A Path Untold is the creative alias of composer/producer Daniel Merrill. Originally from rural Appalachia, he spent years honing his craft in the Baltimore scene before relocating to Northern California.
His music blends elements of slow house, future garage, breakbeat and downtempo into immersive, emotionally rich soundscapes. Across more than two decades of work—both solo and in the duo Aligning Minds—he’s developed a deeply personal language of sound that resists easy categorisation.
His new EP, Truth Remains, finds him at a point of both reflection and forward motion. The tracks occupy that sweet spot between introspection and the dancefloor: drums that move you and moods that invite you to sit quietly with them. His writing process here starts with a groove he connects with, then builds emotional texture and atmosphere around it. Thematically, the EP contemplates what endures when illusion falls away—drawing from the social and cultural turbulence of recent times, as well as his own internal landscape. The result is music that feels worn, but hopeful.
To celebrate the release, he’s crafted an exclusive mix for us, offering a wider lens into his world, bridging the EP’s themes with broader musical terrain.
Check the mix and our interview with Daniel below.
The new record sits in that space between introspective listening and physical movement. When you’re writing, do you tend to start from a place of internal mood, or from rhythm and motion in the body?
I usually start from a balance of both mindsets. I almost always start by making a drum groove that captivates me and creates a sense of forward momentum that I feel genuinely excited by. That becomes the rhythmic and energetic framework. From there, my goal is to complement it with an emotional mood that sets a specific theme or narrative, and can be propelled by those rhythmic, physical components.
It’s all about finding a striking balance between those elements, often guided by a “rule of three” approach – honing ideas down around three core essential components that provide contrasting yet harmonious qualities. I work pretty tirelessly until that union feels right, when groove, emotional impact and atmosphere all gel together in a satisfying way..
There’s a sense in these tracks of something weathered but still hopeful, like memory being processed in real time. Was there a particular life shift or experience that shaped the emotional tone of the EP?
This EP was very honestly written as a way to process and focus on hope, amid the barrage of social, cultural, and political turmoil in America over this past year. I’d wake up to some chaotic headline, and while working on a deadline – I’d think, as a working artist, “It’s imperative to be at the top of my creative game right now.”
There wasn’t much room to just feel overwhelmed, I had to transmute that energy immediately. That sense of urgency – the pressure of time and creative drive forward forced me to dive deep into emotional expression quickly, without overthinking. It was challenging, but it sharpened me. It became a kind of “adversity-forges-the-blade” process that fueled a very potent and decisive creative flow.
Emotionally, my perspective is always: How can I reflect the personal honesty of what I’m feeling and observing, yet still find hope and triumph within it for my own transmutative process? That’s what art does for me. I’m drawn to explorations of duality, like nostalgia and futurism, vulnerability and defiance – and I think that’s probably what shapes what you’re describing.
How does your life in Northern California inform the space and scale in your music?
Life here is unlike anywhere else I’ve lived. It’s beautifully sunny almost every day – perfect weather, sometimes to a fault. I’m surrounded by stunning, varied nature: mountains, deserts, forests, the ocean. That diversity of ecosystems feels parallel to my own musical diversity, pulling from different genres, eras, and cultures.
Culturally, my town (Nevada City) is a little bit like if Burning Man were an actual town year-round – filled with creativity, self-expression and experimentation. That spirit of artistic freedom definitely seeps into the music.
Your palette draws on breakbeat, garage, dub techno, and more, yet it never feels referential. How do you approach pulling from genres without leaning into nostalgia?
As a genre wanderer and obsessive student of electronic music history, I’m deeply dedicated to studying what makes each form and aesthetic tick – the detailed mechanics that define them. I take in and incorporate that knowledge, technique and those sensibilities, but then I very deliberately step away from what I feel has already been done in those realms.
From there, I treat genres as colors in my own personal crayon box. I try to tune everything else out – trends, expectations, conventions – and then just try and tell my own stories using those colors as honestly as I can.
I’ve always been an observer of genres and their respective culture without ever fully “belonging” to any one of them. That outsider perspective is just my natural mode of being, and I think that’s why the music hopefully feels distinct rather than derivative.
The press notes mention exploring what remains when illusion falls away. How did this idea show up practically during the writing process?
With each body of work, I center on whatever concept feels most relevant in my life at that time. For Truth Remains, that concept was the conflict between falsehood and truth – how at the moment, American society struggles to agree on even the most basic shared realities.
