A record that places Dublin musician Ian Nyquist at the crossroads of heritage and innovative sound design.
To the outsider from Ireland, the island's traditions may appear to have stood still for a long time, but recently, an exciting new wave of progressive artists has begun to reinterpret ancient myths, legends, and culture through their modern perspectives. Traditions now shift like the tides, re-emerging in new forms while carrying the essence of the past into contemporary contexts. Nyquist's latest work, ‘Gilded’ (available September 5th on Flood, a label co-managed by Doubt and Tension), immerses itself in this dynamic flow, with the bodhrán as his medium.
The Irish frame drum serves as the starting point for ‘Gilded’, an album that situates Nyquist in the transitional space between tradition and avant-garde sound design. While the bodhrán is central to the record, Nyquist does not confine it within conventional boundaries. Through digital modeling, layering, and experimentation, he polishes the instrument until it shines—retaining its rhythmic core but altering its exterior; the concept of change is pivotal—tradition seen not as a relic, but as something fluid, adaptable, and reinvented into new forms.
Every emerging generation in Ireland blends old sounds into new vernaculars. With ‘Gilded’, Nyquist not only pays homage to that legacy but propels it forward. The album defies easy categorization while remaining closely connected to its sense of place and inheritance. ‘Gilded’ deeply understands this relationship, and within its radiant refrains, we hear the sound of the past revitalized; this is particularly clear when Nyquist incorporates voices from Ireland's diverse musical landscape. On Leis a’bháta Dhubh Dharaich (The Black Oaken Boat), Iona Zajac, a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh with Dublin roots, moves through the ancient Gaelic arrangement with haunting intensity. Her voice resonates with the weight of history.
The collaboration feels like an ideal partnership, as Flood has released remarkable works from artists such as Ovid, Circuit 9000, and Lithe, alongside their own projects from Doubt, Tension, and Ozwald—each offering a unique perspective on ambient, techno, and hard-drum. In ‘Gilded’, Ian Nyquist has crafted one of the most thrilling, contemporary electronic interpretations of traditional Irish music, a remarkable album that prioritizes exploration over the preservation of genres, investigating the intersections where they converge.
9/10
Words: Andrew Moore
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To an Irish outsider, the island's traditions might appear to have remained unchanged for a long time; however, in recent years, there has been an exhilarating new surge of progressive ideas.