In a special Bank Holiday installment of Rave New World, Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty shed some light on the very best new electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases.
GIGS
Misfit present Henrik Schwarz, Misfit DJs at Thompsons, Belfast
Friday, May 1
A pretty unmissable live set from Henrik Schwarz will be going off tonight in Thompsons. For very good reason, his live set has become one of the most revered in electronic music. Known for their unbounded energy, spirit and fun, you’d be a fool to pass up on this one. AL
Beat BBQ 4th Birthday May Day Sunday with DJ Rolando at The Parlour, Belfast
Sunday, May 3
It’s not every weekend you get one of Detroit’s legends in Belfast. If you’re feeling up for a Sunday party this bank holiday you’re in luck though, as ex-Underground Resistance man DJ Rolando will be at The Parlour to get you into a sweat. Expect a journey of techno, funk and electro from the guy behind ‘Knights of the Jaguar’. AL
Gary’s Gang presents: A Night Drive Through Detroit at The Sweeney Mongrel
Friday, May 1
It being a Bank Holiday weekend, there’s no shortage of events on around the country. Tonight sees Matthew Dear, Andrés, The Zenker Brothers and Boddika grace the capital, while Ancient Methods is playing in Cork. The highlight for us though, would be Gary’s Gang’s Night Drive Through Detroit. Celebrating everything and everyone from Juan Atkins and Carl Craig to Kyle Hall and MGUN, it should be a riot. AH
Soda: Junior Spesh presents K-15 [Wild Oats] at The Bernard Shaw
Sunday, May 3
Of course, the highlight of the weekend will be our very own birthday party in The Twisted Pepper tomorrow, but let’s keep it ravey. Jeff Mills is preparing to tear it up on Sunday at The Button Factory, while Karenn, the duo of Blawan and Pariah, play alongside local tech-nerds Sunil Sharpe and DeFeKT at District 8. In Galway, Bap to the Future play host to the exceptional Helena Hauff. On a different tip, Junior Spesh are bringing over K15, one of London’s most exciting talents, who followed a wonderful release on WotNot last year with a monstrous release on Kyle Hall’s Wild Oats label. He returned to WotNot for the hazy Black Tape, a collection of hip-hop vignettes, but his house chops are undeniable. AH
TRACKS
Karen Gwyer – Keisa Kizzy Kinte [Nous Disques]
I love Karen Gwyer (pictured) and I love Nous. Learning that she’s got an EP upcoming on the label has made me possibly more excited than anything else upcoming has this year. We’ve been treated to the taster ‘Keisa Kizzy Kinte’ which is an electro-dipped trip for 9 solid minutes. Everything I (and you) could have wanted and more. AL
Will Ward – Interval One [Leisure System]
Super stuff from Will Ward here. Leisure System has very rightly got itself as reputation for strong releases of this last while and it’s fifteenth release comes from Mr. Ward who, if ‘Interval One’ is anything to go by, creates some very satisfyingly tough and pretty techno. One to keep on eye on. AL
UMFANG – Church
videogamemusic preps a release from New York’s UMFANG, and ‘Church’ is the first taste of that. It’s pretty sparse, a throb of bass oozing throughout, while light percussion adds an edge of uncertainty the track. There’s not much to it, but there’s a lot to love. AH
New Jackson – Talkin’ To You
Major Problems, the Irish label run by Barry Redsetta, leaps forward with this release from New Jackson, AKA David Kitt. This hazy slice of house is informed as much by snarling electro as woozy electronica, with some syncopated jazzy organ chords thrown in for good measure. A strange mixture, yet it comes together perfectly. AH
RELEASES + MIXES
Pearson Sound – Beats in Space mix
The Pearson Sound LP from earlier in the year may have been a tad underwhelming but that’s certainly not the case with his DJing skills. He’s still as strong a selector as he ever was and this wonderful hour is packed full of nice vibes and even adds a bit of context for a few of the album tracks. AL
Nummer – Discus Mix #5
Few things excite me more than an incredibly promising mix series, and that exactly what its looking like with the Discus mix series. It’s the podcast series for Vienna-based record shop Discus Throwers and they’ve already enlisted Ruf Dug and Zambon for their series. Now they’ve brought in Nummer, a London-based French duo who have been making gorgeous house music on the low for a few years now. They’ve served up some lovely warm disco and house vibes to keep you going all night. AL
LCC – 372 – Electronic Explorations
The latest entry in Rob Booth’s Electronic Explorations series comes from LCC, a Spanish duo whose debut album d/evolution came out last year on Editions Mego. This selection opens with the searing dnb of Throwing Snow’s revision of their own track Adámas, moving swiftly into the haze of Lee Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s take on Forest Swords. Dank vibes come from the likes of Eric Holm and Andy Stott, and the affair closes with the exhilarating You Big from Karen Gwyer. This is one for repeated listens on late nights and foggy commutes. AH
