Since first emerging with a run of records in the 2010s, Edinburgh-based producer Neil McDonald, better known as Lord Of The Isles, has consistently blurred the boundaries between deep house, ambient, dub and kosmische experimentations. His music thrives on texture and atmosphere, often drawing listeners into expansive sound worlds that feel at once rooted and otherworldly. With his new album ‘Signals Aligned‘, McDonald sharpens that vision into a work that is both conceptually rich and sonically daring, positioning it as a threshold moment in his ever-evolving discography.
The initial spark came not from the dancefloor but from reading. McDonald found himself immersed in the writings of Jacques Vallée and others who challenge the conventional framing of anomalous phenomena as “visitors from elsewhere.” Instead, they propose something far stranger: a multidimensional presence woven into our reality. This idea of “hidden layers” resonated deeply. “It’s something I’ve been fascinated with from an early age,” he explains. “I wanted to explore how texture, distortion and atmosphere can hint at something beyond the obvious.”
Unlike a tightly scripted album, Signals Aligned grew gradually, guided by recurring themes of distortion and perception. Much of its character comes from accidents and extremes – moments where gear was pushed past its limits, or where degraded samples revealed unexpected harmonics. Granular processing became a central technique, joined by tape machines and modular systems that behaved less like tools and more like unpredictable collaborators. McDonald describes these systems as “alive,” capable of producing results that felt outside his control. It’s an approach that aligns perfectly with the album’s themes: the discovery of meaning through noise, the glimpsing of order in chaos.
The result is a record that hovers between rational precision and mystical uncertainty. Ethereal experimental electronics and dub-heavy, it oscillates between clarity and collapse, beauty and unease. “Wonder and unease are two sides of the same coin,” McDonald insists, and Signals Aligned embodies that tension across its length. It’s not designed as a comfortable listen, but as an encounter – at times serene, at others disorienting, always pointing towards something just beyond reach.
That preoccupation with distortion also resonates with the present cultural moment. Just as the album wrestles with layers of noise, so too does daily life involve filtering through misinformation, disinformation and endless digital bombarbment in search of authenticity. For McDonald, this parallel underlines why physical experiences matter more than ever. “Holding a record, being in a room with sound, discovering something by chance – those are irreplaceable,” he says. Against the algorithmic churn of the internet, Signals Aligned feels like a reminder of the value of embodied listening.
At once a continuation of earlier works such as Geoglyph EP and a bold step into new territory, Signals Aligned carries forward McDonald’s fascination with atmosphere and spacious design while expanding his conceptual reach. With further releases lined up, a collaborative project with poet Ellen Renton in motion, and a film score on the horizon, Lord Of The Isles shows no signs of slowing. Instead, Signals Aligned feels like a marker — a moment of alignment before stepping further into the unknown.
Interview by Tom Durston
"For me it was about creating soundscapes that hover between the rational and the mystical. I wanted the music to feel like an encounter, sometimes beautiful, sometimes unsettling."
What was the starting point for Signals Aligned – was there a particular idea or moment that kicked things off and got you back in the studio?
The spark came from reading books by Jacques Vallée and others who view anomalous phenomena not as “visitors from elsewhere,” but as something far stranger, an inter-dimensional enigma that’s been with us all along. That idea of “hidden layers of reality” is something I’ve had a fascination with from an early age. It made me want to explore how texture, distortion and atmosphere can hint at something beyond the obvious.
Did the album come together over a long period of time, or did you dive into it with a clear concept in mind from the beginning?
It came together gradually, but with a guiding compass. I didn’t sit down and sketch a concept album, but I kept circling around the same ideas of distortion and perception.
The theme “discovery through distortion” stands out – how did that idea play out while you were in the studio?
A lot of interesting moments came from different gear combinations, pushing these combinations past their limits, sampling degraded material, running things through processes that stripped away fidelity but revealed unexpected harmonics.
The album has an overtly granular sound that is deep and dubby. Were there any instruments, bits of gear, or techniques that became central to shaping the sound of this album?
Granular processing became a big part of the palette, but also tape machines and modular patches that felt alive, unpredictable systems that almost had a will of their own.
The press release mentions that the record sits at the intersection of science, spirituality and the unknown – how did those themes find their way into the music?
For me it was about creating soundscapes that hover between the rational and the mystical. I wanted the music to feel like an encounter, sometimes beautiful, sometimes unsettling.
You draw on the idea of anomalous phenomena being multidimensional rather than extraterrestrial – what about that perspective resonated with you, and how did it shape the album?
I believe our real history and reality is relatively unknown and the true scope of nature is much deeper than we can perceive.
"Holding a record, being in a room with sound, discovering something by chance, those are irreplaceable."
The record deals a lot with hidden textures, misinformation and distortion. Do you see any parallels between that and the way we navigate the world outside of music?
Definitely. We live in an age of overwhelming signals, where truth is constantly buried under noise, disinformation, misinformation, endless feeds. That sense of trying to tune into something real amidst distortion is at the heart of the record.
There’s a mix of wonder and unease in the album – was it important for you that listeners feel that tension when they listen to it?
Yes. I didn’t want the record to fit neatly into comfort or fear. Wonder and unease are two sides of the same coin.
I’m interested to learn who cut the album and where it was pressed and manufactured?
The record was mastered and cut by Andy Miles at Stardelta Mastering and it was pressed and manufactured at Seabass Vinyl in Scotland.
Which record labels and producers are inspiring you right now?
Artists that come to mind immediately would be Mammo and Michael J. Blood in all their guises. The new Short Span label has had some great first releases too.
How do you feel about the current state of the electronic music scene, both in the UK and further afield?
There’s fragmentation, but also incredible diversity. While some parts of the scene feel overly driven by algorithms and hype, there are still pockets of true experimentation, where people are chasing sound for its own sake.
With so much of music culture moving online, do you think people are losing touch with the physical side of music – records, gigs, that shared sense of musical discovery?
There’s a risk of losing that embodied experience, but I think it makes the physical side even more valuable. Holding a record, being in a room with sound, discovering something by chance, those are irreplaceable.
Do you see Signals Aligned as a continuation of previous productions, or as a new chapter altogether?
Both. It carries forward threads from earlier work like the Geoglyph EP on Dusk Delay, atmosphere, texture and spacious sound design but it’s also a step into a new territory, conceptually and sonically. I see it as a threshold: looking back with one foot but facing forward into the unknown.
Finally – now that Signals Aligned is finished, what’s next on the horizon for Lord Of The Isles?
Finishing of my next record for Dusk Delay now and I’ve signed off 2 extended players with two other labels that will come out in 2026. I’m working on new music for my project with Ellen Renton and I’m also working on a score for a short film.
Signals Aligned is scheduled for release on 12th September via Dusk Delay. Buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store.
TRACKLIST
A1. 0palescent
A2. ArXiv Mirage
A3. Re-ionization
A4. Astraglossa
A5. Signals Aligned
B1. Arecibo
B2. UAP
B3. G-force LF0
B4. Binary Beam
B5. United Wire
B6. 0utro Code