Juno Plus Podcast 83: Eomac

The half of Lakker known as Eomac turns in a weighty 70 minute mix.

As part of Lakker alongside production partner Dara Smith, Ian McDonnell has been exploring various forms of music for the best part of a decade, with the Dublin-based pair becoming an increasingly prominent name in techno circles over the past few years. It was perhaps their 2011 Killekill debut Spider Silk where Lakker’s heavily atmospheric, dark and broken brand of techno really began to crystallise, and the pair have subsequently gone on to grace the likes of Stroboscopic Artefacts, Blueprint, Candela Rising and most recently R&S Records.

Away from Lakker, McDonnell has also been devoting time to building up a solid discography under the solo guise, with several high-profile releases over the past year for The Trilogy Tapes, Code Is Law, and the Candela Rising and Killekill labels he clearly has a strong working relationship with. Indeed, the latter Berlin-based label seem very pleased to be releasing Spectre, McDonnell’s debut album proper as Eomac next month. To toast its impending arrival, McDonnell agreed to mix up a selection of tracks for our podcast series which begins and ends with Lakker cuts and crams in material from his forthcoming Eomac album alongside material from Streetwalker, Evian Christ, Actress, JT ‘$tinkworkz’ Stewart, Voices From The Lake and more.

Fresh from a launch party for Lakker’s R&S debut Containing A Thousand, McDonnell was kind enough to answer some questions about the forthcoming Eomac album, his various current and forthcoming projects and dealing with celebrity fans.

Hi Ian, how are you doing?

Good thanks! Tired after the weekend, but happy.

You just had the launch party for the Lakker release on R&S, how did that go?

It was great. We were really happy with the set, both audio and visual-wise. It seemed to go down well with the London crowd. There was dancing and shouting. It’s always nice when that happens.

Containing A Thousand is probably Lakker’s most high-profile release; how did you come to sign to R&S?

It happened pretty naturally. We got an email from them one day, asking for a demo. I think they had heard our Stroboscopic releases and felt our sound would fit R&S. We felt the same. There’s a diversity and quality to who and what they release, and that kind of approach is important to us. R&S also has the heritage, the classic Aphex Twin and Beltram tunes, right up to the Blawan, Tessela and Alex Smoke that they’re currently putting out, that we feel very akin to. So it made sense. We sent the demo, they were into it, we all decided on the best EP tracks over a month or two, and here we are!

From the outside, it seems like you always have some music on the way be it as Lakker with Dara or your solo stuff. How much time do you spend in the studio?

I always like to be working on something. I try to write music every day, though that is getting harder as I’m getting busier. I think it’s important to do the thing you love doing and retain that connection with why you are doing it. Away from the gigs, away from all the social media, away from all the hype and press – which is as distracting as it is seductive – it’s important to write music for the sheer joy of it. So yeah, I try to do a bit every day. Always be working on something. So I spend a fair bit of time in the studio.

Are there different production methods you employ when working with Dara as opposed to your solo material as Eomac?

The production methods are the same, but the approach is different I think. I use the same set-up for both, but I think the style and colour palette, the type of samples, the sonic details are all different. Eomac is a bit looser, draws on wider influences, whereas Lakker is a more particular sound. I think! It’s hard for me to say, maybe other people see it differently. But I usually just know what idea will work better for which project.

Let’s talk Spectre, your forthcoming album for Killekill. You seem to have a good relationship with the label?

Yes! The Killekill crew are great. We have a really good relationship, I like what they’re doing and I’m very happy to be releasing my debut album with them.

Killekill boss Nico told us you took some convincing to do an album – what were your initial reservations?

Initially I thought I wasn’t ready to do an album. For me an album is a big statement as an artist. I love sitting down and really getting lost in an album. And I wasn’t sure if I had enough material for that yet, or if I was at that level yet. I felt maybe a few more EPs first might be a good idea to develop my sound further. But Nico really pushed me. He had faith in the music I sent him, so from many conversations with him I started to come around to the idea and have a little more faith in myself and my music. He started sending me possible tracklists from the demos and I gradually started to see that we had a coherent and interesting album on our hands. Now, I’m really glad we’re doing it, I’m grateful Nico had faith in my music and I’m excited to get it out.

