The third record for Psycatron's Inflyte label comes courtesy of Ian O'Donovan. In the past, the Irishman has shown that his feet are often planted in two seperate worlds: Detroit techno and progressive house. He's released on Darko Esser's Wolfskuil and Master H's Komplex De Deep, for instance, but also on John Digweed's Bedrock and Darin Epsilon's Perspectives. "Energy Waves" shows off this split personality well enough. Its sharp percussion and honeyed strings are classic techno tropes, while its swaying mid-range and rolling structure nod to prog.
On the A-side, "Ascension" feels a lot more consciously techno, saturated as it is with flitting, golden synths. In the second half, O'Donovan also finds space for a glassy organ to cavort. Like plenty of the people who make this kind of music, he has a talent for juggling disparate melodies coherently. Still, in this stake he can't quite top the more experienced Kirk Degiorgio, whose remix is the most impressive piece on the record. Degiorgio's sounds feel more at home with one another, sitting closer together and making more sense. Here, the flitting synths have largely been replaced by something more blanket-like, though they're still tinted gold.
Tracklist: Ian O'Donovan - Ascension
01. Ascension
02. Energy Waves
03. Ascension (Kirk Degiorgio Remix)
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