Chris Clark a.k.a. Clark — a regular fixture in the Warp Records catalog — has been releasing gorgeous and abrasive electronic records for more than 10 years. On earlier albums like Body Riddle, the Aphex Twin influence was unmistakable, but since then Clark has found a driving, euphoric style for himself that still sounds like classic Warp. Now, the English musician has announced his eighth full-length, Clark, which has been described in a recent press release as a “chiseled vision of techno contextualized for a post-rave environment.” Well, hopefully it’ll be more fun than that.
According to the artist, “It straddles this fine line of being ultimate bliss and sadness at the same time,” which I guess is how Clark felt when he heard Richard D. James would be releasing Syro one month before Clark. Ultimate bliss that he’d be able to hear brand-new Aphex material for the first time in 13 years, ultimate sadness that Clark will probably not get the attention it deserves. Perhaps in our “post-rave environment,” we need more marketing and myth-making to get our restless eyes on something for more than a few moments. Clark has never been a PR mastermind, though; he quietly releases a record, they find a small but devout following, and then he presses on with his work. In that spirit, have a listen to lead single “Unfurla,” a brittle techno piece with arpeggiated synths and a breakout piano refrain. I think Berlin may have rubbed off on him a bit. Clark drops on November 3, wrapping up an excellent year for Warp (and hopefully Clark too… you did good, buddy).
Clark tracklist:
01. Ship Is Flooding
02. Winter Linn
03. Unfurla
04. Strength through Fragility
05. Sodium Trimmers
06. Banjo
07. Snowbird
08. The Grit in the Pearl
09. Beacon
10. Petroleum Tinged
11. Silvered Iris
12. There’s a Distance in You
13. Everlane
• Clark: http://throttleclark.com
• Warp: http://warp.net