Irish producer and composer Kormac returns with Down Below, the first in a series of new releases on his Always The Sound imprint.
Known for his widescreen, collaborative projects with everyone from Irvine Welsh to 30-piece orchestras, this new chapter sees Kormac strip things back. Written and recorded in his Dublin studio using a deliberately volatile setup of modular synths and drum machines, Down Below marks a rawer, more immediate sound palette.
The track features vocals from Katie Kim, whose work with doom-folk ensemble ØXN (alongside Lankum’s Radie Peat) has drawn acclaim for its eerie, slow-burning intensity. Here, her vocal sits somewhere between dream and distortion, offset by Kormac’s churning synth textures and off-grid percussion.
Kormac has recently debuted a new audio visual show, performing this collection of new songs with an array of machines against a backdrop of stunning, immersive visuals.
After a few years working with some amazing collaborators; orchestras, musicians, vocalists and film directors, Kormac wanted to try and write a new collection of music where it was just me and the machines.
He assembled a bunch of somewhat unpredictable, modular synthesisers hoping that they’d yield sounds he wouldn’t have imagined or created otherwise. Much of this music was created on these drum machines and synths, as far away from the computer as possible.
“The collaboration with Katie happened almost by accident. I love her music and sampled the vocal from her track Pause, really just to use as a placeholder, to write over until I got someone in to sing. It sat so well with the chords and drums I came up with I decided to reach out and chance my arm!.
“I wasn’t sure if she’d be up for me using her vocal in such a different context but she came back saying she loved it and was so gracious about it all.” Kormac
Down Below follows a prolific run for Kormac, including his acclaimed 2024 score for Steven Knight’s This Town, released on Mercury/Universal and winner of two Royal Television Society Awards. He also recently scored RTE’s The Boy That Never Was, earning nominations from RTS and IFTA.
With over 80 million Spotify streams to date, Kormac continues to evolve as a composer, producer and live performer —whether working with orchestras, filmmakers, or modular rigs held together by patch cables and good luck.
Kormac – Down Below feat. Katie Kim is out now on Always The Sound
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