The Cork electronic producer Ruairi Lynch announces a new self-titled album out October 3rd this year.
Bantum will be Lynch’s third album after the release of Legion (2012) and Move (2016).
‘Bamboo’, is the song out today, his first since the 2023 collaboration ‘Take Cover’ with Jack O’Rourke, which comes with a video created by Abe Neihum (who directed this Farah Elle video) that leans on Neihum’s signature style of abstract storytelling and symbolism, through blending organic and abstract ethereal elements, a bit like the track itself. Ho Ho.
Watch the video for ‘Bamboo’:
Bantum is known for his collaborative work but the new album will feature no guests, and is 8 tracks of all instrumental music, featuring “old school funk bass and electric guitars, driving house rhythms and hip-hop samples.”
“Having consistently released music every year since I began producing, I really was not expecting to have an album’s worth of material for this year. I made a conscious decision to return to where I started in terms of instrumental music, and once I set myself the challenge everything came together naturally.
I gathered a ton of ideas and gradually started to mold them together into a cohesive set of songs, almost like a mixtape. A common thread throughout is guitar, bass and piano effects used on previous releases and funk beats/samples gathered over years of work. Bringing these elements together was probably the most fun I’ve had on a release in years. Each track represents a piece of the musical journey I’ve been on over the past year and I can’t wait for people to hear it. Though this is a solo album I took direct influence and inspiration from working with Daithi (Daithi/Houseplants) and Mark O’Brien (Royal Yellow/Enemies) in West Clare alongside working with my friends Jack O’Rourke, Suil Amhain and Callas in Cork. I’ve never pinned myself down to one genre here, and I think that contributes directly to my own sound in a way. As always, I have collaborated with Shane O’Driscoll for the artwork which references J Dilla’s Donuts album cover alongside a number of French house influences like DJ Mehdi and Cassius in particular. I’m also really excited to work with longtime friend and collaborator Abe Neihum who will be creating visuals for a number of album tracks, starting with Bamboo.”
Bantum. by Bantum is scheduled to be released on October 3rd, 2024, and will be available on all major streaming platforms. Buy it on Bandcamp when it becomes available.
Bantum website: bantumsound.com
Bantum on Instagram: instagram.com/bantumruairi/
Bantum on Twitter: twitter.com/RuairiLBantum
Bantum on YouTube: youtube.com/user/BantumMusic
