{"title":"Actress","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"wdnt004","title":"Actress - Silver Cloud","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934137184415,"sku":"WDNT004X","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/silver-cloud-main.jpg?v=1736247132"},{"product_id":"wdnt006","title":"Actress - Ghettoville","description":"\u003cp\u003eGhettoville is the bleached out and black tinted conclusion of the Actress image.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhere the demands of writing caught the artist slumped and reclined, devoid of any soul, acutely aware of the simulated prism that required breakout.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eFour albums in and the notes and compositions no longer contain decipherable language.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe scripts now carry tears, the world has returned to a flattened state, and out through that window, the birds look back into the cage they once inhabited.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSpitting flames behind a white wall of silence.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe machines have turned to stone, data reads like an obituary to its user.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eA fix is no longer a release, it's a brittle curse. Zero satisfaction, no teeth, pseudo artists running rampant, but the path continues.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eR.I.P Music 2014.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eActress\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934137249951,"sku":"WDNTCD006","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3xLP","offer_id":44934137282719,"sku":"WDNT006","price":29.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Deluxe Boxset","offer_id":44934137315487,"sku":"WDNT006X","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/ghettoville-main.jpg?v=1736247131"},{"product_id":"wdnt009","title":"Actress - Grey Over Blue","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"180g Heavyweight \"Black Label\" 12\" vinyl","offer_id":44934137381023,"sku":"WDNT009","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/grey-over-blue-main.jpg?v=1736247130"},{"product_id":"wdnt012","title":"Actress - Xoul EP","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934137413791,"sku":"WDNT012","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/xoul-ep-main.jpg?v=1736247129"},{"product_id":"zen12468","title":"Actress x London Contemporary Orchestra - Audio Track 5","description":"\u003cp\u003eProducer Darren Cunningham aka Actress, joined by the London Contemporary Orchestra, premiere new material as well as expanded arrangements of their dark and brooding electronica. Showcased last year at The Barbican Centre London and Strelka Institute Moscow and in conjunction with Boiler Room this 12” release named simply ‘Audio Track 5’ serves as an introduction to a larger body which will be released on Ninja Tune and Boiler Room TV as both a Long Player and performance piece in Autumn 2017.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver a decade of releases Cunningham has built a reputation as a fine creator of cerebral abstract techno, or R\u0026amp;B concrète, crafting pulsing kickdrums, jittering percussion and chopped sample loops into churning, rumbling tracks soaked in static. But he has also been on record saying he wants to make ‘classical stuff for a modern generation’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this new collaboration, commissioned and curated by Boiler Room and the London Contemporary Orchestra with support from Arts Council England, the London Contemporary Orchestra bring a new dimension to Cunningham’s choice of sounds. With the producer in effect using them as a new instrument, matching his electronic loops with precise manipulation of their acoustic instruments, together they form a heightened kind of chamber music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934141477023,"sku":"ZEN12468","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/audio-track-5-main.jpg?v=1736247046"},{"product_id":"zen241","title":"Actress - AZD","description":"\u003cp\u003eActress, real name Darren Jordan Cunningham, known to friends as DAZ, returns with a new album, now on Ninja Tune and a new music system called “AZD” (pronounced “Azid”), a chrome aspect journey into a parallel world. An artist who has always preferred to make music than to talk about it, in “AZD” he has achieved another remarkable landmark, one which is as resistant to interpretation as it is demanding of it. Following on from his previous albums, R.I.P, Splazsh and Hazyville, an epilogue poem attached to the press release for Ghettoville was construed by media, commentators and spectators that Cunningham had retired. This led him to conceptualise this mass of conclusion as the key to ‘Giving power back to identity.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo a few pointers, or possible ways to think about “AZD”. The album is themed around chrome – both as a reflective surface to see the self in, and as something that carves luminous voids out of any colour and fine focuses white and black representing the perfect metaphor for the bleakness of life in the Metropolis as suggested by Anish Kapoors Cloud Gate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother way to approach would be through the art of James Hampton and Rammellzee (who inspired “CYN,” which Cunningham also sees as a vision of New York in reverse…) – both of whom, though of different generations of the African-American slave diaspora, created art through “Sourcing castaway materials from their environment and reinterprating them into absolute majesty given from the fourth dimension.” There is also the career-long influence of the Detroit techno pioneers, something which becomes clear on this album “there is a contrast in the type of glow or reflection”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlternatively, you could write your PhD thesis on Jung’s Shadow Theory and AZD: “Lots of ideas come from dreams, this isn’t new, but sometimes the conscious mind starts to meld into the universal consciousness through constellation tunnelling.” If that sounds too taxing then you could always fall back on Star Wars and, in particular, the Death Star: “It has a dark dystopian backdrop, with highly sophisticated technology, but it is fading into the ether, still holding on and emitting a powerful energy. The music remaking the embers, binding them together and pulling them apart again.