Statuesque

David Donohoe, along with his friend Donnacha Costello, is one of Ireland’s brightest techno hopes and ‘Statuesque’, his second album for D1, shows that he has developed a unique identity. He borrows from Cologne’s shuffle sound - evident on the sexy throb of ‘Catch The Vast’ - has a love of Detroit strings and melodies and a penchant for 80s pop - check the epic MOR guitars on ‘Lest The Swan Should Fall’. In the wrong hands, fusing these disparate components could have ended up sounding laboured and incoherent, but, as the breathy, Cyndi Lauper-sampling ‘Is This The End?’ proves, Donohoe’s touch and arranging skills are inspired throughout.