The Smoke Clears is a project from Irish producer John Daly which debuted back in late 2013 with the album. Clear, for Seattle outpost Further Records. Better known for his house releases, this second album from Daly as The Smoke Clears sees him explore an ambient/downtempo approach that is every bit as impressive as his dancefloor material. The timing and look of the release has been perfectly planned; All City has scheduled it for mid-September, a period when the summer starts to give way to autumn. Fittingly, the cover features a brown forest set against a dusky sky.
The Irish producer’s side-project will release a second LP on Dublin label All City.
Irish producer John Daly will release a new album under The Smoke Clears name via Seattle label Further Records next month.
Jacob Korn again brings the fruits of his audio-visual experiments to bear on Panorama Bar Steffi’s label. Korn, who is an artist in residence at Dresden’s Tranmsedia Lab, focuses his work there on the interaction between the audience and the performer, and as “Sundaysun” shows, the results are characterised by contrasts. This is especially audible on the title track, where heavy, raw beats provide the backing for airy, floaty melodies and epic string sequences. The unpredictable nature of the interaction means that midway through, “Sundaysun” morphs into an acid-heavy workout, before the symphonic strings kick back in.
“Sand” follows a similarly contrasting approach: heavy drums are joined by thundering claps, yet the overall feeling is mellow and laid back, thanks to a trippy, filtered melody. The remixes are also based on diversity: Klakson’s Dexter’s version of “Sundaysun” is more uptempo and rolling than the original, but the atmospheric chords and synth stabs mean melodies remain a priority. That he manages to balance these elements with grinding bass licks says a lot about the Dutch producer’s talents. Irish producer John Daly – he of the Big Piano and Big Organ – also delivers on the challenge of uniting diverse elements and his take on “Sundaysun”, although lighter than Dexter’s, features warbling acid lines underpinning spacey, dreamy chords.
Review by Richard Brophy