By: Gracie Roberts

Santa Cruz-native Christian Bauhofer’s star has steadily been on the rise the past two years. Performing as Minnesota, Bauhofer has produced both original content and remixes that have exploded in popularity online—most notably his contest-winning remix of NiT GriT’s “Babylon,” and the inescapable Adele remix of “Rolling in the Deep” produced with MartyParty. Now a fixture in the Santa Cruz party scene, Bauhofer’s sound is heading in a brand new direction, and it’s taking him to a whole new level.

With his newest release on MalLabel Music, Ancient Machines, Minnesota shows his true level of talent and capability to produce quality, original beats. Although comprised of only three tracks, Ancient Machines is jam-packed with sound, mixing bold synth lines with floor-shaking bass.

The EP opener, “Breathe”, is a musical gem loaded with Minnesota’s authentic sound. An immense crescendo flows through most of the track, resulting in a thundering boom of bass in its climax.

The follow-up track, “Living Together,” is a great example of Bauhofer’s canny ability to produce a glitch hop sound that is both beautiful and provocative. Vocal samples seemingly taken from a hip-hop track blend with intricate synth arpeggios to create an undeniable harmony. Within this somewhat unlikely musical blend is the essence of Minnesota’s signature style.

The closing track “Hold Up” completes this compact EP with a danceable, yet chilled-out beat. Hand claps sound over the deep synth melody to start bodies in motion and keep them rocking.

After listening to Ancient Machines, one might wonder how Minnesota has only been in production for two years. Surely, this young talent has much in store for him, with more EPs coming out on MalLabel and Simplify Records in the coming future. Ancient Machines is an impressive beginning to Minnesota’s musical career and will undoubtedly take him far into the bass music culture.