• Album Premiere: Barry Wilson – Portrait

    September 18, 2019 - By 

    Never more than in the past few years has our national affinity for groove-laden jazz, funk & soul become something whose re-evaluation was overdue, what with Vulfpeck becoming one of Ireland’s adopted sons, and traditional offshoot, The Ollam. Over that same timeframe, multi-instrumentalist and composer Barry Wilson has been steadfastly crafting debut album, Portrait. Recorded across a multitude of studios in Ireland and Portugal, and featuring over 20 collaborators, it’s a focused, but eclectic collection of funk & neo-soul which feels emblematic of the spiritual ties between modern Ireland and soulful, intricately composed fusion. Portrait‘s initial recordings took place in Grawa Sound Studio in Porto, with…

  • Monday Mixtape: Bullitt selects Soul Jazz Records

    May 13, 2019 - By 

    This Saturday, May 18, the Bullitt Courtyard will host a summer sound system from esteemed label Soul Jazz Records. The label was founded in London in 1992, with the idea to draw “cross cultural connections” between soul, jazz and reggae through compilation albums. Almost 3 decades on, Soul Jazz has expanded its style and breadth – still releasing landmark retrospectives, but also sending contemporary, underground vibrations into the world. Pete and Scott will be your musical guides at Bullitt, playing across funk, soul, jazz, ska, reggae, dancehall, Latin, disco, punk, hip-hop, house, electro, UK & worldwide beats. Here, Bullitt resident DJ Jonny Carberry selects 20 of his…

  • George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic To Play Dublin in May

    March 16, 2017 - By 

    P-Funk innovator George Clinton returns to Dublin on May 16 for a show at Vicar Street alongside his two most heralded projects Parliament & Funkadelic. Revolutionising R&B, soul, funk, and crossing over into the acid-rock audience in the late ’60s & ’70s like no-one ever had before, influenced by the likes of Hendrix, Sly Stone, Zappa & Ash Ra, he released a huge number of essential albums throughout his career, especially both bands’ ’70s purple patches – memorably on the likes of Maggot Brain, Mothership Connection & One Nation Under A Groove. His P-Funk philosophy heavily inspired by the latter, stood for Parliament-Funkadelic, Psychedelic Funk &…

  • ‘Est-ce que c’est Chic?’ How NI’s love for Nile Rodgers squares with one Belfast disco oddball

    August 25, 2014 - By 

    I love disco music but I didn’t dance to Chic last Tuesday night. Instead, I watched a YouTube video of (early 80s Belgo-Portugese popstar) Lio’s ‘Sage Comme une Image’ on a disco loop. The music is exotic but fun: a tipsy groove Nile and Bernard would surely dig; Europe via downtown New York and all that. In the vid, Lio applies red lipstick, shimmies, then coyly boozes it up… as some weird dude just kind of hovers.   ‘J’adore cette chanson et le clip est genial.’ ‘Timeless musique!’ ‘Oh those French girls…’ offer some comments. ‘Nice titties’ suggests another, less…