''Danz'' is the second studio album of Danielle "Danz" Johnson and the last released under the moniker

Computer Magic Danielle "Danz" Johnson (born February 20, 1989), known professionally as Danz CM and formerly Computer Magic, is an American musician and producer based in New York City. She is a singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, DJ, and the founder ...

before changing it to

Danz CM Danielle "Danz" Johnson (born February 20, 1989), known professionally as Danz CM and formerly Computer Magic, is an American musician and producer based in New York City. She is a singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, DJ, and the founder ...

. It was released on February 23, 2018 on her label Channel 9 Records and on

P-Vine P-Vine Records is an independent record label based in Tokyo, Japan. History It was started in 1976 by Blues Interactions, a firm founded in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi, as a record label focused on black music. The label name c ...

and Tugboat in Japan.

Background and recording

Johnson wrote, produced, arranged, recorded, mixed and mastered all songs on ''Danz'' at Spectro Studios in New York. According to her, this album is her most personal out of any other record she made. She drew inspiration from her life and characters from films or books. Some of the themes of the album include identity crisis ("about slowly losing your mind during your creative process"), death (e.g. "Drift Away" is about her stepbrother Eric, who died when she was younger), dreams (e.g. "Space and Time / Pale Blue Dot" is about a dream she experienced about drifting off into the atmosphere and floating into the cosmos), artificial intelligence (e.g. "Ordinary Life (Message from an A.I. Girlfriend)" is about a human like robot girlfriend yearning for more in life to experience than household chores), politics (e.g. "Delirium (Don't Follow the Sheep)" is about not following the masses).

Promotion and release

The title ''Danz'' is a reference to her

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

. The album was supported by four music videos: "Amnesia", "Ordinary Life (Message from an A.I. Girlfriend)" (with a concept by Johnson and the director Anise Mariko), "Perfect Game", and "Clouds".

Reception

The album received an Album Pick mark from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

but no review. In a positive review, the indie music site The Revue called the album "Johnson's most introspective to date and a wildly imaginative and brilliant piece of art." According to

Brightest Young Things ''Brightest Young Things'', or BYT Media Inc., is an online magazine and event production and marketing agency based in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Founded in 2009 by Svetlana Legetic, a former Architecture Designer from Serbia, ''Brighte ...

, "''Danz'' features ten shimmering, synth-laden tracks, and while it’s certainly a departure from ''

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'', the catalog still sounds like the Computer Magic we know and love." The album received a negative review from

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

Track listing

Personnel

* Danielle "Danz" Johnson - vocals, songwriting, production, arrangement, mixing, mastering * Ignacio Rivas Bixio - percussion on track #5 ("Teegra") * Mike Winkleman (Beeple) - font inlay for "Danz" logo

References

{{Reflist, 2 2018 albums Danz CM albums