Cormac O'Halloran, better known by his stage name DJ Kormac or simply Kormac, is a

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

-based composer, DJ, and producer renowned for blending organic recordings with expansive electronica. His work spans solo projects, collaborative releases, and film scoring, where he is celebrated for his innovative soundscapes. Since 2019, Kormac has composed scores for several acclaimed TV series and feature films, including '' This Town'', written by

Steven Knight Steven Knight (born 5 August 1959) is a British screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for the films ''Closed Circuit (2013 film), Closed Circuit'', ''Dirty Pretty Things (film), Dirty Pretty Thi ...

and aired on BBC One in early 2024. His other notable compositions include '' The Boy That Never Was'' starring

Colin Morgan Colin Morgan (born 1 January 1986) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is known for playing the title character in the BBC fantasy series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Leo Elster in ''Humans'' (2015–2018), and Billy Clanton in Kenneth Branagh' ...

, ''The Diplomat'' featuring

Sophie Rundle Sophie Rundle (born 21 April 1988) is an English actress. Her television roles include portraying Ada Thorne in ''Peaky Blinders'', Ann Walker in '' Gentleman Jack'', Vicky Budd in ''Bodyguard'', code-breaker Lucy in ''The Bletchley Circle'', L ...

, and ''Swift Justice'', an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

-nominated short film exploring the inner workings of a Taliban courtroom. In 2022, after nearly a decade-long hiatus, Kormac released his third studio album ''Equivalent Exchange'', featuring the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The project culminated in a sold-out performance at Dublin's

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

in early 2024.

Career

Kormac began his musical journey as a hip-hop scratch DJ and MPC beat-maker, evolving into an artist with a distinctive approach to sound design. Known for transforming samples and acoustic recordings into innovative, genre-defying music, his style is marked by a meticulous blending of live instrumentation and electronic elements. In the mid-2000s, Kormac was a turntablist and multi-instrumentalist with the Irish experimental band ''8Ball'', laying the foundation for his future exploration of electronic and acoustic fusion. Kormac's first solo release, the ''Scratch Marchin EP in 2007, highlighted his distinctive blend of hip-hop and electronic production. He soon expanded his live shows by forming ''Kormac's Big Band'', a dynamic ensemble featuring brass, strings, drums, electronics, bass, and guitar. These performances became known for their high energy and innovative fusion of live instrumentation with electronic music, setting them apart in the live music scene. In 2014, his track ''Wake Up'', from the critically acclaimed album ''Doorsteps'', was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Song of the Year. During the creation of ''Doorsteps'', Kormac sought out collaborators in an unconventional manner—visiting the homes of icons like author

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist and short story writer. His 1993 novel ''Trainspotting (novel), Trainspotting'' was made into a Trainspotting (film), film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, ...

Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

winner

Speech Debelle Corynne Elliot (born 17 March 1983), better known as Speech Debelle, is a British hip hop, British rapper formerly signed to the Big Dada record label. She was the winner of the 2009 Mercury Prize for her debut album ''Speech Therapy (album), Sp ...

, and Texan singer-songwriter Micah P. Hinson, crafting an album that defied categorisation. His latest album, ''Equivalent Exchange'', represents his most ambitious work to date. For this project, Kormac composed a full suite for an orchestra, working alongside the Irish Chamber Orchestra and an eclectic array of collaborators, including Loah, Jafaris, Jack O'Rourke, MayKay, and poet Stephen James Smith. The album's visuals were created in collaboration with renowned artist Maser. The accompanying live performances, including a sold-out show at Dublin's National Concert Hall in 2024, have cemented Kormac's reputation as a daring and dynamic live performer. Over the years, Kormac has taken his performances to major festivals, including

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festi ...

, Electric Picnic, and Sonar. He has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, Australia, and Canada, sharing stages with legends such as Portishead,

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

, and Snarky Puppy. His music has garnered over 80 million streams to date.

