Photo: Malachi O’Loan

Calibre has shared details of his 16th studio album, Feeling Normal, incoming via Signature Recordings.

The record is Calibre’s first bonafide 140bpm record that “transcends through space and time,” we’re told, “creating music that will take the listener on a weighty sonic journey.” All 13 tracks have been road-tested in the Belfast artist’s DJ sets over the last few years, and it was only a matter of time that he put them out for all to consume.

The idea for the album came about following the release of his most personal album to date, Planet Hearth, released in November 2019. We’re told that it works in the same headspace but “ultimately it’s been written for the sweaty club experience we miss now.” After an album like Planet Hearth “it felt very liberating to do,” Calibre remarks.

Calibre wrote the first album track seven years ago on the island of Valentia, and he’s spent the intervening years collecting tracks for the project, not really knowing when he was going to put it together as an album.

“The whole album is special to me; everything on there has an important meaning beyond for me. I have spent much time on all these and hope they are special for other people too.”

The album announcement is accompanied by two dub versions, “Bad” and “Badder,” deconstructed from the track “‘Badman” with DRS, from Mark Ernestus. The accompanying EP will release via the Hardwax store on January 29 and Bandcamp on February 12.

“Getting to work with Mark Ernestus is a real honour. I collected Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, and his other work for many years and still do,” Calibre, real name Dominick Martin, explains. “It’s hard to avoid the influence of this guy in electronic music across genres, and so it is a real pleasure to have him do his thing with the “Badman” tune which I think sounds closely related.”

Tracklisting

01. Barren
02. Change With Me
03. Time To Breath (with Cimone)
04. Has To Happen
05. Feeling Normal
06. Badman (with DRS)
07. Good Times
08. Say Enough (with DRS)
09. Miami
10. Predictable
11. Man Got Sandwich
12. Wrong
13. Regular Bull

Tracklisting, Bad / Badder

01. Calibre & DRS V Mark Ernestus “Bad”
02. Calibre & DRS V Mark Ernestus “Badder”

Feeling Normal LP is out February 26 on Signature Recordings. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here, with the dub edits here.