Albums to watch

Karma & Desire

Actress

Karma & Desire

Sixth album from the London-based electronic producer and DJ Darren Cunningham

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
Ninja Tune
UK Release date
23/10/2020
US Release date
23/10/2020
  1. 9.0 |   Clash

    The music is engaging, yet thought provoking. It sounds unlike his previous three releases, but there is a continuation of ideas throughout. It’s an album from an artist who doesn’t pander to trends and goes his own path
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  2. 8.0 |   All Music

    Six years after he etched a headstone for music, this enigma has made the easiest point of entry into his catalog
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  3. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    A welcome addition to Actress’s spiralling discography brings a newfound bodily urgency to the work of the Wolverhampton-born producer
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  4. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Karma & Desire never comes close to being a dance record — it's much too opaque and fragile and weird for that. Instead, listeners are left with a longform thinkpiece that's expertly conceived, well executed and brilliantly sequenced
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  5. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Rather than continue to experiment with more bells and whistles, studio guru Actress has stepped back and experimented with the most elemental of all sounds: the voice
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  6. 7.6 |   Beats Per Minute

    By accepting the chaotic elements coexisting alongside our stark self-made structures – be it tangible, psychological or virtual – Karma & Desire might be the most honest form of pop music one can make at this moment
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  7. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    Karma & Desire functions as an amalgamation of Cunningham’s body of work, taking inspiration from both the club and the concert hall and exploring their in-between states
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  8. 7.2 |   Spectrum Culture

    There’s tons of great music on Karma & Desire, but not enough to keep us from thinking about his next album

  9. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    For all of its strengths, the album is somewhat let down by its monstrous length – 78 minutes, to be exact. That’s not to stay that Cunningham and his collaborators can’t hold the listener’s interest for the entire running time (they can), but that the whole experience can be overwhelming and a little draining
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  10. 6.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    While housing some of the most fascinating and, at times, outright beautiful moments of Actress’ career, the overall impact of Karma & Desire fails to leave the lasting impression of past projects
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