EOTRAX PROMO

EeOo - 'Time 2 Dance Pt.1' [ETX008.1]

TIME 2 DANCE PT.1

Ian McDonnell returns to his EeOo moniker for the first time since 2018 with two EP releases on Eotrax in 2023. The first EP drops in early February with the second coming later in the year.

Taking inspiration from house, techno, trance and electro these EPs are an invitation to move and connect. Full of hope and joy but with an edge of urgency, here we find Ian at his most melodic and uplifting but still with his familiar percussive and gritty style.

Inspired by the idea of hope, he says:

“I firmly believe in music's power to unify and heal. That's hard to hold onto sometimes and can seem naive in an increasingly divided and polarised world. But I hold to the fact that music (and dancing) can create a space where diverse people can come together in harmony and forget about differences for a moment. I consistently come back to stories of rave music in Northern Ireland during the 'troubles' (the years of sectarian violence) where people from both sides of the divide came together to dance in harmony and forget about the violence. David Holmes has talked about this before, of experiences he had at his Sugar Sweet night in Belfast. The rave ideals of 'peace, love, unity, respect' lived out in very real and tangible terms. These stories have always inspired me.

I feel, if this kind of togetherness and harmony can happen for a moment then maybe it can happen for longer periods? Perhaps, even, always. Maybe these moments of connection and 'escape' we experience together through music and culture are closer to the truth of who we are than the division often seen in wider society. Maybe all the conflict and division is the illusion, distracting us from our truth. These EPs are an expression of that hope. Love, forgiveness, understanding, kindness, unity...these are the only things that make sense to me anymore in the chaos of a crumbling society and global events as they are happening right now.”

These words may be tinged with a heaviness but the music is anything but.

Time 2 Dance Pt.1 comprises two tracks that may be the most fun and upbeat yet in Ian's discography. The A-side 'I Held Back Most Of My Tears (I Thought I Was Supposed To)' - featuring the vocals of Laura Kilty - owes much to balearic and house music and the idea of summer nights, sunsets, friendship and dancing. The title refers to a sense of vulnerability and the freedom in letting go.

On the flip 'Listen (To Your Heart)' - a sister track to 'What Does Your Heart Tell You?' from Eomac's 2021 Planet Mu album 'Cracks' - is straight up, melodic dance music. With a grooving rhythm and uplifting melody, this track heaves with a sweaty energy inspired by the dance-influenced 90s pop of bands like Erasure as much as techno or house music.

These tracks are an ode to music, connection, dancing and joy.

Released on February 7th as a digital download & streaming, with artwork and design by Goldmoth Media. Mastered by Dominic at Declared Sound.

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