"Witch house" may be a thing of the past or even the butt of many jokes at this point, but its influence has lasted. Ever since that wave crested and broke a few years ago, the electronic world has been very interested in darkness, from the "based" sound of Clams Casino to more artistically-minded producers like Kuedo and Arca. Many of these examples steal liberally from witch, taking the appealing elements and leaving the campiness behind, resulting in an end product superior to its influences.
UK producer Prayer successfully implements this strategy, sculpting shadowy pieces of dark electronica with the touch of a master. A classically trained pianist, the Leicester native combines his loves for experimental composers and UK electronic legends to craft his razor-sharp concoctions. New single "Pluvia" opens with frenetic, emotive strings before moving into a space full of Holy Other-esque vocals, stuttering drums, and menacing, pre-storm atmospherics. Prayer has started turning heads recently; he debuted as Prayer on Zomby's label Cult Music last year, and remixed Darkstar and Glasser under his Kollaps alias. Check out "Pluvia" below, and head over to Prayer's soundcloud to hear his recent Knowing EP, all available for free download.
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