Kormac

Kormac
Background information
Birth name	Cormac O'Halloran
Also known as	Kormac, DJ Kormac
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	House, jazz, electronic
Years active	2007-present
Labels	Bodytonic, Scribble Records
Website	djkormac.com

Kormac (Cormac O'Halloran) is a musician, producer, DJ and performer. He plays keys, guitar, drums and turntables and produces records from his studio in Dublin. He has performed all over the world as a solo artist and with his 11-piece ensemble, Kormac's Big Band.

After learning guitar at the age of twelve, Kormac began sampling French and German tapes from his school, making demos on a four-track recorder.

Kormac is a former member of Irish alternative/experimental group, 8Ball.

He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin's Music and Media Technology Masters programme in 2004.^[1]

Career

Kormac released his first solo record, "The Scratch Marchin’ EP" in 2007 via Scribble Records.^[2] The record fused heavily processed, obscure jazz samples with his own recordings.^[3] The release of the extended play brought him to the attention of listeners throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe and resulted in many of his first international DJ appearances.

He followed with the "Good Lord EP" in 2008, this time mining early Gospel recordings for source material and inspiration.^[4]

With a background in playing in bands and performing live, Kormac's logical next step was to try and recreate his music live on stage. He assembled a group of musicians (bass, drums, brass, vocalists, guitars, electronics) and VJs and Kormac's Big Band performed their first full show at the Electric Picnic Festival in 2008.

Kormac released his first long player, "Word Play", in 2010.^[5] The record featured collaborations with DJ Yoda, DJ Cheeba, MC Little Tree, Messiah J & The Expert and Koaste.^[5] The album featured the track, "Wash My Hands", which was used in several international ad campaigns and was licensed to several compilations.^[6][7][8]

In the period of time that followed, Kormac toured extensively throughout the UK, Western and Eastern Europe, Australia, Canada and Africa.

Kormac released "Doorsteps" in 2014 on Bodytonic Records.^[9] A largely collaborative affair, it took nearly two years to complete. Kormac literally traveled to the homes of acclaimed Scottish author Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Filth, Acid House), Texan singer/songwriter, Micah P. Hinson, Mercury Music Prize winner, Speech Debelle, Koaste, MC Little Tree and Bajka.^[10]

Lead single, "Wake Up", was nominated for a Meteor Choice Music prize award.^[11] Kormac's Big Band played sold-out shows in Ireland, the UK, Australia and Europe to support the release.

Kormac has recently been commissioned by Jameson to make two tracks using only sounds he recorded at their factories in Dublin and Cork.^[12]

Discography

1. ↑ "Interview with DJ Kormac". Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
2. ↑ "Kormac - Scratch Marchin' EP". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
3. ↑ "KORMAC - Scratch Marchin' (12" EP)". Stop Me If You Think You\'ve Heard This One Before. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
4. ↑ "Kormac - Good Lord EP". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
5. 1 2 "Kormac - Word Play". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
6. ↑ "O2 CZ Ad". YouTube. 
7. ↑ "Hyundai Ad". YouTube. 
8. ↑ "Hyundai Solaris". YouTube. 
9. ↑ "Kormac - Doorsteps". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
10. ↑ "We spoke to writer Irvine Welsh and producer Kormac about their new collaboration "Another Screen" | NOISEY". NOISEY. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
11. ↑ "The Irish Song of the Year nominees for the Meteor Choice Music Prize have been revealed | JOE.ie". JOE.ie. Retrieved 2015-11-27. 
12. ↑ "All about DJ Kormac". www.djkormac.com. Retrieved 2015-11-27.