Until lately I didn’t have a clue about the Irish label Xerophkz and its founder Conan O’Donnell. Exactly up to the moment I discovered his latest EP with bold references to the 313 area, in a record that genuinely deserves attention of Detroit heads. A new offering from the Dublin resident comes on the fellow Irish imprint Lunar Disko, his second appearance on the label after a recent sampler.
In the solo debut Conan_ believes in variations when all three tracks at merry 140 BPM have its own nature. The hectic opener “Approaching The Infinity Pool” tries with a colourful mosaic of Black Nation’s fast-paced bleepiness and Detroit-tinged chords that are embraced by airy pads. My favourite is the next, “Interplanetary Lounge”, a funky piece of electro hop where grubby bassline dominates over softer layers. On the B-side, pumping “Deepswim” relies on dubby chords and in the same recalls early times of intelligent UK techno. LDRX6 is another good reason to keep an eye on Conan_ in the future.