Name: Cracks
Brand: Eomac

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ZIQ426

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Colour

Orange

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2021-04-16

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5055869565912

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / orange

Artist

Eomac

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Planet Mu

Artist, composer, producer, DJ and label owner of Eotrax. Eomac is a multi-talented artist who has made a significant impact on the electronic music scene. With his unique blend of experimental soundscapes and hard-hitting beats, he has carved out a niche for himself in the industry.

Eomac draws inspiration from a diverse range of genres and artists including Lakker, Karenn, Blawan, Rrose, Ancient Methods, SHXCXCHCXSH, Stanislav Tolkachev, Restive Plaggona, Oake, SØS Gunver Ryberg and many more. His music reflects this eclectic taste by incorporating elements from various styles to create something truly original.

As the founder of Eotrax label, Eomac has not only established himself as an accomplished musician but also as a curator of cutting-edge electronic music. Through his label's releases and events he continues to push boundaries and support emerging talent within the industry.

Planet Mu is an independent music label that was founded in 1995 by Mike Paradinas. Originally starting as an imprint on Virgin, the label was created to release music from artists like µ-Ziq and others who shared a similar style. However, due to Virgin's lack of success in marketing this type of music, Mike Paradinas decided to establish Planet Mu as an independent label in 1998. It is at this point that the catalog numbers for releases under the name *ZIQ* began.

Ian McDonnell is an Irish producer living in Wicklow near Dublin. Alongside his solo releases as Eomac he's also one half of the duos Lakker, noeverything and Lena Andersson. Cracks represents a change of scenery and a change of practice from his previous two albums which were both conceptualised from the outset and recorded while living in Berlin. In contrast Cracks was made in a beautiful rural part of Ireland without any outside pressure. These circumstances allowed Ian to wipe the slate clean and make an album guided by his mood on any particular day, connecting into the subtle power of his new environment and reflecting it, rather than working to please the suffocating demands of clublife. The title Cracks comes from the idea that, to quote Leonard Cohen, a crack is "how the light gets in", but also of course it's a title that bears witness to the cracks fomenting in the world right now. The music comes across with depth and passion, sounding deep and mossy with Eomac's penchant for punchy, shuffling drums underpinning the emotive tracks. From the off, the furious 'Mandate For Murder' flips and repeats Akala's protest about systemic racism, rushing deep into the panicked sirens of 'Portuguese Man O' War'. The album settles into a sense of mystery, wildness and dark otherworldliness with the foggy drone and timber kick of 'Ancient Self' reflecting the awe and spiritual connections to his new environment, much like the gorgeous strings and aqueous bleeps of 'Seashells' or the pitch-shifted shoegaze of 'Prophetess'. At other points it responds to the human condition, for instance the cathartic 'Falling Through the Cracks' where a broken scream is pitted against clattering drums. At other moments it simply reaches out; 'Reasons to Live's' whispered mantra of "I know you are loved by somebody" is gently insistent. It ends with a reference to a place he's left behind, seen through the lens of nature. 'All the Rabbits in the Tiergarten' could be a missing track from Aphex's Ambient Works, albeit with cut-up scissoring drums. The album is a fruitful move, inwards and forwards.

Cracks

Music GB