Thursday, April 21, 2016

Dave Douglas - Dark Territory (2016)


Source & Label: Greenleaf Records


“Dark Territory follows up on this area of risk, going into new, as yet unexplored musical spaces. The title was suggested by the writer Fred Kaplan, whose new book Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, talks about the similarly mysterious, murky waters of underground activity. In a way, we’re playing through a similar territory without rules where the dangers and challenges of technology are much greater than normal. I love that Zach, Jon, and Mark are so willing to go that place!”  Dave Douglas


With the 2015 release of High Risk, Dave Douglas, Shigeto, Jonathan Maron, and Mark Guiliana proved they could produce an album where avant-jazz and electronic music met in a spacey atmospheric middle ground, delivering something new in the world of genre. Melding traditional instrumentation and modern electronic music production challenges the ideals of both the traditional term “jazz” as well as the modern term “electronic music.” Pitchfork described it as, “Simultaneously chill and surprising, it’s the sound of a group discovering a valid language, and then proceeding to push the limits of that new aesthetic.”

Dark Territory features a new set of music that is being released on Limited Edition 12″ 180 Gram vinyl as a Special Release for Record Store Day 2016! The digital audio is also available directly from Greenleaf Music via Bandcamp. Order yours today!

Tracked in the same set of sessions as High Risk, Dark Territory was recorded once again by Geoff Countryman at The Bunker in Brooklyn, NY in October 2014, with mixing by Steve Wall, mastering by Mark Wilder and production by Dave Douglas.

As Douglas notes, “Dark Territory follows up on this area of risk, going into new, as yet unexplored musical spaces. The title was suggested by the writer Fred Kaplan, whose new book Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, talks about the similarly mysterious, murky waters of underground activity. In a way, we’re playing through a similar territory without rules where the dangers and challenges of technology are much greater than normal. I love that Zach, Jon, and Mark are so willing to go that place!”

The four musicians who make up High Risk come from multifaceted-genre backgrounds. Thus, the jazz/electronic divide is somewhat blurred. PopMatters observed, “Where one influence ends and another one begins is a mystery, and that’s what will guarantee High Risk‘s status as a wholly unique album. With any justice, it will also serve as a template for future electro-jazz.” All About Jazz described the original album, “Voluminous soundscapes and swelling patterns like oceanic waves find Douglas’ blustery and sensitive horn flowing within the band’s shifting and sonically rich program of beats, noises, thoughtful music, and creative embellishments.” Furthermore, Stereophile remarked, “It is a high-wire act, a ‘high risk,’ to be out there, so starkly exposed… there’s a serrated groove to this music, even a lyricism and the blues.”


1. Celine 06:43
2. All The Pretty Horsepower 07:02
3. Let's Get One Thing Straight 05:50
4. Mission Acropolis 05:28
5. Ridge Hill 03:55
6. Neural 04:51
7. Loom Large 06:20
   

 
Dave Douglas - trumpet
Shigeto - electronics
Jonathan Maron - bass
Mark Guiliana - drums