Max HeyraudThis batch of new Irish releases charts the breadth of the island’s electronic landscape, stretching from mist-softened synth-wave and deep, trudging techno to peak-time acid, cloud-drift garage mutations and proggy, woodland-ready rollers.
Chósta – Fading City
Chósta returns with “Fading City,” a chugging slice of synth-wave where hazy, reverb-kissed vocals drift over crisp breakbeats and exploratory synth lines. The track evokes the feeling of driving through Dublin at first light. Melancholic yet dreamy, like a familiar embrace as the city slowly wakes.
An Bard – An Andúileach
Berlin-based conceptual project Uaimh na gCat delivers An Bard, a deep, trudging techno cut for their second release, this time sinking fully into shadowed, slow-creeping atmospheres. There’s no hook to cling to, only a haunting, immersive air that pulls you steadily toward the edge.
MAV666 – Static Chaos
MAV666 steps in on Coalition’s fourth Various Artists release with a slab of peak-time acid techno carrying a distinctly trance-leaning edge. An unrelenting acid line drives the centre of gravity while galloping low-end pressure, trance-touched synth work, and curling percussive atmospheres twist around it. Engineered for an 8am moment in a Parisian warehouse.
Kessler – Kohort
Belfast producer Kessler touches down on 3024 with a dreamy, cloud-hugging take on two-step and bass mutations. He leans into a deep, dubby, subdued palette, slow-blooming synth swells, shuffled breaks, floating arpeggios, muted dub chords, a reese-tinged bassline and weighty subs, all tied together by a teasing vocal thread. It sounds like a dense toolkit on paper, but Kessler presents it with subtlety and restraint.
Aika Mal – Obsession
Aika Mal steps up on Flip The Lid’s Rolly Bump Vol. 2 compilation alongside Aphid, Stones Taro and others. She delivers a smooth, silky, frogspawn-skipping kind of rhythm as she flexes her proggy instincts. Punchy drums and wide, sprawling synths intertwine with a trancey vocal and touches of tribal percussion, forming a track that feels destined for a stage deep in the woods.