• Inbound: Flecks

    July 19, 2016 - By 

    There is an intimacy inherent in Flecks’ understated, atmospheric songs – enveloping sonic warmth that’s an invitation to lean closer; to listen beyond the quintet’s instrumental weave and hear what whispered reflections await to be deciphered. The members have converged from various musical outfits and endeavours, uniting with an ease that manipulates the auditory sense; slowly coating the listener in an aural glaze like the honey that seems to glisten on Freya Monks’ vocals. Soft, insistent percussion pushes and pulls the band along – both a quickened heartbeat and a measured pulse behind the tonal undercurrents and lyrical disclosures. Their…

  • Festival Mixtape: Knockanstockan 2016

    July 19, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of its highly-anticipated return to Blessington Lakes in Wicklow this weekend, we’ve compiled a Spotify playlist featuring twenty artists we highly recommend checking out at this year’s Knockanstockan. Celebrating their 10th outing – a huge accomplishment by any stretch of the imagination – here’s our recent interview with Bettine McMahon and Graham Sharpe from the fiercely independent, homegrown Irish festival right here. And here’s Holly Pereira’s rather pretty Knockanstockan 2016 Festival Map.

  • Banter & Eventbrite Event Talks: Does Dublin Need a Night Mayor?

    July 18, 2016 - By 

    Tuesday July 12th saw the third in this year’s Event Talk series take place in Wood Quay. Hosted by Banter and Eventbrite, the series focuses on event-related talks and conversations, including festival trends and the science of events. For the third talk the topic was that of Dublin needing a Night Mayor, a topic of debate at SXSW and something many other European cities have brought in. The panel, hosted by Banter’s Jim Carroll, was made up of Richard Guiney (CEO DublinTown, Dublin City’s Business Improvement District), Niall Byrne (Nialler9) and Roisín McVeigh (Cheap Trick, Frock Advisor and Totally Dublin). Over the course of about an hour the…

  • RIP Alan Vega: The Elvis of Psychosis

    July 17, 2016 - By 

    Like many who would become fans, I can vividly recall discovering Suicide. I was barely eighteen, having returned home from yet another ill-advised rural Northern Irish Saturday night out. A few days before, a classically myopic Nirvana devotee a tad too immersed in late-teen hubris, guitar angst – I seem to have told myself – just wasn’t cutting it much anymore. Suddenly gluttonous almost to the point of panic for musical discovery, I had recently spent several consecutive late nights in the back room downloading countless vigorously recommended albums by two sonic savants I recall swearing by then, Piero Scaruffi…

  • Rave New World (15/07)

    July 15, 2016 - By 

    Antoin Lindsay is back from Freero, and he and Aidan Hanratty return with the best electronic gigs, tracks and mixes and releases of the week. Gigs Bap To the Future with Optimo at Electric Garden & Theatre, Galway Friday 15 July 2016 Glasgow stalwarts Optimo are coming Bap to the Future, bringing their world-famous eclecticism to the 2020’s European City of Culture. Their label continues to innovate, with release #36 from Pussy Mothers sounding key, and their DJing is utterly unquestionable. AH Twitch Present Martyn at The Bunatee, Belfast Saturday 16 July Finally Martyn makes it to Twitch. The constantly…

  • Track Record: Toby Kaar

    July 14, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Cork producer Toby Kaar talks us through some of his all-time favourite records, featuring Kanye West, Warieka Hill Sounds and Fleetwood Mac. Various Artists – No Oil Crisis This is a really funny record. A New Thing album in response to the Gulf Oil crisis. I’ve never understood that kind of contrived connection between music and current events. Like the time they sent Rahzel out on a boat to beatbox about melting icecaps. Anyway, I got this in a second-hand record shop in Bristol. The album is a great cross-section of the kind of…

  • Feel Good Lost’s 5th Birthday

    July 12, 2016 - By 

    The working name for Cork director, editor, designer, cameraman, alternative DJ, live visual artist and media designer Brendan Canty, Feel Good Lost just celebrated their 5th birthday party in the panoramic Mitchelstown Caves. This year featured candlelit performances from the enigmatic JFDR (Iceland) and an immense and explorative performance from Cork act Talos. As well as taking photos of the event, Blair Alexander Massie had the pleasure of chatting with Brendan about the milestone. After 5 longs years of emails, flights, videos, EP and LP’s and now a show in a cave. What’s the most rewarding part about what you…

  • Festival Mixtape: Longitude 2016

    July 12, 2016 - By 

    Set to return to Dublin’s Marlay Park this weekend, the three-day line-up for this year’s Longitude is easily one of the strongest of the Irish summer festival calendar. Headlined by Kendrick Lamar, Major Lazer and The National – as well as featuring the likes of Jamie xx, Father John Misty (pictured), Run The Jewels, Laura Mvula, Courtney Barnett, Vic Mensa and Kurt Vile & The Violators – organisers have struck a keen balance with both genre and the ratio between homegrown artists and much bigger acts. Ahead of what’s set to be yet another memorable weekend for the MCD-run festival, stream our 30…

  • Monday Mixtape: Joe Greene (Documenta)

    July 11, 2016 - By 

    This week’s eclectic Monday Mixtape comes courtesy of Joe Greene, who has been at the helm of some of the most cosmically enveloping music ever to come out of Belfast, courtesy of  psych/drone-pop seven-piece Documenta. They’re to release an extended version of the David Holmes-produced ‘Love As A Ghost’ (artwork above, single below) originally from their excellent 2015 album, Drone Pop #1, through Touch Sensitive Records. Documenta play Mister Tom’s Lounge at Lavery’s, Belfast on July 22 to coincide with the single’s release. Now, over to Joe. “In no particular order here are a few of my favourite things.” Big Star – For You I first heard Big Star when I was a teenager way…

  • Rave New World (08/07)

    July 8, 2016 - By 

    Lucky Antoin Lindsay is off to Freerotation, so Aidan Hanratty is here to bring you the week’s best gigs, tracks and mixes. Gigs Stone Roses Afterparty – A Guy Called Gerald & Graeme Park at Opium Rooms, Dublin Saturday 9 July Crazy as it might seem, this will probably be a super night. Acid house legends A Guy Called Gerald and Graeme Park are sure to bring things back to 88, and I’m not sure anything could ever be more fun. Out To Lunch with Jayda G and Dip at Tengu Bar – Yamamori Sushi, Dublin Saturday 9 July Dip had Jayda G (pictured)…