Mark Pritchard’s Latest Album Isn’t For the Clubs and He’s Okay With That

Mark Pritchard doesn’t need to drop a beat. After all, it’s his party, at least according to the floor-to-ceiling signage outside Red Bull Music Academy’s New York event space, the television behind the energy drink cocktail bar, and the seven-screen art installation located a floor below. Given that the electronic pioneer standing behind the decks is here to celebrate the release of his latest—largely ambient—album Under The Sun, he’s in charge of setting the mood this May evening.

His laptop displays stickers from grime imprint Butterz, footwork collective Teklife, and his own Africa Hitech project, each one teasing at the sort of music he has no intention of playing. Paying little attention to the chatty partygoers imbibing their free drinks and nibbling at a buffet of meats, cheeses, and shrimp, his enveloping DJ set includes selections from the new record, as well as a smattering of 20th century folk tunes from the likes of Psychic TV and Vashti Bunyan. The first discernible rhythm, one somewhat muted and restrained, arrives nearly 50 minutes into an hour-long Serato-based performance of twists and fades.

With a prolific career that spans over two decades, Pritchard’s earned the right to play the way he wants to. The UK-born, Sydney-based producer’s credits not only cross genres, but in several cases, have inspired fresh directions within them. His too often unsung collaborations in the 90s with British musician Tom Middleton, under guises like Global Communications, Link & E621, and Jedi Knights, range from ambient to boogie funk to IDM.

“The idea of changing to my name [for Under The Sun] was to hopefully allow me to be able to release more stuff into the world without being confusing,” Pritchard explains over the phone a week prior to the New York event. “It’s kind of to let the music speak for itself.”

Without question, his latest record benefits from a complete listen, unifying its disparate set of notable vocal collaborators including 70s psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, and former Anti-Pop Consortium rapper Beans. The more conventionally song-oriented cuts flow into shimmering, pastoral instrumentals of varying length and purpose. A Julie Andrews tune makes for the album’s most apparent sample source. Pritchard credits mastering veteran John Dent for keeping it all cohesive.

“From the mixing side of things I wanted to get away from the bright, loud, limited of mastering that’s happened over the years,” he says. “I was striving to make it sound like albums from the 60s and 70s and some 80s, with the gear I’ve got and the way I do things, [but] I didn’t want it to be a retro affair.”

While this new material translates differently live, Pritchard nonetheless sees a value in hearing this decidedly non-clubby music in a dance club setting. Mala of South London duo Digital Mystikz used to open some of his sets with “?,” the curiously-named opening track from Under The Sun. “I heard him do that on a massive sound system,” he says, having shared the track with the influential dubstep artist privately. “He understood as soon as he heard it that it was a perfect reset thing for him. He can go anywhere he wants from there.”

As a producer who’s witnessed multiple dance music trends and revolutions, he’s respected in certain circles for his technoid legacy, while simultaneously being appreciated in others for his newer works in grime and footwork. This sets him in stark contrast to longtime Warp Records label-mates like Aphex Twin or Plaid, who even in their progressive experimentation, demonstrably veered away from emergent club styles rather than embraced them.

Downstairs at the venue, a fuller vision of what that freedom affords him becomes clear. Thanks to collaborator Jonathan Zawada—whose resume includes visuals for acts including Baauer, Rustie, and more—the record’s artwork of gorgeous, arresting computer-generated landscapes comes alive. Mountains shift and erode, lakes tremble and pulse, all soundtracked by portions of the record. “He did an unbelievable job. I’m so happy with what he’s done,” says the producer.

Having seen his fair share of chill-out rooms, Pritchard is mindful of the context and conditions under which his ambient pieces are heard. While Global Communication’s 76:14 is considered one of the genre’s most significant works, listeners’ habits have changed since the record’s 1994 release. “Everybody wants their album to be listened to start-to-finish,” he says with a laugh.

Straddling generations of both consumer and performer behavior, Pritchard’s cognizant that many of those who hear Under The Sun will listen to the record in digital bits and pieces rather than how he ideally wants them to experience the work. “I’m definitely wary that I’m tied to an old-school way of doing things,” he says. “That’s how I’ve always done it: a record or piece of music feels like it’s reached its end result on a piece of vinyl.”

Yet the volume of his creative output gnaws at him, with plenty of unreleased club material awaiting release. “With the footwork stuff, I’ve been slightly tied to EPs,” he notes. “That just makes it harder to get more of the music out.” Despite his tendency to jump between genres, Pritchard expresses a strong desire for more time in the aural and visual worlds of Under The Sun, and the traditional LP format is the perfect medium.

While Pritchard hopes to bring the installation to other cities, don’t expect to catch him DJing the new material out live any time soon. “I think it just throws out confusing signals,” he says. “At the same time I want to let people know this album isn’t about club music, but I’m going to make more club music and more of this.”

Under The Sun is out now on Warp Records.

Gary Suarez is on Twitter.