TV & Film Scores

Kormac completed the score for '' The Boy That Never Was'', a four-part series inspired by Karen Perry's bestselling novel. Starring

(''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'') and Toni O'Rourke, the series aired on

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

on Sunday nights throughout Autumn 2024. It was beautifully directed by Hannah Quinn and produced by Subotica. In early 2024, Kormac wrote an original score for

's latest series, '' This Town''. Kormac and his team shaped the series’ musical identity by integrating performances from Dan Carey, Kae Tempest, Gregory Porter, Celeste and

Self-Esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...

into his score. By weaving these elements into the score and deploying them throughout the series, Kormac achieved a unique and cohesive soundscape. The six-part series aired on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

and iPlayer in Spring 2024 and was produced by Kudos TV. His OST for the series was released on Mercury in May 2024. Prior to this, Kormac scored ''The Diplomat'', a six-part series for

ITV Studios ITV Studios Limited is a British multinational television media company owned by British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcasters, and is ba ...

produced by Word Productions (''

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural and serial drama television programme created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It began broadcasting on BBC Two on 26 June 2012. ...

''). The show, starring

(''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

''), premiered on

Alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

and Now TV in 2023. Also in 2023, he composed the soundtrack for the Emmy-nominated documentary ''Swift Justice''documentary for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' magazine. Directed by Ross McDonnell, the film explores the Afghani justice system under

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rule and has garnered over 1.5 million YouTube views. He also completed his first feature film score for ''Tarrac!'' Kormac has also composed scores for the TV series ''

Professionals A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

'' (starring

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Brendan Fraser, His accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe A ...

) and '' Red Election'' (starring Lydia Leonard and

Stephen Dillane Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film ''The Hours (film), The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2015) and T ...

), both airing worldwide on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and in primetime in the U.S.

Always The Sound

Always The Sound (A.T.S) is Kormac's independent label, serving as a creative hub for his diverse musical explorations. Under this label, he has released two studio albums and a variety of singles, including his latest album, ''Equivalent Exchange''. A.T.S also features the original soundtrack for ''The Diplomat'', as well as the main theme for ''The Boy That Never Was'', featuring the soulful voice of Loah. Throughout 2023 and 2024, Kormac has continued to push artistic boundaries with a steady stream of single releases that reflect his evolving sound and vision.

Discography

2024 * ''The Boy That Never Was (Theme)'' - Featuring Loah , Always The Sound * ''This Town (Score from the Original BBC Series)'' , Mercury * ''Waiting On You'' - Featuring MayKay , Always The Sound 2023 * ''The Diplomat - Original Television Soundtrack'' , Always The Sound * ''Always The Sound'' - Featuring MayKay , Always The Sound 2022 * ''Equivalent Exchange (Studio Album)'' , Always The Sound * ''Carry Weight'' - Featuring Loah , Always The Sound * ''New Day (Remixes)'' - Featuring Jack O'Rourke, Narolane & New Spectrum , Always The Sound 2018 * ''Cortége'' - Kormac Remix , Reckless Records * ''Causing Trouble (Kormac Remix)'' - Featuring Saint Sister & Jafaris * ''New Day'' - Featuring Jack O'Rourke , Reckless Records 2017 * ''I Believe (Remixes)'' , Reckless Records * ''I Believe (Single)'' , Reckless Records 2014 * ''Doorsteps (Studio Album)'' , Bodytonic 2012 * ''Superhero (Extended Single)'' , Scribble Records 2010 * ''Word Play (Studio Album)'' , Scribble Records 2008 * ''Good Lord (EP)'' , Scribble Records 2007 * ''Scratch Marchin' (EP)'' , Scribble Records

Scores

2024 * ''This Town'' - TV Series (6 Episodes) * ''The Boy That Never Was'' - Limited TV Series (4 Episodes) 2023 * ''The Diplomat'' - TV Series (6 Episodes) * ''Swift Justice'' - Short - Emmy-Nominated 2022 * ''Tarrac!'' - Feature Film 2021 * ''Red Election'' - TV Series (10 Episodes) 2020 * ''Professionals'' - TV Series (10 Episodes) 2019 * ''Kathleen'' - Short

References

{{reflist

External links

Kormac Website

Kormac Spotify
Living people House musicians Irish electronic musicians Irish DJs DJs from Dublin (city) Irish jazz musicians Irish record producers Musicians from Dublin (city) Year of birth missing (living people) Irish film score composers Television composers