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlternatively, just listen. That “glow” Cunningham talks about makes this in some ways more immediate than previous Actress releases. Take lead single, “X22RME” (pronounced “Extreme”) which elegantly plays between the lines of Oriental classic rave and Balinese warehouse Techno machined in a Rotherhithe lock up welding the grooves into a seamless cracked joint.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the other end of the spectrum is “Faure in Chrome,” a byproduct or development from his collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra, in which he “repatterns” aspect of Faure’s Requiem into a piece which sounds like the very institution of classical music being encased in electronic ice and scanned through a high frequency bandwidth. In between are gems like “Runner,” a personal re-soundtracking of Blade Runner “its from the deleted Fade Runner scene where AZD in a Peckham Cafe realises his barber has over the years etched a faded scroll into his head using early 80s African synthpop as a vexing serum“, or “Falling Rizlas,” an alienated music-box ballad. It’s a remarkable piece of work, that harks back both to Actress’ previous productions and to earlier iterations of the (broadly conceived) “techno” project without being beholden to anything but Cunningham’s forward-facing, individual and disembodied vision. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe simplest you could say about “AZD” is that it’s art – the unique creation of a unique mind. There will be few more distinctive, brilliant or visionary suites of music released in 2017. Call him what you will, this is the year that Darren ‘Daz’ Cunningham - aka Actress, aka AZD – asserts more clearly than ever before his complete independence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934145310879,"sku":"ZEN241","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LPX","offer_id":44934145343647,"sku":"ZEN241X","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934145376415,"sku":"ZENCD241","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/azd-main.jpg?v=1736246992"},{"product_id":"zen251","title":"Actress x London Contemporary Orchestra - LAGEOS","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the release of the ’Audio Track 5’ EP and live performances at the Strelka Institute (Moscow), Barbican Centre and Tate Tanks (London), electronic producer and musician Darren Cunningham AKA Actress and the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO) are to release a full album of their collaboration on Ninja Tune entitled ‘LAGEOS’. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally performed at the Barbican in February 2016, the project was curated by Boiler Room and LCO with support from Arts Council England and Ninja Tune. The music created a synergy between both live electronic and acoustic components, not just in the harmonies but in the way the traditional instruments were spliced into new hybrid instruments. As part of the process, Actress and LCO augmented traditional piano and created sounds from objects as varied as temple bowls and plastic bags. The show, a massive sell-out success, eventually lead to the release of this much anticipated album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the album, LCO recorded the individual instrumental parts as stems at Spitfire Studio then sent to Actress to manipulate, in turn delivering some truly unique new pieces. LCO also went on to reinterpret Actress classics ‘Hubble' and ’N.E.W' among others from his catalogue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In many ways the collaboration is about exploring an ambiguity of sound that sits between electronic and acoustic spaces; something that we’re aiming to push further as part of the live shows,” says the LCO’s Hugh Brunt of the collaboration. “For much of the set we look to realise as close as possible the timbres and colours of Actress’ electronics through acoustic means (which he in turn responds to); something of a physicalisation of those synthesised or sampled sounds. That has involved utilising various accessories: plastic bags (for white noise or to emulate an EQ’d hi-hat); keys; Blu-Tack (to dampen the piano’s upper strings); milk frothers on harp strings, etc.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project’s genesis was very much inspired by as well as performed at the mecca of brutalism – the Barbican Centre. Iannis Xenakis, a Greek composer and architect who would create buildings to fit his scores, and scores to fit his buildings was an inspiration, Actress and LCO took architectural layouts of the Barbican and created sounds directly inspired by its shapes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpeaking to DAZED, Actress said “In terms of the actual architecture, what I wanted to do was basically use the interior and exterior of the Barbican and the surrounding area and pick out all the shapes. So I try and integrate the shapes into the arrangement and then take that apart, like how certain filter envelopes on the drum machine react. I’ve always wanted to experiment on that level, like Iannis Xenakis. He's a proper don. For me the environment is important and the landscapes are important, so it seems wrong not to use these really cool shapes and feature that in the music.