Following on from 2018’s ‘Sentience and Sapience’ under his Ai Messiah alias, Connor Dougan returns to Touch Sensitive with a deeply personal and arresting nine-track album - Deathbed Convert’s ‘Debris of Echoes’.
Dougan has been a long-standing fixture of the Irish electronic underground - he was a founding member of the cult club night & future-funk ensemble RESET (featuring Kaidi Tatham), both solo and collaborative works have graced Boxcutter’s Kinnego label, and recently - the Ai Messiah project has morphed in to an immersive live audio/visual collaboration.
Despite an inclination towards futuristic sonics and group work, ‘Debris of Echoes’ reverts back to solo composition - creating a truly singular vision. “This record grew quite organically out of me probably not playing with other musicians enough and trying to form something out of my introverted guitar experiments instead.”
Alongside the more personal aspect of playing and recording alone, ‘Debris of Echoes’ is rooted in an emotional connection to the rural Irish landscape of home. “I took a lot of inspiration from old photographs, the bleakness and beauty of the countryside, old graveyards and ruined churches”
Juxtaposed with Ai Messiah’s subjective speculations on the future - the escapism of ’Debris of Echoes’ can be found in subjective impressions of the past.
A connection with the mid-nineteenth century photography of Hill & Adamson (whose work features on the sleeve) resonated heavily and further shaped the record. “They have an artificiality to them - a deliberately exaggerated pastoral sense - that makes them very romantic and alluring”.
Masters such as Alice Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pharaoh Sanders, and Talk Talk are mentioned as ever present influences. ‘Debris of Echoes’ may be removed from the sonic aesthetic of that quartet but we feel the spirit.
Musically - with sparse, repetitive guitar tones paired with effected, minimal keys and hypnotic field recordings - connections can be made with the melancholic beauty of The Durutti Column, Gigi Masin’s deep, ambient ocean, and Iasos’ endless expanse.
Dwelling on themes of home, ancestry and belonging that have rarely felt more relevant, 'Debris of Echoes' is one of the most affecting albums we’ve had the pleasure to release.
credits
released May 1, 2020
Written and produced by Connor Dougan. Images - Hill & Adamson. Layout by Rinky.
supported by 11 fans who also own “Debris of Echoes”
'Song for Mary Black' is an enigma wrapped in an epiphany wrapped in a dream. It's the kind of song that makes you ask yourself: 'What have I done to deserve this? How am I allowed to bathe in such gorgeousness?' On par with Seefeel's 'Cherry Coloured Funk'-remix. Only gripe: it should be twice as long. Stellar. lbi
Every bright, bouncy hit on Holly Waxwing's new album of precisely produced maximalist electronic music feels like a colorful explosion. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 14, 2023
Foam On A Wave presents a 30th-anniversary remaster of Ultramarine's ambient techno classic, a pastoral release well ahead of its time. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 9, 2020
supported by 10 fans who also own “Debris of Echoes”
Moodymann creates innovative soul funky music with deep 70s inspiration. The vocals are simply outstanding. A step back in time, 50 years ago! Superb. jef37