Daniel Givens
Dayclear & First Dark

Daniel Givens is a DJ, producer, photographer, and poet. In 2000, he debuted with “Age,” a kaleidoscope of post-modern moods and disarming beauty: in Italy, the gem did not go unnoticed and was the album of the year for “Blow up.” A five-year wait for the follow-up “Dayclear & First Dark,” a definitive work on the sense of being Black, gay, and American (more: New Yorker) in the turbulent post-9/11 era – indeed a big mess. As if all of this were obvious, it comes out as a long meditation on the meaning of life (a journey that continues: his) and of death (a journey at the end: that of a childhood friend).

Conceived in a Bronx studio with Fred Ones (one who has worked with Mike Ladd), “Dayclear & First Dark” benefits from the presence of the best talents on the scene, from vocalist Ihu Anyanwu to the cello of Semay Wu to the saxophone of Matana Roberts (Burnt Sugar, Sticks & Stones). Maybe they won’t mean anything to you, but I’m informing myself properly, so trust me that before I informed myself, I knew less than you.

For those who need to define their pleasures, Daniel plays a perfect collage of refined jazz, squared pop, icy electronics in a huge soul. For those who need certainties, Daniel has lent his talent to people like Tricky, Tortoise, Four Tet, Anti-pop Consortium, Prefuse 73, DJ Hell. For those who need nothing and trust on the word, Daniel is my artist of the moment (truly mine): I wouldn’t know what else to add.

To conclude, I could write whatever I want, climb the most effective words, and inundate you with technical terms to seem serious, but precisely because I write what I want, I’ll leave you with a beautiful poem by Daniel and bid you farewell.

“Look beyond this darkness, seek, and you shall find.
At present, darkness reigns, but soon the sun shines.
The day breaks open letting us know
What dreams live inside”.

When I’m depressed, it works better than anything else.