Release date: September 4, 2012
Rating: 4/5

Clark‘s new six-track EP, “Fantasm Planes,” is due for release on September 4th. The producer is touting it as a counterpart to the recently released “Iradelphic.” It features new variations on 3 album tracks and 3 brand new ones.

Clark claims to have wanted to explore the harder, more dancefloor orientated side of his work, with the EP being partly inspired by his recent new live show setup, which involved “heavy, psychedelic synth improvisations, infectious beatwork and more upfront, melodic sequences.” While “Fantasm Planes” is all-around spectacular, it’s not exactly dancefloor ready.

The title track is a brilliant, multi-faceted and beautiful slice of IDM. Seriously, it’s truly great. The cascading synth arpeggiations have been constantly echoing about my memory banks for the last few days. Clark’s reworking of “Henderson Switch” as “Henderson Swooping” is a playful exercise in the various permutations or multiple lives a song might take. The smooth and quite pastoral melodies of “Com Touch” gets mangled into a glitchy, beat-driven psychedelic mesmerizer of a remix. One of the top cuts off the EP.

Clark shows off his ambient impulses on “Brigitte,” which is beautiful in the extreme. “Secret Slow Show” mixes things up a bit in a psychedelic sort of way, conjuring memories of Broadcast’s best moments. Album closer “Dove In Flames” is rather spare, built on synth notes puncturing the void here and there in an almost orchestral way.

Overall, the EP is the perfect soundtrack for your trippiest moments.