Four Four Premiere: Dan Ryan - Cromags

Although ranking tracks and declaring a ‘Best of 2024’ can be subjective, one thing is certain: whenever local legend Dan Ryan announces new music, he’s generally an overwhelming favourite. His most recent release, Cromags, may be his best yet. Ryan creates a true masterpiece by melding tribal rhythms with uplifting chords and poignant vocals, resulting in a composition that would feel right at home on a Hans Zimmer soundtrack. Electronic music has become increasingly flashy and performative, often lacking any mystique it once held. Our Instagram feeds are flooded with every detail of our favourite producers’ lives, many of whom reveal all their secrets in the name of ‘content.’ Yet, when a mysterious artist like Dan Ryan reveals a track of such high calibre, it feels like a beacon of hope. It reminds us that there are still artists out there making extraordinary music who prefer to remain under the radar. Whenever this Irish producer grants us a glimpse of his work, we stop, listen, and rewind repeatedly. Our culture has grown alarmingly comfortable with mediocrity. We’re often more focused on churning out generic music to keep pace with rapidly changing algorithms than on creating something truly exceptional. This obsession with quantity over quality has diluted the music landscape, leaving artists struggling to produce just another ‘okay’ track. Dan Ryan, however, is a refreshing contrast. Rarely heard from and content with letting his music speak for itself, he emerges infrequently but always delivers a masterpiece when he does. Cromags is a masterful fusion of classic tribal percussion and otherworldly sound design, evoking a soundtrack that is fit for humanity’s ascent into a new world. The track radiates effortless cool, with Ryan pushing energy to its limits before unleashing moments of explosive intensity, like a lion bursting from a cage. This dystopian groove seamlessly bridges our past and present, delivering something refreshingly new and irresistibly infectious. When asked about the idea for the track Dan and the video that accompanies it, he said “The original idea for the video was to just showcase the landscape of Ireland. I recorded it on two different bike trek trips across Ireland during lockdown times and just filmed all of what I saw and the people I met along the way. Churches and religious statues are a big part of the landscape of rural Ireland, so that became a big part of the video.” “The song samples a tune called “Reborn” by Colin Stetson; it’s the soundtrack from a movie called Hereditary, and I fell in love with the song when I heard it and immediately imagined big, banging breaks behind it. There is a sample of a woman speaking on the track—she’s a dying woman talking about what she will miss about life, which I think fits really well with the tune and gives it a real life-and-rebirth vibe. I think the video ended up highlighting the beauty of Ireland and the happiness of just being alive riding a bike across the country.“ SC: @danryan724 IG: https://www.instagram.com/ryandan725/ Four Four Magazine 
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