In two separate parallel universes, Simple Minds could’ve been bigger than U2, or carved out a niche underground career as experimental cosmic synth visionaries. Their 1981 instrumental track Theme For Great Cities is the ultimate […]
CASisDEAD emerging from the shadows
North London rapper CASisDEAD has been an enigmatic underground figure for over a decade, but he peeked his masked face from out of the shadows this week after winning Best Hip-Hop/Grime Act at the Brits. […]
The Pharcyde’s complicated nostalgia trip
After playing Cork and Belfast last year, hip-hop veterans The Pharcyde are returning to play their spiritual Irish home of The Sugar Club — one of the best, maybe the best place to see a […]
Rick Astley: Treat ’em meme, keep ’em keen
Rick Astley’s second big comeback has been a lot more culturally sound than the first. That first time the 80s cheese-pop star reignited in the public consciousness was the ‘Rick Roll’ internet meme — sending […]
Fire and sonic fury – The Bug & Flowdan
In a great long-read interview with Droid on the Nialler9 site this week, Kevin ‘The Bug’ Richard Martin really opened up about the power and cathartic release of physical music, saying “loud music rearranges your […]
Hinako Omori — music as therapy
Many people say music is a sort of therapy, but Japanese artist Hinako Omori takes this ethos further than most. The ambient producer is fascinated by the physical and psychological effect of frequencies, saying: “I’m […]
Can’t get no sleep: The Black Dog – Music for Real Airports
When Brian Eno released Ambient 1: Music For Airports in 1978, flying was still a relative luxury and airports were gateways to holiday destinations that didn’t involve candy floss and sandcastles. Eno’s four-track suite of […]
Suchi Selects — the sound of the Indian electro underground
New Delhi independent radio station and label Boxout FM has just started a new series of DJ compilations that “give listeners a taste of the current soundscape in India”. The first collection is curated by […]
Ajukaja & Ats’ ‘improv-not-improv’ groove
I first got a nod to Tallinn label Porridge Bullet through Estonian avant-pop maverick Mart Avi’s 2020 album Vega Never Sets, and it’s a go-to hub for leftfield electronics, art-rock, deep house, sonic collages and […]
Season’s twinkles: The Last Sound – An Air So Fine
You need a bit of nerve, confidence and ‘sure fuck it’ attitude to release music at the end of December, when everyone’s already binged on their end-of-year Listmas albums, cramming Celebrations into their mouths and […]
Moo Kid’s 2021 in 30 albums
Soundtrack to another weirdo year…
Some light in A Frosty Dawn
Any normal year, a frosty dawn around this time would mean stumbling home after a Christmas after-party that went a bit too far, calling to a 24-hour Centra for a bottle of Lucozade. But as […]
Soda Blonde cut the Small Talk at the end of the year
Dublin act Little Green Cars called it a day in 2019, after a few years building up a a grassroots following with their subtle indie-rock with nods to London Grammar and The xx. Four of […]
Real Lies’ MELANCHOLY rave contradictions
London act Real Lies are all about contrasts and contradictions, with rave-inspired pop music that’s about so much more than the obvious signifiers. Their 2015 debut album Real Life was poetic, heartfelt recount of a […]
AVA making up for lost time
Considering the DUP’s obsession with getting one over on the Papist Republic, it’s a wonder they haven’t been all over the North’s head start on gigs reopening over the last few weeks — especially the […]
Moo Kid 