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12"
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MONKEY 075EP
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Matt Benyayer and Tom Edwards, aka Dark Sky, follow up the release of their second album Othona (MONKEY 074CD/LP) with a new single. "The Passenger" beautifully encapsulates the vibe of Othona, creating a deep and emotive atmosphere while maintaining a pounding techno undercurrent. It is accompanied by Roman Flügel's remix of album track "The Walker". Flügel pushes the track just a little bit more to the front, gently adding some extra bliss to an absolutely vibrant effect. A dreamy yet high-energy live version of "Angels" shows what these guys are capable of in their live sets.
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12"
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MONKEY 073EP
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To mark the release of their sophomore album Othona (MONKEY 074CD/LP), Dark Sky present a pair of remixes of their latest tracks. Brace yourself for a double treat of raw dancefloor virtuosity via Miami and Munich. Omnidisc label head Danny Daze takes on the atmospheric march of "The Walker", creating an eerie and intensely long build-up that eventually gives way to a slamming yet ethereal EBM finish. Next up are Munich's techno overlords the Zenker Brothers. They infuse "Kilter" with some genuine breakbeat magic and hard-hitting industrial vibes while brilliantly reinventing the original track's melodic themes. Spot-on.
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2LP
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MONKEY 074LP
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Double LP version. Dark Sky represent progression. The London duo have never settled for a specific sound nor dwelled in a single niche too long. What's striking about all their releases is their passionate love for all kinds of electronic music, not exclusively dancefloor related. This is no different with Othona, the second album from Dark Sky on Monkeytown. Across nine tracks, Matt Benyayer and Tom Edwards manage to reinvent themselves once more by merging contemporary techno, classic electronica, and their roots in British bass music into a touching and thrilling whole. With releases on Black Acre, 50Weapons, Tectonic, and Mister Saturday Night, Dark Sky have proved their versatility. There's the vibrant deep house of In Brackets (2013), the colorful two-step and breakbeat excursions on Black Rainbows (ACRE 033EP, 2012) and the vocal-laden melancholia of imagin (MONKEY 048CD/LP, 2014). Othona picks up on the sound of their 2014 debut and tweaks it just in the right spots. Matt and Tom left vocals off altogether and left the intriguing melodies, shape-shifting rhythms, and heavy bass do all the dramatic work. A large part of Othona is the result of Dark Sky's touring experience. Years of putting together their live sets encouraged them to focus on hardware instruments and samplers, preferring a more hands-on approach to computer screens. The album is also heavily inspired by photos and field recordings they took of isolated structures within different landscapes. One particular location which caught their attention was Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, which is based on an ancient Roman fort called Othona. Othona is always challenging and never takes the easy route, but its tracks constantly reveal the purest form of beauty. The title track opens the album and gently introduces its musical range with emotive pads, elaborate beat programming, and subtle club signifiers, which steadily develops into the epic mid-tempo trance of "Domes". The slightly nostalgic synth melodies and cute bleeps of "Badd" bring to mind classic Aphex, which is never a bad thing, while "The Walker" channels ubiquitous melancholy into a standout moment of euphoria. Dark Sky are never short of emotional elements, but they know very well where to put them. Just listen to closing track "Field Tower", giving the kick drum its final overwhelming appearance - no doubt that this is going to be a highlight in their new live set.
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12"
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MONKEY 072EP
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The London duo Dark Sky return with two highly effective techno tracks featuring dark and roaring basslines at the center. "Kilter" is a rhythm-driven club anthem, featuring a sweeping bassline that nods to classic Dark Sky. "Acacia" opens with ethereal synth pads before giving way to an onslaught of low-end goodness before slowly revealing building percussion which finally climaxes in all its thumping glory. Dark Sky's first release since Voyages (2015) may in parts seem like quite a functional affair, but it is only a tiny glimpse at what their forthcoming album Othona (MONKEY 074CD/LP) has in store.
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CD
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MONKEY 074CD
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Dark Sky represent progression. The London duo have never settled for a specific sound nor dwelled in a single niche too long. What's striking about all their releases is their passionate love for all kinds of electronic music, not exclusively dancefloor related. This is no different with Othona, the second album from Dark Sky on Monkeytown. Across nine tracks, Matt Benyayer and Tom Edwards manage to reinvent themselves once more by merging contemporary techno, classic electronica, and their roots in British bass music into a touching and thrilling whole. With releases on Black Acre, 50Weapons, Tectonic, and Mister Saturday Night, Dark Sky have proved their versatility. There's the vibrant deep house of In Brackets (2013), the colorful two-step and breakbeat excursions on Black Rainbows (ACRE 033EP, 2012) and the vocal-laden melancholia of imagin (MONKEY 048CD/LP, 2014). Othona picks up on the sound of their 2014 debut and tweaks it just in the right spots. Matt and Tom left vocals off altogether and left the intriguing melodies, shape-shifting rhythms, and heavy bass do all the dramatic work. A large part of Othona is the result of Dark Sky's touring experience. Years of putting together their live sets encouraged them to focus on hardware instruments and samplers, preferring a more hands-on approach to computer screens. The album is also heavily inspired by photos and field recordings they took of isolated structures within different landscapes. One particular location which caught their attention was Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, which is based on an ancient Roman fort called Othona. Othona is always challenging and never takes the easy route, but its tracks constantly reveal the purest form of beauty. The title track opens the album and gently introduces its musical range with emotive pads, elaborate beat programming, and subtle club signifiers, which steadily develops into the epic mid-tempo trance of "Domes". The slightly nostalgic synth melodies and cute bleeps of "Badd" bring to mind classic Aphex, which is never a bad thing, while "The Walker" channels ubiquitous melancholy into a standout moment of euphoria. Dark Sky are never short of emotional elements, but they know very well where to put them. Just listen to closing track "Field Tower", giving the kick drum its final overwhelming appearance - no doubt that this is going to be a highlight in their new live set.
