Clark “Unfurla”

07 Oct 2014 — Dave Power

I was first introduced to Clark in 2006 when I checked out Body Riddle from my local library. I was drawn to the cover and thought it was worth a shot. I’ve been into electronic music for a long time now and can sometimes guess by an album cover when an album consists of some variation of electronic music: intense new IDM, mesmerizing new minimal/ambient, or ecstasy-inducing EDM. In this case I was right, having found myself in the temporary possession of an amazing new IDM album. Sort of. IDM stands for “intelligent dance music” and the term has no real meaning anymore, if it ever did. In interviews Clark has said that the term doesn’t make much sense to him and has always thought of his music as techno. I listened to Body Riddle obsessively in 2006 and have since procured every one of his releases. About three weeks ago he released “Unfurla” and will be releasing his eighth full-length, self-titled Clark, on November 3rd.

“Unfurla” is thrust off of the starting line with an aggressive pulsing kick pattern and a frantic synth line. The throbbing beat and unapologetically persistent melody gives way to heavily reverbed piano for a matter of seconds only to spiral back into the same groove, most likely having drawn at least a small amount of influence from Aphex Twin (but what modern electronic musician hasn’t?) Near the middle of the track a deep reverberating synth bass echoes like a choir of Hans Zimmer-style french horns, trombones and tubas, gradually decaying after every burst. “Unfurla” is a relentless dance track, built and composed for the most exclusive of sweaty clubs. If it's any indication of what the new album will sound like, it will be the most dancehall/“techno” of all of his releases, possibly my personal favorite. On the Soundcloud page for the track Clark writes, “Music is like sculpture. It’s like trying to capture a moment of ultimate momentum, and distill it forever.”

Clark will be released on Warp Records on November 3.