Graham Reid | | 1 min read
Musical Direction
The Nomad – Daimon Schwalger – earned his pseudonym: he took his vision for drum'n'bass and inventive electronica from Dunedin to Europe but also remained grounded here through numerous collaborations (with members of Fat Freddy's and Black Seeds as well as Luciano, King Kapisi, Pearl Runga and Tiki Taane among them).
Since the late Nineties there were also much admired albums (seven?), appearances at festivals (notably The Gathering) and national tours.
But the studio is his natural home (despite adopted name) and it is there where he is the sonic explorer, seldom resting in the one place or settling on a sound.
In his work you can almost discern influences from the psychotropic Madchester sound stripped back to essences (the psychedelic ragga minimalism of Take a Sip), disciplined drum'n'bass and down-pressure Waitsean blues (the addictive Breaking Rock).
There's also a bruising remix of Stand, roots reggae (Deeper, the drum'n'bass dubbery of Blaze in a remix) and so much more.
There is also sly humour at work.
All of which means The Nomad is rightly celebrating 25 years on the decks with a limited edition (300 copies only) double vinyl collection Infinite for which he has chosen 16 slices which represent the breadth and depth of his work.
Mastered by Chris Chetland and in a framable cover by Francis Cheetham, Infinite reminds of just how important The Nomad has been in the local electronica scene. And enjoyable.
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You can explore The Nomads' back-catalogue at bandcamp here but Infinite is a vinyl-only release, out September 8. You'll have to quick.
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