Absence (Dälek album)

Absence is the third album by alternative hip hop group Dälek, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2005. The album, according to the group, was recorded during a very dark and pessimistic time period for the group, which in turn resulted in the recording's dark, bleak sound.[2]

Absence
Studio album by Dälek
Released	February 8, 2005
Recorded	Sweetwood Sound and The Mayan Ruins, December 2003–June 2004[1]
Genre	Alternative hip hop, industrial hip hop, experimental hip hop, noise, ambient
Length	57:07
Label	Ipecac (IPC-056)
Producer	MC Dälek, Oktopus, Still
Dälek chronology
From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (2002) Absence (2005) Abandoned Language (2007)

Track listing

All tracks are written by MC Dälek, Oktopus and Joshua Booth.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Distorted Prose"	6:00
2.	"Asylum (Permanent Underclass)"	5:48
3.	"Culture for Dollars"	6:43
4.	"Absence"	1:31
5.	"A Beast Caged"	6:41
6.	"Köner"	3:56
7.	"In Midst of Struggle"	7:43
8.	"Eyes to Form Shadows"	6:30
9.	"Ever Somber"	4:49
10.	"Opiate the Masses"	7:24
Total length:		57:07

Japanese bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"3:46"	3:46
12.	"Vague Recollections"	6:01
Total length:		66:54

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Cokemachineglow	83%[4]
Drowned in Sound	7/10[5]
Ondarock	8.5/10[6]
Pitchfork Media	8.3/10[7]
Popmatters	[8]
Spin	B+[9]
Sputnikmusic	4.0/5[10]
Stylus Magazine	B-[11]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[12]

Upon its initial release in 2005, Absence received praise from many publications. Critics praised the album for its brooding sound and thought provoking lyrics. Treble magazine included the album in its list of '10 Essential Industrial Hip Hop Albums'.[13] Drowned in Sound magazine ranked the album at #53 on their "DiS is 6: Our 66" list, published in 2006 (which covers its favorite albums from the six years since its creation).[14] Italian underground music magazine OndaRock also rated the album the 26th best of the decade.[15]

Personnel

Dalek[1]

• Dälek – lead vocals, writing and production
• Oktopus – production and writing
• Still – turntables, producer

Additional musicians[1]

• Oddateee – additional vocals on "Culture for Dollars"

Other personnel[1]

• Joshua Booth – writing and mixing
• Will Brooks – engineering, mixing and layout design
• Marco Burbano – "absence" tag
• Jesse Cannon – mixing
• Alan Douches – mastering
• Hsi-Chang Lin – layout design
• Alex Lyach – photography
• Mike Mare – photography
• Alan Momin – engineering and mixing
• Scott Shields – layout design

References

1. Absence (CD). Dälek. Ipecac Recordings. 2005. IPC-056.CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Dahlen, Chris. "Dälek interview". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved January 29, 2005.
3. Absence at AllMusic
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. Pitchfork Media Archived December 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
10. Robertson, Alex (April 21, 2013). "Album Review - Dälek: Absence". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
11. Stylus Magazine Archived November 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine