Mihalis Safras must be the only DJ who’s been playing for years to recently win a ‘Best Newcomer’ award — a prize that seems even more bewildering when you consider his own productions and releases […]
Author: Conor McCaffrey
Gigs round-up
FLOWDAN: The Grand Social, Dublin, tomorrow, Saturday 4 (€9) Grime MC Flowdan would’ve torn the paint off the walls at the recent gig by his frequent collaborator The Bug at Opium Rooms — but better late […]
Clark’s Death Peak sounds like ‘a boulder bouncing down a hill with birds tweeting around it’
For years Clark has been a relatively unsung hero on Warp Records, hidden in the long shadows cast by cult electronic poster boys Aphex Twin, Autechre and Boards of Canada. But English producer Chris Clark […]
Irish gigs round-up
SLEIGH BELLS, Whelan’s, Dublin, Sunday 19th, €19. One of the early decade’s biggest buzz bands, Sleigh Bells’ first two albums Treats and Reign of Terror were clashes of maximalist electronics and hyper noise-pop, and the blood-spattered white plimsolls […]
Drake’s more than a meme generator – just about
Drake may be a living, breathing meme, but he’s arriving in Ireland on the back of eight sold-out gigs at the O2 Arena — so he’s no joke in fairness. Drizzy has already spent the […]
The Redneck Manifesto – still Ireland’s favourite cult band
A series of gigs to raise cash for recording isn’t a new thing, but there hasn’t been a rake of tickets bought in Ireland recently with as much goodwill as the ones snapped up for […]
Irish gigs round-up
Carla Dal Forno, Grand Social, Dublin, Tuesday 14th, €12.50 Australian singer-songwriter Carla Dal Forno is one of the newest sign-ups to Blackest Ever Black — a label that immediately sets out its stall with its name. The Blackest […]
Irish gigs round-up
ROBERT HOOD (Floorplan), District 8, Dublin, tonight, €20 Robert Hood is an ordained Christian pastor who formed radical Detroit techno collective Underground Resistance and is literally moved to tears when discussing that “sonic revolution”. Robert […]
Out with the old: Columbia Mills interview
When you hear a band has an ‘80s influence’ your brain can’t help join the dots between breezy synthpop, power ballads and the cliched garish outfits. Columbia Mills have a distinctive 80s sound — but […]
Irish gigs round-up
Andrew Weatherall, Wigwam, Dublin, tomorrow, €10 Veteran Dublin promoters Bodytonic reckon Andrew Weatherall is their “most-adored DJ”, and the revered selector, producer, musician, raconteur and label boss will always be hovering around the top tier. In […]
Machine learning: Fjaak nod to classic techno on debut album
Fjaak may look like three young H&M models, but they make machine-tooled techno with plenty of old-timer grease under its fingernails. Childhood friends from Berlin, Felix Wagner, Aaron Röbig and Kevin Kozicki have been an item […]
William Basinski’s droney, disintegrating Bowie tribute — For David Robert Jones
Of all the tributes, cover versions and live celebrations of David Bowie around the anniversary of his death, this meditative piece by avant-garde composer William Basinski taps into Bowie’s unrelenting obsession with experimentation and reinvention. Referencing […]
Mr Tophat & Robyn’s loose, snaking disco — Right Time
Two tracks this week have punctured a few peepholes through January’s general grimness, and they’re both 10-minute disco-house belters — The Black Madonna’s He Is the Voice I Hear and Mr Tophat & Robyn’s Right […]
Mapping out infinity: Brian Eno – Reflection
Brian Eno will always be known the ambient pioneer who made Music For Airports, and his new album comes with more baggage than an international airline. The fact that it’s a new ambient LP called […]
Restore Factory settings: Peter Hook on the Hacienda’s bittersweet legacy
The Hacienda may be one of dance music’s most iconic clubs — but co-founder and owner Peter Hook never thought he’d be celebrating the club 20 years after it shut in a blaze of gang […]
Moo Kid 