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Much as I love electronic music (and I really do), I'll be the first to admit that it can get a wee bit stale from time to time. Even when you're out of your tree there's only so much 4/4 house you can take without curling up into a ball and weeping. But then someone like Kingbastard comes along and restores my faith in the whole bally lot. His latest EP, 'Tied Up To Machines', belts round a vast melting-pot of electronic wizardry in seven superb tracks, each as fascinating as the last. The fun began all of ten years ago, when Kingbastard - AKA Chris Weeks - was dabbling with a four-track and learning acoustic guitar, before catching the electronic bug as he "started getting into bigger and better hardware with sampling and FX capabilities." Veering from crunchy bass to nostalgic 8-bit riffs to glitch-hop to playful Eighties blasts, Kingbastard is a truly diverse beast. As Chris explains: "I never wanted to be one of these music makers who finds a sound or style and sticks to it ad-nauseum - it would drive me insane. I don't want to hear an album of ten tracks that sound the same, so I certainly don't want to make one." So, what makes him stand out from the IT crowd? An abundance of melody and charm, since you ask. Chris has a knack for producing fascinating, complex melodies, the likes of which I simply haven't heard for way too long. This is electronic music rich with emotion and intelligence. But before you garnish him with the dreaded IDM label, heed the words of the man himself: "I've tried tagging on lots of genres to my music before like IDM and glitch, but they never sat well with me. Alternative/Electronic allows for more of a broad-scope without shoehorning it into a trendy genre." Recalling the more joyful, melodic moments of Aphex Twin and Plaid, occasionally underpinned by Prefuse 73 beats, yet with stabs of mature synthpop akin to, say, Ladytron, Chris has clearly heard a few records in his time. Accordingly, he reels off a pleasingly long list of bands, artists and producers from all over the shop that he has listened to, then considers the following: "It's hard to know what I'm really being influenced by. I like to think, 'myself', and although that's a pretentious answer, it's mostly true, as I've always tried to keep things diverse and evolving, both with my music production and listening habits. The mighty John Peel taught me that you can never get too much diversity when it comes to music." For anyone who believes that electronic music can't be endearing or interesting, have a bit of Kingbastard. [Tristan Parker (Clash Magazine)]

"The EP's opener “Boombox” is an epic, prime-time mover that would remain ear-catching in either context, while “F47G4M3R” perpetuates Kingbastard's penchant for zesty melodicism. The equally titled-challenged “4M813N7RK” provides a delicate, church-like ambient interlude, after which Weeks unashamedly declares his love for all things mechanical in the funky stepper “THE SECRET LIFE OF MACHINES” where factory noises collide with rapturously churning rhythms and synth melodies. “SAY WHEN” ends the set with a dizzying mix of jaunty beats, turntable scratching, sing-song vocals, and assorted other madness." [Textura Magazine]

"Tied Up To Machines is a fun and enjoyable mini-album of Electro Pop tunes that achieves its objective - wrestling with the IDM concept minus the pretention" (8/10) [FutureMusic Magazine FM217]