Unknown

Unknown is, as his name suggests, an elusive one. We managed to get a few sneaky questions his direction ahead of his set on the Red Bull Music Academy Stage at Longitude next weekend.

RB: How would you describe your music in 3 words?

DJU: Late night moodiness

What is the process by which you go about putting a song together?

A lot of the time I start with the drums, they are usually my favourite part of producing a track. Though sometimes tracks begin with a musical idea or a vocal sample, just depends what catches my ear at the time. Inspiration for a tune can come from anywhere.
Do you prefer producing in a studio or playing live?

The live set is a lot of fun and it's amazing being able to play your own music to people, but I think producing is always going to be the backbone of the whole thing. That's how it all started and that's my serious passion - without it I wouldn't be doing any of this.

What are your plans for the rest of the summer? And the rest of the year?

Constantly make new music - I'm making more tracks with Gemma Dunleavy and hopefully a few other collaborations, as well as remixes. I'm playing some other festivals towards the end of summer too, and the plan after that is to organize a UK tour. There's also a remix ep on the way, but I won't say too much about that yet!

Apart from your good self, who would you recommend seeing at Longitude?

I think Kraftwerk goes without saying! Mmoths is one definitely worth seeing too, caught the live show recently enough and really enjoyed it. The addition of the live instruments makes a great difference.
- Red Bull Ireland

Unknown, an anonymous bass music producer, as is traditional. Also traditional is his/her use of static-drenched textures, muted, skipping drums and melancholic vocal samples across a series of Youtube clips. But, like Gohan’s fresh, diligent approach to sound design-leaning techno which was also premiered today, Unknown brings an element of classicism and craft to these much-heard tropes, creating something extraordinarily well-composed and fully realised. The latest of this, evocatively titled #008, premieres below. “As regards to what I have coming up, there is something”, the musician wrote over email. “But that’s all I can say right now.” - Dummy Magazine

Though a producer called Unknown has appeared on XLR8R numerous times in the past, word has it that the artist featured here is not the same one who dropped a remix for Winchester's Tanka or this version of Korallreven's "Sa Sa Samoa." But a press release has informed us that this particular Unknown "still remains unknown, a person with a Hotmail account and a Youtube channel," before going on about the "hype" and "speculation" apparently surrounding the unidentified artist's mysterious persona (even going so far as bringing names like Burial, Four Tet, and Skrillex into the realm of possibility). Gratuitous mythos and hyperbole aside, "#010" holds up its end of the bargain by delivering hypnotizing vibes that wander from understated bass music and into jazzy territory. The sparse piano keys and lazy drum hits are perfectly capable of carrying out Unknown's express purpose—to "let the music speak for itself"—if only the artist's media campaign would actually let it. After grabbing the tune, keep an eye out for the producer's upcoming four-track EP, aptly titled #001-#004 (artwork above), when it drops via Champion Sound on November 19. If you can't wait that long, we've got a stream of the music for you after the jump. - XL8R

It's been quite some time since we've last heard from NFOP regular Unknown. Since his last appearance here, he's been steadily readying the release of his debut EP, and as a result we've been rewarded with an equally enigmatic music video for the heavy intro track "Blame". It's a slow, metamorphic animation inspiring thoughts of space and interplanetary travel. Created by Belfast-based visual artist Oisin DSNT, it's an incredibly dark journey when accompanied by Unknown's signature slow, sub-bass sounds. - No Fear of Pop

The past month or so has seen enigmatic producer Unknown pick up fans at Pitchfork and SPIN ahead of the release of EP "I Cry" , which dropped this past Friday (August 2nd) via Champion Sound Music.
The hype is now building around him, and I can see why! You can now check out the audio-visual for "Blame" right here! - Its All Indie

Bass music often thrives on a sense of mystery.

Whether that's spiritual (the vagaries of Rastafarianism) or the physical (the rise of the anonymous producer) there's go getting away from the fact that bass can both provide and withdraw identity.

Unknown is, well, unknown. Aside from a tie up with ever-vital imprint Champion Sound, the producer's identity remains as little more than a listing on several download sites.

Which, of course, allows the music to speak for itself. New cut 'Blame' has a dark, languid, aquatic atmosphere, with the infinite expanses of the echo chamber explored against a fractured sense of half-step.

Dublin-born newcomer Gemma Dunleavy supplies a gorgeous vocal, which Unknown pushes and pulls into different shapes. There's an intensity here, a pressure which seems to push and pull between vocals and instrumental.

The video for the track throws the music into outer space, with a curious sci-fi feel.

Watch it now.
- Clash Magazine

Bass music often thrives on a sense of mystery.

Whether that's spiritual (the vagaries of Rastafarianism) or the physical (the rise of the anonymous producer) there's go getting away from the fact that bass can both provide and withdraw identity.

Unknown is, well, unknown. Aside from a tie up with ever-vital imprint Champion Sound, the producer's identity remains as little more than a listing on several download sites.

Which, of course, allows the music to speak for itself. New cut 'Blame' has a dark, languid, aquatic atmosphere, with the infinite expanses of the echo chamber explored against a fractured sense of half-step.

Dublin-born newcomer Gemma Dunleavy supplies a gorgeous vocal, which Unknown pushes and pulls into different shapes. There's an intensity here, a pressure which seems to push and pull between vocals and instrumental.

The video for the track throws the music into outer space, with a curious sci-fi feel.

Watch it now.
- Clash Magazine

Back in May, we posted a track from unknown (haha) producer Unknown, "I Cry", featuring vocals from Gemma Dunleavy. His latest EP, which shares its title with that previous song, will drop digitally in the end of July via Champion Sound (it's out on vinyl now); here's another downcast slice of bass from that release. - Pitchfork Media

So what do we have here? Just another mysterious/anonymous/spooky Soundcloud DJ? Well, not quite. Yes on the mysterious part but our man Unknown is actually quite good. So good that music website Pitchfork Media debuted his/her/its new Paris 3 A.M. as if it were underwater track “I Cry” today. You can give “I Cry” a spin below. - Blah Blah Blah Science

Northern Irish producer Unknown is well named, but only because his true identity has been successfully protected thus far. The man's work is turning heads while churning the rumor mill. Everyone from La Roux to Skrillex has been proposed as the true source of these post-dubstep soundscapes, but if Sonny Moore were the culprit, we're pretty sure Ellie Goulding wouldn't be publicly asking after this particular mystery (via Twitter). The enigmatic beatsmith leaked out a series of numbered tracks last year, "#001" to "#010," but is making things official in 2013 with the I Cry EP, coming soon via Champion Sound.

Above you'll find the titular track — featuring Dublin's Gemma Dunleavy — and its accompanying video. The clip was shot in a Belfast forest, and features all the lush scenery you'd expect ... and then some. In the midst of all that nature, strange geometric forms appear and rearrange themselves in incongruously organic ways. Meanwhile, the spacious track delivers rich tones, snapping rhythms, and soulful vocals. Don't cry, Dunleavy — can't you see how much beauty there is in this world video?
- Spin

That isn't a metadata error up there-- this producer is actually called Unknown, which brings the anonymous-producer trend to some sort of blinding apex. Featuring a distant vocal take from Liverpool singer Gemma Dunleavy, this moody, overcast bass tune is the title track to Unknown's new EP, which sees release near the end of June via Champion Sound (it'll be out digitally in July). It also features a remix of the song by Ejeca. - Pitchfork Media