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver a decade of releases Actress has built a reputation as a fine creator of cerebral abstract techno or R\u0026amp;B concrète; crafting pulsing kickdrums, jittering percussion and chopped sample loops into churning, rumbling tracks soaked in static. His most recent studio album was 2017’s ‘AZD’, a chrome aspect journey into a parallel world. He has been on record saying he wants to make ‘classical stuff for a modern generation’, his first instrument as a child was the clarinet after all. One of the most prominent and singular voices in electronic music, in addition to his recorded work, Actress has been photographed by Wolfgang Tillmans, and the late celebrated photographer Lord Snowden. Other collaborative projects include White Cube artist Eddie Peake, Mehdi Lacoste, Dan Emmerson and Belgian visual artist Pierre Debusschere, as well as fronting campaigns for fashion brands Acne and Cav Empt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLondon Contemporary Orchestra is a leading, global, orchestral group focused on playing, commissioning and developing new music and artistic output. Alongside working with well-known artists, LCO focus on developing a diverse next generation of players, conductors and composers by creating opportunities for them to work at the highest professional level. Formed in 2008 by co-artistic Directors Robert Ames and Hugh Brunt, the LCO has collaborated with a wide array of musicians, artists, creative figures, platforms and venues such as: Radiohead, Frank Ocean, Jonny Greenwood, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Thom Yorke, Mica Levi, Actress, Beck, William Basinski, Secret Cinema, Vivienne Westwood, NTS, Boiler Room, DAZED, Resident Advisor, Meltdown Festival, The Barbican, Southbank Centre, The Roundhouse, Printworks, Tate Modern, BBC Proms etc.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934145704095,"sku":"ZEN251","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934145736863,"sku":"ZENCD251","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/lageos-main.jpg?v=1736246988"},{"product_id":"zendnl295","title":"Actress - LXXXVIII","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to ‘LXXXVIII’ – the ninth Actress album to be created by Actress (Darren Cunningham) and the very first presentation of Actress’ voyage into luxury sonics.\u2028A lifetime in the making, ‘LXXXVIII’ is the culmination of 25 years’ honing mind-shorting, soul-igniting audio infusions for dance floors, rave dens, festivals, and concert halls. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘LXXXVIII’ pays dividends to meditate on an instrumental facet of its creation: game theory. Indeed, deep strategic thinking – more readily associated with economics and chess than artistic practice – was fundamental to Actress’ process as ‘LXXXVIII’ was channelled into existence. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘LXXXVIII’ includes the recent avant-garde-influenced single “Push Power ( a 1 )”, a track which laid the groundwork for the coming album, acting as the first move in an intricate chess game. With each thoughtful move the game grows and develops over time - something we can hear reflected in the textured and delicate layers of the track. \"( a 1 ) - The first move\" comments Cunningham. Today he shares “Game Over ( e 1 )”, a new single from the album which signals the final, closing move. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor not only does chess reflect the precise physicality of the artist’s material interactions in his studio, it also illustrates the intricate and tactical, internal and aesthetic battles which brokered ‘LXXXVIII'’’s creation. Recently Darren challenged people to play a bullet round of chess against him online, which then led the opponent to a site that hosted a trailer of the forthcoming album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe release follows 2022’s mesmerising 'Dummy Corporation', which placed Actress firmly back in the centre of underground club culture. Prior to that his 2020 album ‘Karma \u0026amp; Desire’ — which saw guest collaborations from Mercury Prize winner Sampha, Zsela and Aura T-09 — was received to widespread acclaim, with The Guardian commenting the album “cements his place as one of the great poets of club culture”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving first premiered ‘LXXXVIII’s lead single “Push Power ( a 1 )” on the iconic IICON stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival, where he played straight after Four Tet, the album release also arrives off the back of a recent live performance at Field Day in London, one of his largest live shows this year in which he showcased ‘Grey Interiors’ - an A\/V project in collaboration with experimental creative studio Actual Objects who’ve worked with the likes of ShyGirl, Kali Uchis, LSDXOXO and have presented work at Coachella and 180 The Strand’s Futureshock exhibition. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934153928863,"sku":"ZEN295","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3xLP","offer_id":44934153961631,"sku":"ZEN295X","price":29.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934153994399,"sku":"ZENCD295","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":44934154027167,"sku":"ZENCAS295","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/files\/lxxxviii-2.jpg?v=1736246926"},{"product_id":"zendnls385r","title":"Kelis - Rumble (Actress Sixinium Bootleg Mix)","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934216843423,"sku":"ZEN12385","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/rumble-actress-sixinium-bootleg-mix-main.jpg?v=1736246534"},{"product_id":"zendnl271","title":"Actress - Karma \u0026 Desire","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter recent mixtape “88”, Actress reveals new album \"Karma \u0026amp; Desire\". ‘Walking Flames’ featuring Sampha is out now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Karma \u0026amp; Desire” includes guest collaborations from Sampha, Zsela and Aura T-09 and more. 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