Michael Donoghue is not just a musical artist; he’s a visionary, a sonic alchemist. You might find him in a Nottingham pub running feedback loops across two laptops. Or, you might find him in his “tiny little home studio”, patiently uncovering a stream of golden aural goodness. Well, such goodness has recently come to fruition, with ‘Hotel Real’ marking the project’s latest album. Packed with eight cathartic pieces, the record navigates leftfield electronica, ambient textures and industrial noises, sparking a listening experience that’s certainly challenging and bold, yet also rewarding and transcendental.
Introduced by its title track, ‘Hotel Real’ reveals the key characteristics of Donoghue’s production endeavours. Oscillating between abstract soundscapes and fringe club material, the Jersey-based talent appears to take an impressionistic approach to his music, layering often contrasting sounds and constantly playing with haunting, deep tones and brighter, acute bits. Sequencers and arpeggiators are in the mix as well, providing a rhythmic skeleton even to the most abstract episodes.
Delving deeper into the album, Michael Donoghue explains: “The main influence was The Twilight Zone. I was getting into some of the old, original episodes around the time this project was conceived. The main story is me growing into and becoming more confident with my own sound.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Hotel Real’ on Spotify:
