Ital

Ital (aka Daniel Martin-McCormick) is Planet Mu's latest signing. If you weren't already aware, Mu has exceptional taste in new electronic artists, so it was with some excitement that the public and press received Dream On. But was that hype deserved? Well, for once, yes. Ital is of a rare breed; he's a producer that effortlessly imbues his productions with soul, verve and, most importantly in this age of faceless sub-wobble, personality. This is a frantic mix of Aphex Twin-esque esotericism and visceral, anthemic synth progressions that while being indebted to the UK rave music of the early '90s (and which wouldn't sound out of place at a Raindance rave) are also very distinctly his own. Ital has created a body of work that's as uncompromising as it is listenable, which is no mean feat. McCormick's past incarnations as the lead singer of DC Punk stalwarts Black Eyes and as avant dance producer Sex Worker go some way towards explaining the influences on Dream On. While he has evidently been boning up on his European minimal techno, his music avoids any of the clinical production that marks that particular genre. More excitingly, he incorporates industrial elements and obscure vocal snippets, utilised to great effect in tracks such as "What a Mess" and "Boi," giving the album an immersive feel. These are soundscapes rather than tracks.