After a quarter century, Danny Daze has emerged with his debut album, ::BLUE::, an ambitious reflection of his journey through the heart of Miami's electronic scene and a bold reimagining of what an electronic album can be. Each track is a chapter in a grand narrative that he has been writing since his days as a breakdancer and underground DJ, with each beat and melody meticulously crafted to challenge, captivate, and transport the listener into Daze's expansive palette, traversing the boundaries of IDM, techno, and the back alleys of the known (and unknown) auditory universe. On February 2, Danny Daze returns to Bucharest as JETLAGGED brings the Miami master to Control Club. He will play along techno headz and friends of Black Rhino Jijian and Borusiade.
With a deliberate focus on sound design, ::BLUE:: invites audiences to immerse themselves in an uninterrupted auditory journey. Drawing inspiration from a vast world of messages and music—Roni Size & Reprazent's New Forms and Phoenecia's Brownout, among them—this concept piece positions itself above the stratosphere of conventional electronic albums, periodically zooming in to reveal the microscopic details of Daze's expansive sonic milieu. The album's conception, a laborious endeavor stretching over two years, involved distilling around 100 initial ideas into 19 tracks. Danny Daze suggests experiencing the album with a high-quality sound system, with your eyes closed or even blindfolded, to fully plunge into the immersive world he has crafted. Additionally, the album's companion planetarium audio-visual show offers an 8K, three-dimensional, and full 180-degree spectacle. This visual journey begins with basic elements and progressively evolves into a complex and captivating experience, leaving you in awe and wondering, 'Where am I? How did we arrive at this extraordinary place?'"
Through a symphony of rhythm, abstraction, and ambiance, ::BLUE:: bends and twists through genre, morphing washy ambiance into booming bass and horizontally-skewed experimental IDM. The album also proves Daze's innate ability to absorb and reinterpret the bass-heavy electro sounds of Flordida's clubs, seamlessly weaving them with innovative flips by local artists like Phoenecia, Dino Felipe, and Otto von Schirach. Here, Daze applies his seasoned DJ experience to blend the pieces into a cohesive, uninterrupted whole, from pulsating rhythms to haunting echoes.
::BLUE:: kicks off with the spasmodic automations of Tone Ring. Tracks like Exosphere and Lass Los tantalize with slowed arpeggios and submerged harps build tension before the abrupt shift to 123, an ethereal transition from reality to a hallucinogenic realm. Things take an audacious turn with 福島 (Fukushima), and Communication, tracks that demand attention with their commanding bass and robotic articulation. Nobot Nobot emerges as the album's most jarring piece; its unsettling vocal samples a stark contrast to the buoyant, pixelated synths on Time Lapse and the contemplative brevity of Void, which closes the album with a profound meditation on the balance between self and time. Yet, amidst this kaleidoscopic array of sounds, tracks like first single Silver Box and Entity weave the collaborative spirit of Miami, featuring local talents and infusing ::BLUE:: with a sense of community and shared artistic endeavor.
As ::BLUE:: prepares to captivate audiences worldwide, it is a monumental achievement in Daze's career. It's an immersive journey, a Miami manifesto, and a declaration that this city and artists are not just participants but pioneers in the world of sound and rhythm.
