The term “bodied” is used in gamer circles to refer to getting utterly destroyed, when the player’s body simply takes a beating. Producer Ital Tek has been spending a lot of time in this world, composing music for Laser League, a multiplayer arcade deathmatch; so it’s fitting that the experience should rub off somewhat for his new album work.
But his solo material couldn’t be further from his recent gig. While its title shows gaming culture’s influence, the video for the first single “Blood Rain” is the antithesis of masculine belligerence. Directed by Adam Chitayat, a pair of cavorting dancers accompany Ital Tek’s dark vision. Points (real-world points, not video game ones) for shooting on film and for the in-camera mirror effects.
Once again releasing on Planet Mu, Bodied digs deeper into the sounds of Ital Tek’s prior work, the brilliant Hollowed, which means there’s not going to be a single disappointed soul out there. The brutalized X, itself a symbol of death, by Ella McCartney, graces the cover.
Get murked September 7.
Bodied tracklisting:
01. Adrift
02. Become Real
03. Cipher
04. Lithic
05. Isolation Waves
06. Vanta
07. Across Time
08. Hymnal
09. Blood Rain
10. Prima
11. Fragility
12. Bodied
13. The Circle Is Complete