Machine Elf

Lespecial draws upon a wealth of influences in their trip-hop and drum ’n’ bass infused track “Machine Elf.” The blueprint of the song was inspired by the full-bodied distorted 808 kick drums that the hip-hop artist Ghostemane injects in his music. The band used a sample that their colleague Space Jesus sent them (that he obtained from Yheti), added distortion in Ableton and dropped it into one of their samplers. The band cites the track “Ultrasonic Sound” by Hive as an influence on the heavy outro of the song, a track from the 90s that features some Bad Brains guitar samples (you may recognize it from the Matrix Soundtrack). The textures and the build are reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails and Portishead while the lyrics tackle modern-day conundrums of smartphones and ego death. The track also features Chuck Morris of Lotus on percussion.