Search - Daniel Givens :: Dayclear & First Dark

Daniel Givens is a poet, MC, DJ, photographer and producer living in New York, where he currently works at Other Music. This is his highly anticipated second full length (five years in the making!) Over the years, he?s performed in the U.S., Italy and Denmark with Antipop Consortium, Scanner, Tes, Mike Ladd, Efterklang, Urban Bush Women and all the Aesthetics artists. He?s DJ?d with tons of people, including Liquid Liquid, Tortoise, Prefuse 73, DJ Hell, Tricky, Telefon Tel Aviv, Gil Scott-Heron, Dub Syndicate, Goldie, Fourtet and Negroclash, just to name a few. In addition to this, he?s spoken to high school students about poetry, music, photography, designed sound for dance performances at Bric Studios, Long Island University?s Hear Theater & Brooklyn Arts Exchange, and recently recorded with Efterklang (Leaf) in Denmark. Prior to living in New York, Givens resided in Chicago. It was here that he organized his "Age Ensemble" which included guitarist Jeff Parker, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Josh Abrams and vocalists Glenda Baker & Seth Hisky. With these musicians and help from engineers Casey Rice (Liz Phair, Ben Lee, Tortoise) and Doug Scharin (Him, Rex, Codeine) Givens created Age and two EPs, which amazed and confused critics worldwide. Age was an extended mediation of post-rock, electronic and spoken word that received Album Of The Year in Italy?s highly prestigious Blow Up. Dayclear & First Dark is about being black, gay and American in the new millennium, living in New York pre- & post 9-11, coming to terms with a childhood friend killed by Jeffery Dahmer and finding a new home in the concrete jungle, combing digital textures, samples, moog, drum machines, cello, sax and various voices as a dark, seductive and personal statement. Givens elected to use various guest musicians and vocalists including Ihu Anyanwu, Lehni Lamide, Semay Wu and Matana Roberts. Mixing help came from Fred Ones (Mike Ladd, Beans). Dayclear & First Dark firmly establishes Givens? connections to artists like Tricky, Lee Perry, Scott Heron, Saul Williams, Madlib, Pole, Sun Ra and Prince.