He seems very pleased with it!

Yes he is! He’s a fan of my music, which is a great thing in the head of a label you’re working with!

I see that Thom Yorke is a fan of your stuff, does that feel weird?

It feels amazing! And slightly surreal. But it’s always great when someone you really respect and admire is feeling what you’re doing. We all need encouragement and support, so things like that give you a real boost.

You recently debuted the EeOo alias on Unknown To The Unknown which showed a considerable rave influence. Were you old enough to have been immersed in that scene at the time?

No, I wasn’t old enough to go to any raves, but I remember hearing the music in the early ’90s and being fascinated. Me and my school friends used to fantasize about going to raves, and we’d buy CDs and tape our favourite tracks off the one pirate radio station we had in Dublin, Sunset FM. I completely fell in love with the sound and the vibe. It’s like something Zomby said about “Where Were You in 92” along the lines of being too young to experience it firsthand, so you create a romanticised, almost mythological notion of it in your own head. And that is then what is reflected in the music. I’ll never know what it was like going to raves in the late ’80s, early ’90s. But I’ll always have my dream of it.

What’s the thinking behind the name EeOo? It’s quite amusing.

It just comes from my nickname, Eo, which people have been calling me since I was a kid. I didn’t want to use just ‘Eo’ so I came up with adding the extra letters and capitalizing one set of them. I thought it looked more interesting that way when I wrote it down. Which is important I think when it is going on a record sleeve.

How did the hook up with your release on The Trilogy Tapes come about?

It was quite straightforward really. I saw that Will was playing my Spoock release on Killekill, so I sent him a message on Twitter asking him if I could send a demo. He said yes and we took it from there. There’ll hopefully be more out on The Trilogy Tapes later in the year.

The mix you have done for us is great – how was it put together?

Cheers, glad you like it. I recorded it live in Ableton, with a MIDI controller.

Would you say it is pretty indicative of an Eomac set in the club?

Yes, it’s quite similar to what I play out. I like to mix it up in terms of style, tempo and intensity. To try and have some kind of flow.

Beyond the Eomac album, what else is forthcoming from your various projects?

We’re working on tracks towards a Lakker album, and I’ll be doing a Monad release as Eomac for Stroboscopic Artefacts in the summer. I’ve also got another side project on the go with a singer called Loma. We’re gonna try and put something out in the summer too. And hopefully more EeOo stuff later in the year too!

Tracklisting:

1. Lakker – Asvattha [Stroboscopic Artefacts]
2. Eomac – Clap Your Hands Pt.2 [Maigret Records]
3. Actress – Corner [Werk Discs]
4. Haf Haf – Hybrid [Gang Of Ducks]
5. Redrose – Now Thing [Soul Jazz Records]
6. Evian Christ – Waterfall [Tri Angle Records]
7. Imugem Orihasam – It ain’t assertion when only what they have scope to make it (Eomac remix) [forthcoming Bedouin Records]
8. JT Stewart – SWFYSU [Indische Buurt]
9. Eomac – Rainmaker [Forthcoming Killekill]
10.Streetwalker – Ooze (Silent Servant remix) [Diagonal Records]
11. D. Edwards – Untitled [The Death of Rave]
12. DJ Mujava – Township (DJ Nonsense Mix) [Warp]
13. Clap! Clap! – Tambacouna’s White Magic [Black Acre]
14. Eomac – The Cure [Candela Rising]
15. Voices From The Lake – Sentiero [Forthcoming The Bunker NYC]
16. Eomac – Crackts [Forthcoming Killekill]
17. Haf Haf – Notch [Gang Of Ducks]
18. Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir – Fact of the Matter [Rush Hour]
19. Eomac – Tribs [Candela Rising]
20. James Ruskin – Wisdom of Youth [Blueprint]
21. Objekt – Balloons [Power Vacuum]
22. EDMX – I’m Rushing My Tits Off [Power Vacuum]
23. Lakker – Containing a Thousand [R&S Records]