“Altitude” shows off a bit of Michael Donoghue’s uncanny ability to explore sound.
Michael Donoghue – Altitude
Michael Donoghue dives headfirst into a deep house physicality on the phenomenal endless grooves of “Altitude”. A starkly beautiful track he keeps things to the essentials – a drum kick, a few basslines, some chords, yet the result is far more immersive than such a description would suggest. The uncanny ability of effortlessly letting these sounds evolve recalls a bit of Jon Hopkins, complete with a similarly stripped-down bare bones style. Volume here matters for the song has a sheer force of nature behind it despite its fully electronic origin. Balance is struck with the greatest of ease as everything swirls about in a wonderful, wonderous expression.
The hushed awe that introduces the piece revels in a sense of atmosphere. He proves to have a deft ear for melody, as the way he manipulates the chords adds to the majestic cadence of the piece. Stately to its very core there is a ceremonial quality to the work, for its geometric precision comes from the way the many pieces are rotated in ways that become truly awe-inspiring. By allowing everything plenty of room to roam the whole of the track stuns with its intense focus on the groove. For the first few moments at least, he simply establishes the hefty bass that propels the rest of it forward in a way that is an absolute joy to behold. By the final stretch he lets it get a little looser as it has a blissful finale.
“Altitude” shows off a bit of Michael Donoghue’s uncanny ability to explore sound.
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