Xon and Detroit masters like Juan Atkins are clearly present, and ‘Held Back’ is Robinson’s contribution to that genealogy. It’s one of his finest tracks to date. UK techno artist Darren Nye gets his hands on ‘Instincts’ to bring more percussion into play and an added degree of urgency to the track.

It's only a matter of time before we see a long player from the South Yorkshire artist which will no doubt transcend his myriad influences to create his own notable entry to Sheffield’s electronic heritage.