Info: Proper Micro NV is the alias of Limerick singer/songwriter/producer Rory Hall. The 22 year old has embraced electronic music of all kinds. At present Proper Micro NV specialises in down-tempo experimental electronic music, a move that has seen him being compared to James Blake and Mount Kimbie in recent months. Hall has also received recognition from Irish electronic songstress and former Moloko front-woman Roisin Murphy; who called his voice "Gorgeous" via social media.
His debut EP titled 'EP1' was released in June 2016 to positive reviews. The Irish Times said that Proper Micro NV's vocal was "One of the most interesting new voices on the Irish scene in some time". They complimented the EP by saying that "it was a great showcase for Proper Micro NV's distinctive, soulful, bittersweet vocals and off-kilter electronica. On the 1st of July 2016, Hall was announced by RTÉ 2fm as one of 30 acts shortlisted by an expert judging panel to perform at Electric Picnic.
On the 7th of December, Hall released his second EP 'It's always raining' via Plasmapool records. The first single 'Flaws' was released on the 3rd of November. In early 2017, music platform Spotify selected Flaws for their official Fresh Finds playlist, causing a large increase in listenership and popularity.
Sometimes I get desperately sad when a discovery of wonderful music is made, only to find out that the artist has been in operation for a number of years, and I'm Johnny Come Lately, on the upside, thanks to the power of the Internet, this set of circumstances can be remedied. So it is with the gorgeously dark atmospheric soundscapes created by Limerick singer / producer Rory Hall, aka Proper Micro NV.
With an alarming immediacy, the opening track of his latest EP Colours, 'Do What You Do' stops you in your tracks. The droning synths bellow a thick cloud of black smoke everywhere, leaving you deprived of all senses bar your ears, the beat is incredibly simple but highly hypnotic, and Hall's vocals are more of an incantation than anything else, it's a powerful piece.
Even despite how well that magic worked, the second track is decidedly different yet has no less of an impact. 'All About Me' is equally as mesmeric as its predecessor, it's a rare thing to find an electronic act so fully in control of how they manage the transference of their sound to the listener, you almost feel that Proper Micro NV isn't creating music for our enjoyment, but to control us, and we will happily submit.
Final track 'Commotion' opens with a slight 80's OST vibe, and while many have remarked positively on his vocals before, I do feel it's necessary to commend them here once more, they are such an integral part of how the whole EP behaves and works so well. Colours is electronic composition at its absolute finest, it reminds me of a much much better version of London's Ghost Culture matched with the natural talent of Cork's Bantum, and it's easily one of the best Irish EP's to be released this year, in any genre.
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