Bleep

As inaccessible as the wider institution of classical music can seem, every now and then an outsider breaks through the barrier and produces something truly incredible. Despite having carved out a peerless resumé of electronic releases on Warp, not to mention his enormous output across theatre, TV, dance and video games, Clark is precisely that crossover figure. Now, with the added backing of renowned classical label Deutsche Grammophon, his ninth studio album Playground in a Lake sees the producer fully embody the role of composer.

While the LP is beautifully adorned with romantic strings — a remarkable first for Clark, who taught himself how to read and write sheet music — its lead single ‘Small’ slyly buries the lede, or at least, sets a melancholic, fuzzy synth phrase front and centre. Matching its baroque atmosphere is a soft, adolescent vocal, grieving a tragic environmental collapse. This is where Playground in a Lake becomes grounded in its downcast context, the later string lament of ‘Emissary’ and the abyssal march of ‘Shut You Down’ bringing to mind the diary-like structure of Max Richter’s The Blue Notebooks in its anticipation of impending doom.

Clark outdoes himself on Playground in a Lake, bridging his electronic and classical sensibilities while crafting a powerful musical narrative for the end times.