• Monday Mixtape: Ricky Chong

    One of our favourite DJs on the island, Ricky Chong guides us through a selection of tracks that inspire him ahead of his All Night Long headliner at Tengu in Dublin on August 9th, from Early Byrds to Carol Kidd. Aura – Short And Sweet Aura was one of my few introductions into jazz-funk infused disco music. Hailing from Hawaii, this band was known for their luscious and tight horn section as well as top-notch vocals. The whole album is pretty spot on, with a mix of slow jams all the way to their jazz-infused disco steppers. Highly recommend everyone…

  • Monday Mixtape: Stoat

    Ahead of the release of their new album I Contain Multitudes this week, self-confessed “inconsistent indie” band Stoat select and discuss the tracks that have influenced them the most from The Felice Brothers to Frank Ocean. Oliver! Soundtrack – Reviewing the situation Cormac: There’s always been a vein of musical theatre running through Stoat’s music. I listened to the Oliver! soundtrack probably a thousand times as a kid, and have always wanted to play Fagin on stage … me and John have both been in stage productions of the show, but alas, neither of us got that role (weirdly, we…

  • Monday Mixtape: Amanda Feery

    To coinside with the release of her new album NEST, acclaimed composer Amanda Feery selects the songs that have left a lasting impression on her work, from Julia Wolfe to Robert Ashley. Gazelle Twin and NYX – Deep England Elizabeth Bernholz’s (Gazelle Twin) album Deep England was an important starting point for NEST. Deep England responds to dark currents of English nationalism and conservatism in a Brexit landscape, digging up an England of ancient ghosts, and turning the image of an idyllic Albion on its head. There is a deep rage throughout the album that I attuned to immediately and…

  • Monday Mixtape: Big Sleep

    Ahead of the release of their new single ‘Pick a Cheek’, Dublin-based indie quartet Big Sleep share a playlist of songs that have inspired them, from Big Thief to The Cleaners from Venus. Here’s what the band had to say about their selections – “We put together this playlist on the run for a recording session last year. It contains both songs that we like as a band and as individuals – but some of them were an inspiration for creating our music. So, this selection and its diversity wants to represent our general taste for music but also what…

  • Monday Mixtape: Caolán Austin

    Having just released his masterful new single ‘Joyful, Joyful,’ Derry artist Caolán Austin reflects on some of his all-time favourite music, from Bill Evans and DJ Shadow, to Pinback, Steve Reich and beyond.   Vegyn – The Path Less Travelled Vegyn, in my estimation, is one of the most exciting producers around at the moment. An audible descendant from Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and all of that glitchy good stuff; he makes beautiful electronic music that captures this really raw and beautiful feeling. My good friend Stephen McCauley introduced me to this song and I’ve been obsessed with Vegyn’s…

  • Monday Mixtape: Laura Duff

    Off the back of her extraordinary debut album, Sea Legs, Limerick-based artist Laura Duff takes us on a guided tour of some of her all-time favourite tracks, from Big Thief and Laura Marling, to Irish acts Joshua Burnside, Buí and beyond. Photo by Laya Meabhdh Kenny. Sea Legs by Laura Duff Buy Sea Legs via Bandcamp here Big Thief – Cattails Big Thief are a constant source of inspiration for me, they definitely influenced the shaping of our album, and soundtracked many of our studio mornings. I could easily fill this list with Big Thief or Adrianne Lenker songs. This…

  • Monday Mixtape: Ramper

    Off the back of his sublime debut album, Loner, Donegal alt-folk artist Declan McClafferty aka Ramper talks us through some of his all-time favourite songs – from Kate Bush and the Bothy Band, to Dylan, Villagers and beyond. Photo by Joe Doherty Bob Dylan – Girl From The North Country I think this was the first song that pulled me out of listening to music through the prism of what the guitars were doing. I got a bit obsessed with the simplicity of it – acoustic, vocal, harmonica. Dylan is like a big hole. If you get stuck in there…

  • Monday Mixtape: Tigers of Tin Pan

    Off the back of their stellar new single ‘Under The Moodlight,’ cult Dublin psych-pop duo Liam Mulvaney and John Butler aka Tigers of Tin Pan riff on some of their favourite tracks, featuring Cocteau Twins, Rollerskate Skinny, Sly & The Family Stone, The Association and more. Liam Mulvaney: Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas Could be anything on that album, really. It’s like a warm rinse for the brain; musically unique, exotic and intoxicating. Oft copied: never bettered. Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower A threefer this one. Grade A Dylan lyrics, Hendrix at his most fluid and…

  • Monday Mixtape: Blue Slate

    Fresh off the release of their debut EP This Is How I Sleep at Night via Blowtorch, rising Kildare’s quartet Blue Slate take us on a guided tour of their all-time favourite tracks—from Elliott Smith and Nine Inch Nails to Death Grips, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and beyond. James: The Brian Jonestown Massacre – The Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don’t) It’s a sad song. Stripped back and raw. That’s probably why I like it so much. It evokes a strong sense of do it yourself – where all you need is a guitar and a microphone. But there’s…

  • Monday Mixtape: 1000 Beasts

    This week’s Monday Mixtape comes courtesy of Cork maestro Cian Sweeney, the mind behind 1000 Beasts. Known for his collaborative ethos – bringing together a rotating cast of vocalists and musicians to craft genre-blurring electronic pop – Sweeney has racked up over 13 million streams, proving that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With the release of his new single ‘Twin 47’ last Friday, it marks a first for 1000 Beasts – featuring his own (heavily manipulated) vocals and closing the chapter on last year’s Burning Flower project. Dive into his handpicked selections – from Men…