(Smalltown Supersound)
With Ukraine on his mind, British producer Darren J Cunningham mixes electronics, found sounds and fleeting vocals that both sooth and disrupt

A self-titled record can be significant, signalling a reset or autobiographical candour. Neither quite applies here, if only because UK electronic producer Darren J Cunningham – the title is his name in Ukrainian – doesn’t conform to many norms. Originally more club-oriented, Actress long ago ditched banging tunes for works where retro gamer electronics met aqueous dystopian unease across many types of beats – or, in the case of his first album this year, Statik, very little percussion at all.

Moody, restless deconstructions remain Cunningham’s shapeshifting signature, but his move to the Norwegian avant-garde label Smalltown Supersound leans into abstraction. Staticky transmissions remain a reference on this 54-minute mixtape – an evolving piece of sound art first aired via Resident Advisor in May and now getting a physical release. (Actress describes it, referring to the artist Georges Braque, as “a collage”.)