Planet Mu’s promotional description of Ital’s upcoming album Hive Mind (due out February 13) begins as follows, “If you’ve heard Daniel Martin-McCormick’s name recently…” Well, I haven’t! In fact, as the title of this article suggests, I briefly thought that fellow Planet Mu signee iTAL tEK had finally chosen to renounce his affinity for haphazard capitalization and go with a more mature moniker. Obviously that’s not the case, but no matter! Having just sampled a few of his tracks, I can say with a degree of certainty that Ital’s brand of haunting and contorted dance music will serve his new label, as well as its associated audience, quite well.
Martin-McCormick’s curriculum vitae seems to epitomize musical bipolarity. Growing up in Washington, DC, he was actively involved in the city’s hardcore scene, at one point signing to the renowned Dischord Records with his band Black Eyes. More recently, as Sex Worker (note: not as one), he’s released LPs through the eminently Southern Californian label Not Not Fun. Both outfits are a remarkable departure in style from Martin-McCormick’s work as Ital, where the casual 4/4 structure of his songs is redeemed by swelling synths, delayed rhythms, and an occasionally ominous use of distorted vocal samples. I’m no expert, and we’ll see for sure when the album’s released, but it seems he made the right decision by pursuing this aspect of his musical repertoire.
Hive Mind tracklisting:
01. Doesn’t Matter (If You Love Him)
02. Floridian Void
03. Privacy Settings
04. Israel
05. First Wave
• Ital: http://www.planet.mu/artists/ital
• Planet Mu: http://www.planet.mu