Relaxer
Relaxer is the project of Daniel Martin-McCormick, fka Ital, member of Black Eyes, Cry and Gaze and co-founder of Dripping. Rooted in the US punk/noise underground of the late '90s and early 2000s, Martin-McCormick's music embodies a sensual, visceral edge that reflects and extends that legacy. His hardware live sets, honed over a decade of tours, are exhilarating, white knuckle rides, while his DJ sets fluidly cross genres and eras with a cathartic sense of urgency.
He's been a repeat performer at Berghain, De School, Unsound, Nowadays and many others. Productions on his first five self-titled EPs and albums "Concealer" (Planet Mu), "Coconut Grove" (Avenue 66) and "Hedonic Fatigue" (Climate of Fear) stretch out, weaving strands of wormhole techno, minimal, noise, UK hardcore continuum and fractured ambient into a rippling, mesmeric tapestry. More recent club-focused EPs "Licking" and "Candy" (Lovers Rock Recordings) sharpen the blade, amping up his music's animalistic snarl and erotic undertones. 2024's "Break" saw him working in drum n bass-techno hybrid form after a special live set was commissioned by NY dnb cult fav party Headznite. It was released by experimental fav 29 Speedway, with two remixes from DJ Marcelle. Alongside his club works there have been concerts of long form durational works featuring spoken word and richly spatialized sound design. These works were released in the Summer of 2022 as "Force Field: A Guide for the Perplexed" on Club Night Club. "In Softening Air," the follow up, is out on Lovers Rock Recordings.
Behind the scenes, Martin-McCormick has been a consistent force shaping the US underground. He is the co-founder of Dripping camping festival and NY-based event series. He was a key member of Sustain-Release from its inception and co-director from 2017-2021, founded the labels Lovers Rock Recordings & Climate of Fear, was one of the first residents at Bossa Nova Civic Club. He currently holds a residencies at The Lot Radio and Dripping.
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