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12"
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MONKEY 055EP
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A two-headed monster of straight 4x4 club music, each side rendering Dark Sky's sounds into something entirely different. Fellow Londoner Francis Inferno Orchestra concentrates on the percussive motif of "Voyages," perverting its rattling structure into a frisky tribal house rhythm. On the flipside Redshape delivers a killer techno rework. His remix translates the central moody sci-fi theme of "Voyages" into a powerful bassline. The move proves perfect -- the fizzing bass synths drive the track into primetime material. It's no wonder the track has been dropped by some of the big BBC radio DJs. This is one to watch.
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12"
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MONKEY 051EP
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Dark Sky present their smoothest track yet with "Rainkist" for Monkeytown. The sheer genius of the bass line makes this a gem of a modern soul ballad and its melodic elegance gleams through the track like shining chrome. Hazy falsetto vocals make the song drip sweat and sex. The Trevino remix adds sci-fi synths and electro snares and claps and turns "Rainkist" into a captivating slow-burner, perfect for long build-ups. Marcel Dettman's slowly-evolving remix pitches the harmonies of the vocals and pairs them with a pumping sub-bass, extending the suspense-packed intro into a pumping techno track. Hotly-tipped to spearhead the year-end polls for best remixes in 2014.
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2LP
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MONKEY 048LP
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Gatefold double LP version on 180 gram vinyl.
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CD
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MONKEY 048CD
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The long-awaited debut LP from Dark Sky is not entirely what you might expect from the London trio. After a string of club-focused 12"s, they delve deep to deliver a tender and uplifting offering entitled imagin. To the sworn fan it may come as a surprise, but it will prove to be a pleasant one, as the evolution from the analog metallic sounds that shaped their past discography naturally mature and slide into the sound palette of imagin. Through heavy consumption of music from across the spectrum, the trio's work has refined, and clearly echoes their heritage as kids of the '90s, referencing numerous influences the decade processed -- the album bears traces of funk, post-rock, a thick layer of trip-hop, even Balearic house, bossa nova, disco, '80s pop and ambient. All of it heavily reverberated, stirred and shaken in Dark Sky's musical tumbler. The outcome is captivating. Littered with sophisticated percussion, soft and subtle marimbas fused with sci-fi synths, and tastefully-delivered vocals throughout. Grey Reverend features on the lead single "Silent Fall" to beautiful effect, with an outcome sitting somewhere between James Blake and Moderat. Elsewhere Cornelia (of Portico Quartet fame) delivers Elizabeth Fraser-like vocals on "Nothing Chances," "Vivid" and "Purple Clouds" providing a perfect soundtrack to the late summer. Long-standing Dark Sky fans will also be pleased to hear that there are more club-oriented tracks on there, too. "Odyssey"'s dark, spacey arpeggios and growling bass line reminds us of their seminal electro-roller "Confunktion," but comes delivered complete with euphoric, almost Balearic stabs and straight-stacked 4x4 hi-hats. "Rainkist" is a soul-laced dancefloor ballad featuring vocals from an unlikely source in the form of d-Bridge, with huge crossover potential, and "Manuka" finally brings back the breakbeat with its percussive Far East vibes that evoke Truth Hurts & Rakim's "Addictive," which fittingly sums up this album.
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12"
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MONKEY 047EP
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Dark Sky launch their debut LP with an EP featuring two killer tracks from the album entitled imagin (MONKEY 048CD/LP). On the A-side, "Silent Fall" features the soulful vocal stylings of Grey Reverend. The Brooklyn-based musician's vocals fused with Dark Sky's signature rolling bass and epic pads leaves the track in unchartered territory between James Blake and Moderat, to beautiful effect. On the B-side, "Odyssey" is a mean track, forged from shuffling dark electro with elements of Balearic house. A must-have track for every house, techno, electro and bass DJ.
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12"
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TEC 069EP
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Repressed; Tectonic welcomes Dark Sky to the fold with two killer tracks. "Confunktion" builds from a background of subtle atmospherics, rising slowly before eventually leaping out, ambush-style. Sculptured tech-bass sounds carve their way through the 130 bpm, 4/4 rhythmic backbone, building and dropping down before re-emerging again fuller, with emotive charge. "Double U" takes a more playful stance with rhythmic builds and mischievous intent -- bleeping, popping like a bongo drum full of electronic popping-corn. Pounding sub bass pulls everything together.
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2x12"
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ACRE 033EP
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Dark Sky return with a batch of advanced lazer-tech dancefloor smashers with a noir edge. The EP kicks of with "F-Technology," a heavy dissertation in Low-End Theory, with gravity-changing kicks, neck snap snares and a scattergun percussive workout. "Tremor" features tons of sub-tropic bass weight punctuated by skeletal yet booming drums. "Zoom" takes proceedings back into the seemingly familiar realms of future garage while "Totem" is the perfect post-rave salve.
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