Honing his craft among London’s renowned Fabric scene, producer Daniel Avery has distilled classic club influences like big beat, acid house, and IDM into a wholly heady, hypnotizing soundscape. While his 2013 debut album, Drone Logic — a futuristic slip and slide through squelchy acid synths and slippery techno rhythms — never quite lets up, his follow-up Song for Alpha, due out April 6, is like the long-awaited exhale. Throughout, Avery explores that nebulous space where after-midnight euphoria melts into vivid, often haunting, dream worlds.
The album’s first single, “Slow Fade” eases you into that subconscious shift. A lonely loop spins then fades, then re-emerges, as scattered beats spread across a dark ambient landscape. The track simultaneously swells and unspools, stimulates and soothes. Aphex Twin’s airiest, ghostliest experiments are an obvious inspiration; in fact, the synths sparkle so pristinely they sound practically alien. Still, their dynamic movement feels familiar, even organic, as if translating earth’s own unique vibrations.
For the corresponding video, which you can watch below, Avery recruited London designers Flat-e, stating to The Fader: “The thing I admire about Flat-e is that they recognize the beauty in mystery. They create worlds into which you can fall with your eyes closed.” It’s an evocative description that could very well suit his own sonic sculptures.
Be sure to check out Avery when he lands in Seattle on Wednesday, March 28 to perform at Kremwerk. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter for more news and updates.
Finding good new music can be a full time job, so let KEXP help! In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery.
Host Emily Fox and KEXP’s editorial team talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
