• Beauty From the Dark: An Interview with Blanck Mass

    March 21, 2016 - By 

    When he’s not mustering majestic noise as one half of Fuck Buttons, Benjamin John Power has, for the last five years, been producing his own powerful, synth-heavy sounds as Blanck Mass. Having released one of 2015’s most wonderfully challenging and downright rewarding full-length listens in Dumb Flesh, he has firmly established himself as a conjurer to be reckoned with in the realm of bracingly euphoric dark electronica. Ahead of debut Irish solo shows at Belfast’s Black Box on April 1 and Dublin’s Grand Social on April 2, Brian Coney chats to Power about his thirst for discovery, remixing John Carpenter, the imprint of…

  • Bookmark: Liam Geraghty

    March 22, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark, we spend a morning hanging out with RTE radio reporter and CBBC’s Brain Freeze puppeteer Liam Geraghty around some of his favourite spots in Dublin, while he shares with us the books which have influenced his life. Photos by Pedro Giaquinto. Jim Henson The Biography – Brian Jay Jones I’ve been an obsessive fan of the Muppets since I was small. My parents would often wonder how I’d recognise stars of a bygone era like Roy Rogers (who guest starred on The Muppet Show) so it quickly became a joke in our family that I…

  • The Shape of Things To Come: An Interview With Anderson

    March 21, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of the release of his new single ‘The Existential Vacuum’ and an upcoming intimate Irish tour, David O’Neill chats to Daniel Anderson about the creative process behind his acclaimed debut album Patterns. Photos by Tara Thomas. The Irish music scene has a tendency to reward those that persevere. Conor O’Brien, Damien Rice, Christy Moore have forged lasting careers after leaving their respective bands while Glen Hansard is now experiencing worldwide success after a quarter of a century slogging it out with that other band of his. Another name likely to be added to that list is Daniel Anderson. Anderson was…

  • Independents In Paris: Cracki Records

    March 21, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Independents in Paris, Tom McGeehan pops into the HQ of Parisian imprint Cracki Records to discuss and trace their five years in the indie game. For those unfamiliar with Cracki Records, can you tell us a little bit about where the label came from and how it came to exist? Whilst doing a scooter tour of France, we met Flo, who works for a label called ‘Dawn’. He explained how their label works, from starting out to making it a success. A few months later, we ended up in India, which was a big influence…

  • Picture This: Your National Visual Arts Guide – Easter Weekend

    March 18, 2016 - By 

    The theme of 1916 and the centenary of The Rising rings loudly in the shows currently on display in Ireland’s galleries. You can see a full itinerary of cultural events associated with the celebrations here. This cultural behemoth can be all encompassing so if you looking for a break from this or for something a little different, below are a selection of excellent shows currently on around Ireland. Words by Aidan Kelly Murphy. What: AFFECTIVE ENTITIES Where: CIT Wandesford Quay Gallery, Cork When: 5th to 26th March As part of their Make 2016 Symposium: Objects and Revolution, CIT invited a…

  • Rave New World (18/03)

    March 18, 2016 - By 

    St Patrick’s Day has come and gone, and we’re a man down today. Aidan Hanratty is back to bring you the best gigs, tracks and releases of the week. Gigs Mmoths – ‘Luneworks’ Album Launch Party at District 8, Dublin Saturday 19 March Everyone’s seemingly nursing a hangover or taking it easy this weekend, so this launch party for the latest album from Mmoths should be do nicely. As well as the main man himself, there are performances from Somerville and Toby Kaar, and The Cyclist aka Buz Ludzha and DJ Deece will keep the energy up for those inclined to…

  • Interview: Brame and Hamo

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    Over the course of the past year or so, young Sligo natives Brame and Hamo have been making waves across Europe from their new base in Berlin. Having releases on Dirt Crew, their own imprint Splendor and Squalour, and Dutch house merchants Detroit Swindle’ s Heist Recordings they have garnered an ever growing respect both at home and abroad with their brand of slick house and hip-hop with audible roots in Jazz and soul. Ahead of their brand new Kebab Dreams EP due out on the 21st of March, and their sold out gig in Galway on the 16th of March organised through local promoters TRIBE, Eoin Murray has an…

  • Bookmark: Jan Carson

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark, we spend some time with author Jan Carson in her home in Belfast as she selects the books which have influenced her own work, from Truman Capote to Flannery O’Connor. Photos by Sara Marsden. Asking a confirmed book addict to narrow their collection down to ten favourite books will never elicit a simple response. I spent hours making little piles of paperbacks across my living room floor, swapping one novel for another and feeling as if I was actually turning my back on old friends when I had to relegate Kurt Vonnegut, Marilynne Robinson and Jeffrey…

  • Hyperbolex with Ray Wingnut: Community Music – Skratch Manifest

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    Communities are inevitable among humans. They can be generational, geographical, professional, circumstantial, cultural and can take on any shape you can think of. We are drawn together by factors and forces from without and within the individual. For an example of a community; even if you’ve never read The Thin Air before, if you sniff around the pages you’ll find a community; a group of pro-active fans and know-alls and eager heads that co-operate to publish a sweet piece of street literature that reflects them and their community. Their art and their era. But of course the community doesn’t stop…

  • Cinema 16 For ’16: Goodnight Mommy

    March 15, 2016 - By 

    An alternative guide to this year’s cinematic offerings, we trawl through the dilapidated rows of seats in the back alley ‘art’ cinemas and crumbling picture palaces so you don’t have to. Rescuing gummy Venus de Milos from sticky crevices and fishing midget gems out of cold cups of tea. Diaries at the ready cinephiles. One of the most hyped European horror films for some time, Goodnight Mommy, finally arrives on these shores amid some glowing, ‘caution, not for the faint-hearted’ reviews. Austria’s entry in the 88th Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category, which is some going for a horror…