Absence (Dälek album)

Absence
Studio album by Dälek
Released	February 8, 2005 (2005-02-08)
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)

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]

Track listing

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

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Pitchfork Media	(8.3/10)[4]
Sputnikmusic	(4.0/5)[5]
Stylus Magazine	(B-)[6]

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'.^[7] 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).^[8] Italian underground music magazine OndaRock also rated the album the 26th best of the decade.^[9]

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