• Rave New World: Bank Holiday Special

    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…

  • Low Profile: Odd Waves @ The Woodworkers

    Belfast DJ Jonny Carberry offers an aural (and descriptive) insight into Low Profile, his regular night at Belfast’s new-fangled Woodworkers. The night takes place every third Saturday of the month. Here’s an idea of what to expect from Low Profile at the Woodworkers (as you pretend to study their fancy beer board). Shout our to Lavery’s: from electronic oscillations to Balearic feelings, via shoegaze, post-punk, hip-hop and soul, it’s offering some really ace music. Durutti Column – Future Perfect The very first song played at Low Profile. Partly for the rather optimistic title but mainly because it’s gentle and now (despite…

  • Monday Mixtape: Dara Kiely (Girl Band)

    Currently in the studio recording for their debut full-length album – excepted to drop at some point in the Autumn – we’re absolutely certain Dublin’s Girl Band are on the cusp of some incredible things. Taking a breather from recording vocal tracks, Dara Kiely from the band has selected some of his all-time favourite tracks for this week’s Monday Mixtape, ranging from the likes of Syd Barrett and the Doors to Kendrick Lamar and Boom Bip/Doseone. Stream that below.

  • Interview: Soup DuJour & Venus Dupree of Tease-O-Rama

    One of the more expectedly fabulous prospects in the Marquee of this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Belfast Burlesque showcase Tease-O-Rama promises an evening of music, dancing, glamour and fun on Sunday, May 3. Ahead of the event, we speak to Burlesque extraordinaire Soup DuJour and and DJ Venus Dupree about what’s in store. Photos by Sara Marsden. Hi guys. Can you give us some background on Tease-O-Rama; previous appearances and what will set this one apart from the others? Soup DuJour (above, left): I founded Tease-O-Rama nearly two years ago and it’s all about creating really fun nights that make people laugh…

  • Rave New World (24/4)

    Hallelujah! Perambulations over with, we’ve reconvened Aidan Hanratty and Antoin Lindsay once more for this week’s Rave New World, your indispensable, Friday-afternoon guide to all the very best electronic gigs, tracks, releases and mixes. Jim Wells and Iris Robinson on a bonfire. GIGS No Disco presents… Aeroplane @ Aether & Echo, Belfast Saturday, April 25 Aeroplane has been floating around for a while, plying his take on disco and Balearic across the globe since the Halcyon days of electro house when Justice were undeniably the kings of the dancefloor. While they’ve faded away Aeroplane’s rather more tasteful sound means he’s still kicking about…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (22/4)

    The week ahead is looking full already, writes Mary Stevens. Various events are happening outside of the gallery walls including a performance by Stuart Brisley as part of his exhibition Headwinds at The MAC Belfast on Thursday night. A Breath Crystal (Exhibition) Project Arts Centre, Dublin April 24 – May 30 This group show at Project Arts Centre curated by Mihnea Mircan from Extra City Kunsthal opens on Thursday night at 6pm. Artists Jean-Luc Moulène, Lonnie van Brummelen, Siebren de Haan, Katerina Undo, Miklos Onucsan, Tom Nicholson, Phillip Warnell, Jonas Staal, Fabio Mauri, Jacqueline Mesmaeker and Lawrence Abu Hamdan represent the…

  • All Genres Weird & Wonderful: Vaporwave

    In the first installment of a new feature, All Genres Weird & Wonderful, Kelly Doherty scours the world’s sub-genres so that you can sound informed at hipster dinner parties with minimal effort. Name: Vaporwave Origins: Unsurprisingly, the internet. Stemming a little bit from the Seapunk movement but very much with its own identity. How to use it in a sentence: “My kid brother asked mom to get the old Windows 95 computer out of the garage because it’s on point with his aesthetic. I think he’s turning vaporwave…” Sounds like: Oneohtrix Point Never, Washed Out, Animal Collective Vaporwave is many…

  • Blur Retrospective: Leisure (1991)

    Examining the runt of a band’s musical litter is a never fun. Looking at this small, misshapen thing and comparing it to its stronger, better formed siblings, you almost develop a strange affection for it; a kind of pity. The perpetual adolescence nature of them, acne ridden and still trying to discover what they are and who they could be. Sometimes these little creatures contain more depth and warmth than their cooler, better developed counterparts. Other times they are the like visiting a social media ghost town and seeing all those images and ideas that you were so proud of…

  • Exclusive: Stream Three Record Store Gay Tracks

    Fast becoming an Irish music institution Dublin’s Record Store Gay has some obvious added import this year ahead of the forthcoming Marriage Referendum. Now in its fourth year, the self-proclaimed celebration of music and diversity will host a mini-music festival, poster exhibition and pop-up music shop for international Record Store Day tomorrow at Dublin’s Outhouse LGBT Community Resource Centre. Hosted in association with Little Gem Records, the annual Record Store Gay CD covers compilation will also be released on the day, featuring some excellent tracks from the likes of Hi Fashion, Kate’s Party, I Heart The Monster Hero, Florence Olivier, Katherine Lynch…

  • Rave New World (17/4)

    It’s Friday, the sun is shining (kind of) and Antoin Lindsay, befitting his custom, is here to deliver Rave New World, his weekly dose of all things electronic. Get stuck in. GIGS Twitch & Nocturne present – Move D at The Bunatee, Belfast Saturday, April 18 Move D’s been in the game for over two decades so you can be assured you’re in safe hands if you make the wise decision to head to Twitch on Saturday. Expect the finest and funnest selection of house, techno and disco from Mr. Moufang who gets as into it as the crowd does.…