We’re often left dealing with fragments of the truth, but in the end, when everything else collapses, truth is always what endures – even if it sometimes takes quite a while to emerge. I loved the double-entendre, layered meaning of Truth Remains as a title, and that idea became the narrative compass for the writing process – almost like a personal sonic journal exploring that theme.
It also shows up musically: in harmonic choices, textures, and particularly in “Corners of Vastness,” which lyrically ties into the concept. There’s a more developed vocal version of that track with a full lyrical structure that unfortunately couldn’t be released. But I kept enough of that essence in the released version to carry the message. It can be challenging conveying a more literal concept through mostly instrumental music, but I try to.
There’s a strong textural presence across the EP, almost tactile. Are there specific recording or processing techniques you return to in order to achieve that grain and depth?
I’m definitely obsessed with texture and creating a tangible sense of space, of physicality in sound. I love how a single musical idea can feel entirely different depending on its textural nuances. Artists like old Boards Of Canada, Burial, Djrum, many more, etc – have all really been shining examples to me personally of what’s possible as far as that goes.
To achieve that, I’m constantly collecting unusual field recordings that I blend into my sound design, and I push synthesis and post-processing to add as much character and organic detail as possible. For example, in Ableton Live, I often build layered instrument chains – one synth might handle the tonal element, while another sample-based layer (like NI Straylight) contributes to pure atonal texture that compliments the expression of the idea in interesting ways. I’ll then fuse them together until they feel like a single unified sound entity.
That process extends to micro and macro levels – I spend large amounts of time injecting texture and detail into every element until it feels alive to me.
The use of vocal textures feels expressive without relying on lyrical narrative. What draws you to voice-as-instrument rather than voice-as-statement?
I’ve always heard vocals primarily as melodic instruments (even in lyric-driven songs). The enunciation, tone, and phrasing tend to hit me first, long before the words themselves become apparent in my auditory awareness. The lyrics usually unfold for me only after numerous repeated listens – so, I’ve always found a lot of value in the interpretive nature of that approach, and at this point I’m just kind of conditioned that way.
Even when I include lyrics, I like to obscure them a bit – to make listeners work to uncover meaning rather than presenting it too literally. That interpretive space creates a sense of mystery that keeps me engaged as a listener and I try to replicate that.
Tell us about the mix you’ve put together for us… any specific tracks you want to highlight?
Well… I always try to aim for “all killer, no filler.” 
But if I had to highlight a few, I’d say “Corners of Vastness” and “LoneFeather” are personal standouts.
“Corners of Vastness” captured a deep, ancient sort of energy I’d been chasing for a long time – something hypnotic that carries you through suspended emotional spaces. “LoneFeather” was a blast to make; I wanted to create a more high-energy breaky roller that balances haunting mystery with something uplifting and triumphant. I’m always drawn to tracks that embody intense duality, that can be both shadowy and radiant within a single narrative.
I also really value “Left To Wonder”, (opening track) which started as a film-scoring type of idea, that eventually blossomed into a gentle, dynamic slow-house/future garage track that underpinned those themes. That track was really an unexpected and unique journey to unravel. I think it’s a unique standout on the EP.
You’ve released three substantial EPs over the last few months. What’s driving that level of momentum right now, and how do you protect the emotional core of your work through that pace?
Well, really it’s a balance between having a lot to say and needing to sustain myself as an artist. All of this music is also available for sync licensing and I’ve been fortunate to have creative freedom within that framework – to make what I genuinely want to make.
At the same time, today’s industry pace demands a fairly constant output and I think most artists are really feeling that right now. In addition to that, over my 25 years of being a producer, I’ve long wanted to reach a level of prolific consistency that still maintains my vision and quality. Over the past two years, I’ve released more music per year than I’ve ever done so far… which has been both a personal and professional milestone.
Ultimately, it’s been about seeing if I could do it – write, finish, and release on deadlines without compromising emotional authenticity. It’s definitely felt like a creative leveling-up period, and I’m just following where that momentum wants to lead me next.
Truth Remains EP is out now
Mix tracklist:
A Path Untold – Left To Wonder
Poriori – Stepping Stoned
James Shinra – Nosine (2025 Rework)
A Path Untold – Colors Of Love
Amyn – The Dream
A Path Untold – Corners Of Vastness
Gantz – Drop It
A Path Untold – In Mind
Sajge – Hesi
French II – Jolly Motto
A Path Untold – LoneFeather
A Path Untold – Ever We Drift
Stimming – Lucky Me
Verses GT – Unknown
Amyn – Happened
A Path Untold – Cloaked In Creation
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