• Interview: Binkbeats

    January 30, 2015 - By 

    BINKBEATS is an electronic music producer from Utrecht in The Netherlands. He quickly became known after his BEATS UNRAVELLED series with The Boiler Room brought him into the spotlight as he started reconstructing electronic songs he loved, one sound at a time. He is currently on his first tour and exploring the possibilities of his own original music, so our photographer Colm Moore sat down with him ahead of his 7th live show ever to have a chat and capture the live gig through his lens. If anyone has ever seen your videos on YouTube the first thing they’ll notice is the…

  • Tropics – Rapture

    January 30, 2015 - By 

    The second full-length release from vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Ward, better known as Tropics, Rapture builds on 2011’s lushly produced Parodia Flare to create something equally atmospheric, if rather more reserved than its title might suggest. Opening track and lead single ‘Blame’ establishes the album’s intriguing combination of reticence and expansiveness, as Rhodes pianos, gently bubbling analogue synths and flickering snatches of noise provide the bed for Ward’s gentle vocal, while loose but forceful percussion brings momentum. Looseness is a watchword across the album, which is propelled by richly textured percussive arrangements that ebb and swell as organically as the melodic components.…

  • AVA Festival Belfast Announced

    January 30, 2015 - By 

    A brand new music festival and conference celebrating and showcasing electronic audio-visuals arts in Northern Ireland, AVA Festival will make its inaugural outing at Belfast’s T13 on Saturday, May 30. Up productions has teamed up with a range of Belfast locals including Matthew McBriar and Andrew Ferguson (Bicep, pictured), Oisin O’Brien (Guerilla Shout) and others to produce the festival a one day-&-night grassroots showcase and conference celebrating the strong current of electronic music and digital visual arts that has emerged from Northern Ireland. Merging an old industrial warehouse-come-skate park (T13) with both established and emerging Electronic Music Producers, DJs and Visual Artists, this…

  • Rave New World (30/1)

    January 30, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Rave New World, the ridiculously informed, boundlessly savvy Antoin Lindsay & Aidan Hanratty delve into best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as various unmissable upcoming nights and releases. Gigs Scope presents Music in the Community at The Menagerie, Belfast Friday, January 30 Get down to The Menagerie for Scope who are putting on a host of local acts. Belfast hip-hop act Dsgrace is celebrating his album launch on the night alongside Rave New World favourite Bloom, Twitch’s Paddy Towe and the usual Scope DJs Nez, Paul Acroplane and G-BO. Main thing is it’s…

  • R51 – Pillow Talk EP

    January 29, 2015 - By 

    Belfast’s R51 latest EP, Pillow Talk, has got powerful weapons hidden in it’s arsenal. The release is awash with lush guitars, brutal riffs and a genuine excitement. The influence of the Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine is evident throughout. However, rather than parroting what those bands have done, the band seem intent on mixing these sources with their own voice to create something refreshing. Centrally though, the band seem intent on straddling that fine line between artistic and accessible and while they may not always be successful in that goal, they still knock it out of the park…

  • Jape – This Chemical Sea

    January 29, 2015 - By 

    How do you follow up not one, but two Choice Music Prize winning albums? This is a dilemma that so far no one has ever had to face other than Jape’s Richie Egan. He’s Ireland’s answer to PJ Harvey in that respect, although even she didn’t win her two Mercury Prizes with two consecutive albums.  First properly establishing himself with 2008’s Ritual, still a bona fide Irish classic and arguably Egan’s first solidly consistent piece of work, having benefitted from the success of minor hit single ‘Floating’ to show him which direction to settle on, 2011’s Ocean Of Frequency was…

  • Forbidden Fruit Announce First Acts

    January 28, 2015 - By 

    With Longitude announcing their first string of acts last week, Forbidden Fruit have followed suit with a very tidy announcement featuring some electronic and hip-hop heavyweights. Set to feature 70 acts over five stages, the festival at Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham –  taking place on the June Bank Holiday weekend, May 39-31 – will see the likes of Run The Jewels (above), Fatboy Slim and Wu-Tang Clan perform. Matador, Ejeca, Joey Badass, Bakermat, Earl Sweatshirt, Booka Shade, Dusky, Mr Scruff and Cyril Hahn will also feature in the festival’s fifth outing. Go to the Facebook event page for Forbidden Fruit 2015 for…

  • Premiere: Darling – It’s Just One Look

    January 28, 2015 - By 

    Ahead of its release on Friday, we’re pleased to present an exclusive first look at the video for ‘It’s Just One Look’ by Dublin duo Gary Harding and James McGuire AKA Darling. Directed by Michael Kelly, the video is a wonderfully retro affair, capturing the band and their rousing alt-pop to a tee. In fact, their exuberance is perfectly tangible. The song is the follow-up to the band’s equally impressive 2014 singles ‘Echoes’ and ‘Sail Away’ and will feature on their new EP, also set for release on Friday. Pre-order it here. Darling launch the EP at Dublin’s Sugar Club on Saturday night.…

  • Ty Segall – Mr. Face EP

    January 28, 2015 - By 

    We’re not really certain that Ty Segall sleeps. His near-constant stream of output, be it through his seven solo albums or countless collaborations on other records, all within a relatively short span of seven years, make us wonder when he would have the time. His latest effort comes straight off the back of last year’s glam-powered double album, Manipulator in the form of a four track EP entitled Mr. Face. Mr. Face is currently being promoted as being ‘The World’s First Playable Pair Of 3D Glasses’ but they use the term ‘glasses’ generously. If you were to hold the two red and blue 7”…

  • Start A Van

    January 27, 2015 - By 

    The follow-up to his introductory piece – Start a Band – And So I Watch You From Afar drummer Chris Wee continues his regular column with some of the more interesting, occasionally perilous tales of a touring band on the open road. Hello again and apologies for the delay on this follow-up installment of my column. My friends, family and colleagues will collectively attest to my gross misuse of such phrases as ‘sorry for the late reply’, ‘sorry i’m only getting back to you now’ and ‘sorry I just saw this’. In truth, I am awful at correspondence. I feel like my pre-disposition towards…