Faze Magazine Feature Sept 2016 (translated from German)
Fantasy and Escapism
Faze Magazine 055 – Rafael Da Cruz – Click for Original Online Article
More and more often in the past weeks and months, the name of the Irishman Diarmaid O Meara has become connected with the Techno genre. All stemming from years of three turntable sets, numerous productions and remixes on labels like Nachtstrom Schallplatten, Teja, Naked Lunch, Electronic Earthquake, not to mention his critically acclaimed debut album release “Structured Noise” from 2009. Thus, enter “In Your Head”, the follow up album – which has been receiving only positive reactions since its release on O Meara’s own imprint, Gobsmacked Records.
The year 2016 has been a hectic one for the artist, with the release of his new album, the renovation of his new Berlin home, including the construction of a new studio, and now playing through a busy gigging roster after a six month pause. “ This year is definitely the craziest I can remember… I´m glad the album is finally released, and I´m very happy with the end result. ‘Structured Noise’ kickstarted my music aspirations, however directly afterwards I moved to Berlin, which is like a black hole for techno fans/artists, an infinite source of inspiration but almost impossible to find footing. Finding a studio space was a problem, and it stopped me producing properly for 2 years. This album is an amalgamation of everything I’ve experienced in this city since finding a place to let that inspiration become something concrete“
Musically he classifies his “In Your Head” album as mature. “I can fully hear myself in this album, and from producing to mastering to releasing, apart from some instrument sampling, it’s all been done by me. Each track was created for this, and the project started over three years ago, so I´ve invested a lot in it. It´s energetic, it´s modern, and it´s very hypnotic.”The Irishman evolves and and changes his studio workflow and setup constantly “My basis is always Ableton Live, and right now I´m really loving Push2, the MOOG Mother32, and the Access Virus”.
Coupled with the actual album on USB, come numerous extra features such as 4K visuals from Dublins MKW, bonus tracks, sets, stems and more. “The visuals, bonus music etc., add hours of listening in the way I imagined this album should be consumed. It allows producers to recreate the tracks, and people to reuse the HQ Visuals as party backgrounds. You get enough tracks to mix for 2 hours, and a free bonus production set to boot.”He takes in his stride the fact that the album was available through pirating websites as a free download weeks before release. For him, the idea of an album format continues to be important, and precisely for this reason, it offers listeners a lot more than just a few tracks. “Most people will download this for free, but it will be low quality. In this USB package, you get 4GB of tracks, stems, videos etc., in high quality. The package is personal, tells a story, is entertaining, and also a physical object.”
On the stick, there are 4GB of high definition audio visual material, including the new video for the title track “In Your Head”, directed by his compatriot, Dave Minogue. This video shows a young boy, armed with a handgun, stealing sweets – hard scenes these days – “21st century youth are seen as anti social. This video is an extreme exploration of that – what would a child do if they were radical anarchist? Rob sweet shops and throw a party. If this was pop music it would be light hearted and needlessly sexualized… But this is techno, it’s gritty, underground, and it’s fun. To contextualize any form of art with real life events is dangerous. This is a fantasy and escapism. This kid portrays a modern day Robin Hood who understands wants of youth; they want what they can´t afford, and they want to party.”
Gobsmacked exists as an event since 2006, a label since 2008, and is constantly moving forward. It´s a platform for new artists, whilst developing projects with established releasers, and continues to follow this format. “I´ve a busy schedule coming up with gigs in Berlin, Stuttgart, Naples, Dublin, Paris and more in the coming weeks and months, and am looking forward to each one. I’ve got a 12″ EP coming out on Teja right now, EP’s on Gobsmacked, Recoil, UKR and more on the way. My Audio Affair show will also make the transition to video in late 2016, amongst other things.”
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Diarmaid O Meara releases second techno album In Your Head (BUY)
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11 track studio album with 3 hours of bonus media
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Available on limited edition USB through Gobsmacked Records
The Irish Berlin-based artist Diarmaid O Meara releases his second techno album In Your Head in July 2016 through Gobsmacked Records. The album includes eleven original tracks in the eclectic style of this pedantic producer, developed over the past three years, and features almost four hours of bonus media. Extras such as the video for Battlecry – a tongue in cheek ’emotion experiment’, about how this form of music is often perceived in a negative light, and the lighthearted but ultimately airtime banned In Your Head music video paint an interesting picture of the artist… The 15 minute interview with Diarmaid O Meara about the album, and some of his production 
techniques, finish the job. Other bonus media include a perfectly developed video set for background visuals created by Dublin-based MKW, a full mix of the In Your Head album, gig footage, bonus tracks, and a folder of stems.
Release June / July 2016
