[Minimise]

Irish producer Donnacha Costello seems to relish the constraints of a concept. Over 2004 and 2005 he released ten singles, each representing a different aesthetic flavor and titled with a different color, much like Wolfgang Voigt’s Studio Eins collection. The next year he focused on the number six for the 6X6 collection, which was made in six days and each track is about six minutes long. Though Costello has been quiet for much of 2007, he’s used the time to look back on his Colorseries and to compile a 10 track CD from the well rated collection, including two previously unreleased tunes.

Costello drew on a raft of vintage equipment to craft tunes which at once resemble the salad days of techno and the present, deeply minimal sound that’s come into bloom — two years before people thought to make it. Often built on simple loops with generous, clear-headed melodies, Colorseries shifts the ways in which Costello employs them over 10 cuts. Deeply catchy opener, “Orange A,” harkens back to Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 with a modernistic bent. From the grinding palpitations of “Grape B” emerges the punchy jack tracks, “Pistachio A” and “Opal Sessions Unreleased.” Reverb splashes over the sides of the dub techno tune “Blue B,” and the relaxed mood sticks around through the hazily ambient “Cocoa B” and “Cocoa Unreleased Sessions.” “Rubine Red” outdoes Booka Shade with deft pads in hooky patterns, then the surprisingly sugary “Mustard B” makes things even brighter and poppy to cap the comp. Though Colorseries includes less than half of the original tracks, the selections accurately portray the Costello’s intent; and those who feel slighted can pick up the entire collection as high quality .mp3s in the near future.

Donnacha was kind enough to offer us a download of “Orange A,” so enjoy it while you have the chance.

Download: Donnacha Costello, “Orange A”