• A Litany of Failures: Volume IV is Announced

    August 9, 2023 - By 

    Irish compilation series A Litany of Failures, which features independent acts from all corners of the island, has just announced the pre-order and tracklisting for its fourth volume.  Set for release on double vinyl and digitally on September 8th, it’s available via Bandcamp. The compilation features 22 brand new, exclusive tracks from some of our favourite acts on the island, as well as some exciting new prospects. The double vinyl set once again features artwork by Pipe & Pallet, and the first 30 pre-orders feature a bespoke print from Belfast-based artist Phantom Powered Pixels.  The Litany of Failures series aims to document the grassroots music community…

  • Compilation Premiere: The Space Between – First

    December 16, 2020 - By 

    Something you might have noticed from our end-of-year lists is that one of the biggest trends of 2020’s imposed isolation has been the willingness of Irish artists to to come together remotely. Be it for a cause or for the sake of maintaining some sense of artistic worth, or simply born out of malaise – it’s that which comes out of the undergrowth that generally leads to the most fascinating results, and indeed, this year has landed us with a wealth of phenomenal compilations and collaborations across the island, giving a pre-built sense of community when things get back to normality. Today, we’re pleased to give you a first…

  • Premiere: JaJa Studios – The Lost Sound Vol. 1

    November 5, 2020 - By 

    Having provided Dublin musicians and various other creatives with a vital hub over the last seven years, Stoneybatter DIY music and art space JaJa Studios recently lost its home on Cowper Street to a developer. Dusting themselves down, the collective have wasted no time in looking for a new HQ – and ways to make that a reality. Cue The Lost Sound Vol. 1, a new, 22-track cassette tape compiled to raise proceeds for a new space. A self-proclaimed (and entirely accurate) slice of the Irish music underground from some scene stalwarts, it’s a wonderfully eclectic release, featuring Flowers at Night, Declan…

  • Stream: An Taobh Tuathail Vol. 9

    September 10, 2020 - By 

    The arrival of An Taobh Tuathail Vol. 9 doesn’t come a second too soon. Long a highlight of the Irish music calendar, Cian Ó Cíobháin’s annual compilation, which is based on music played on his stellar leftfield radio show of the same name, is as reliable and filler-free as many of us have come to expect. Thankfully, Vol. 9 isn’t an exception to the rule. Featuring over 120 tracks (roughly akin to ten hours of music) the compilation includes TTA favourites such as Elaine Howley, Natalia Beylis, Mark Waldron-Hyden, Maria Somerville and Elma Orkestra, alongside international acts like Mica Levi, Mary Lattimore, Carla dal…

  • Various Artists – The 343 Vol.1

    June 25, 2020 - By 

    Named for Le Manifeste des 343,  a brave act of civil disobedience by French women who dared sign a Simone de Beauvoir penned petition, publicly declaring that they had undergone illegal abortions,  The 343 is a feminist-led, Queer art space that has swiftly become a thriving and vital corner stone of the Belfast music scene. Having  garnered a glowing reputation for its community-driven ethos and unflinching dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA artists, The 343 has now put together its first compilation album. The 343 Vol. 1 brings together a vibrant range of experimental artists associated…

  • Stream: The 343 Vol 1

    May 1, 2020 - By 

    In virtually no time at all, Belfast’s 343 has established itself as a vital part of the city’s creative community. An artist-focused, feminist-led, queer art-space in East Belfast, it’s one of many venues fighting to survive during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Currently fundraising as part of a national initiative launched by the Music Venue Trust, the 343 are going one further with the release of the aptly-titled The 343 Vol 1. Across fifteen tracks, it’s an endlessly listenable, perfectly genre-traversing compilation, featuring TTA favourites Rising Damp, Natalia Beylis, Elaine Howley, Gross Net & Fears and more. Best of all, seeing as Bandcamp…

  • Premiere: Citóg Records Volume Four – Too Much Can Kill You

    July 9, 2019 - By 

    On Thursday (July 11) Galway independent label Citóg Records will launch its highly-anticipatd fourth annual compilation at the Róisín Dubh. Once again, it’s a prime opportunity to hone in on just how far the label has come. Across eleven tracks, this new installment (which is titled Too Much Can Kill You) offers a remarkably varied and totally inspired snapshot of Citóg as a collective of artists, collaborators and friends. From the woozy sci-fi surf of Eoin Dolan’s ‘Superior Fiction’ and Tracy Bruen’s shapeshifting ‘Mirror’ to the inward-peering indie-folk of ‘Amsterdam’ by David Boland aka New Pope and beyond, it’s full, genre-spanning testament to the importance…

  • A Litany Of Failures Vol. II Announced

    July 3, 2018 - By 

    Following the limited release of cross-Ireland Little L Records compilation, 2016’s A Litany of Failures – featuring Oh Boland, Shrug Life, That Snaake and Junk Drawer – an expanded second edition has been confirmed for release on July 13. Set to be released on 180g gatefold double vinyl, as well as through Bandcamp, Spotify and the usual outlets, it features 18 acts from Belfast, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Dublin, Galway & Limerick. The DIY, co-op endeavour aims to provide an opportunity to perform outside each of their hometowns, shortening the mental distances between bands, and encouraging a cross-pollination of musical communities. Splitting costs between artists and the organisers, a sense of…

  • Premiere: Citog Records – Volume 2: Melancholia in the Mirror

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    Home to some of our favourite artists from the West of Ireland, Galway independent, artist-run label Citóg Records will launch their second compilation at their spiritual home at the Roisin Dubh on Thursday night in association with Strange Brew. Featuring everyone from Drown, Field Trip, New Pope to Whim, Eoin Dolan and Majestic Bears, the fourteen-track release is a carefully-curated, genre-spanning collection of tracks, perfectly encapsulating the imprint’s dedication to commitment to eclectic, homegrown sounds and their firm – and on-point – belief that their neck of the woods is a “culturally significant, artistically stimulating” bastion of creativity. Playing on the launch night are The…

  • VA – Slowly Exploding: 10 Years of Perc Trax

    November 14, 2014 - By 

    Techno is in a very different place from when Ali Wells, better known as Perc, started up his Perc Trax label with his own ‘Ice Cream for Kenton’ single. A solid 62 (thus far) 12”s later, a bunch of digital releases and a handful of albums later, here we are in 2014 where Perc Trax’s brand of blistering machine funk is in vogue to an extent not seen since the 90s. To celebrate a decade of the label’s existence we’re given two CDs; a compilation of new Perc Trax material from both label regulars (Perc, Truss, Forward Strategy Group) and…