SKIRMISH

Gonjasufi M.U.Z.Z.L.E.

2012-01-27T10:22:00.000Z

Californian electronic reggae maestro Gonjasufi has a new release out through Warp. Entitled M.U.Z.Z.L.E, it was produced by Sufi and Psychopop in his home studio in the midst of the Nevada desert. It's a 10 track collection of abstruse hip hop tinged reggae that takes in a variety of dark different sounds, all intertwining with Gonjasufi's distintive gravel that will get buried deep inside your conscious.

You can purchase it through Bleep in a variety of different formats.

You can download the track Nikels And Dimes for free by submitting your email here

Choonage This Weekend

2012-01-26T23:25:00.001Z

Here's what's happening gig wise this weekend. All on Saturday. Click pictures for more information.

For those of you in Limerick on Saturday night then there's only one place to be and that's Dolans Warehouse for the Scientific Wax showcase with Equinox and B-Key. Equinox was without doubt one of the most animated DJ's I've ever seen and he always kills it.

http://www.bodytonicmusic.com/events/2570/

I'll personally be up in Dublin on Saturday night to see Ancient Methods in The Twisted Pepper, who are one of the best and most original techno acts around and have never disappointed me once.

If Belfast is your port of call on Saturday night, then Jungle Boogie has a serious line up with DJ Krome and Mr Time being supported by a massive Irish junglist contingent. This is definitely gonna make heads roll.

INTERVIEW: TOBY KAAR

2012-01-26T18:45:00.005Z

Corkonian Toby Kaar has been attracting lots of attention over the last few years. Most recently featuring in Faces of 2012 on state.ie, and last year winning Whelan's One to Watch Festival 2011, Toby has gained national acclaim for his music, and justifiably so.
Toby's warm, melodic electronica and precise, crackling rhythm is engrossing & will have you moving before you know it. He combines a lushness that is achieved only through seriously good production & mixes a touch of glitchy IDM with skewed hip hop beats. I can't get enough of his stuff!
Oh, and lest I forget, his remixes are something else too!

Just back from Eurosonic which was held in The Netherlands last week, Toby took the time to answer a few questions for us…

How did you first get into making electronic music and how long have you been doing it?
I've answered this questions loads of times before so I figure I should add something more this time: I wasn't interested in music until I was about 16, maybe. My older brother was into AC/DC and Slayer and all that, so I started listening to those for a while. Then one day my brother has an illegal copy of FruityLoops on the computer and we mess around on it. After a while I'm doing that every day, until my brother tells me to check out Reason, again a cracked copy on the family computer. So I use that for a while, all this time doing it for fun, for the novelty of making noises or something, until one day I make a riff that I really love and spend the next 8 hours making my first real track. And from there I couldn't stop like. I just spent all my time making music. I also started going out to shows and clubs, mostly Electric Underground, those kinda places. That was maybe 7 years ago, so it's been a while....

How do you go about making music; do you have a process?
I figure every producer has a process. For me there are a couple of important stages. Firstly I need inspiration, so I'll throw a pile of shit at a wall and see if anything sticks. Then I spend a few days hammering out the main elements of the track, then 2 weeks filling in bits that I wouldn't think the track needed. After that I spend about 6 weeks doubting myself and hating the song, until one day it makes sense and I call it finished.

What's your favorite piece of gear that you just couldn't live without?
I guess my computer, unoriginal as that is. I don't use anything nearly as much as it and I actually love using it. It's a lot more comfortable for me than sitting down and playing something on a guitar. That said, I'm always trying to break that comfort zone stuff, so I do use a lot of other instruments. It's just they couldn't come together without the PC.

You've become very well known in Ireland over the last few years and made quite a name for yourself. Featuring in The Ticket, Hotpress and winning Whelans' One To Watch, to name but a few. Well done man! Have you found this has attracted more attention to your stuff and what have you gained from it?
It's definitely been good for me in terms of people coming to shows. I never expect people to turn up at gigs, but it definitely gives me courage and a drive to make music when there's a crowd that turn up. So that element of recognition is something. I figure I'd be making music anyway, but when people are coming up telling me they like my music, it makes me more excited to do new tracks, you know? Of course there are the other benefits of getting gigs and that, that I can kinda afford to just make music for a few months of the year. That's great and wasn't something I expected to happen like.

You've been studying Creative Music Technology in Bath, has this widened your musical scope and helped you develop your sound?
Definitely. The course is great, and I feel like I'm in a totally different place from when I went in. I don't know how to describe it, but it was very humbling. I realised I'm not anywhere near where I want to be, musically. I've learned huge amounts about creative direction, sound quality, even just the nature of making music. It's been a great few years, really. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Being a true Cork man do you like, miss the place and how does the music scene compare from here to Bath?
I miss Cork every day! Cork's so good for music and a lot of people don't see that. Bath is probably bigger than Cork, but there's nowhere near the diversity of music available to me here. There's music that makes money, nothing done for the love of music, as far as I've seen. So when I'm in Cork I always try catch even some DJ night or something, because those kinda things shouldn't be taken for granted.

Touring with Gold Panda and playing on the same stage as Flying Lotus is an accomplishment in itself, what was it like to be on the same platform as such big names?
It's... I dunno. It's all part of a much larger machine. People see those things and think I'm in some way better than any other producer, but I'm not. I look at it that I've been doing stuff for enough time that some people have decided to put me on those stages. I've been to enough shows with crap support to know that being on stage with a big act doesn't mean shit.

I think you should just think about music as a two party thing - you and the music. Once you bring in promoters or bloggers or any other person's view, you lose focus of the fact that it's just music, and it's just something that you hear, not some social movement (for the most part, unless we're talking political music and all that but I've nothing to do with that).

(Ten Past Seven - Johnston's Cows (Toby's Cattleshed Remix - Live)

You've done some brilliant remixes for Neavounoise, Funeral Suits and Ten Past Seven, to name some of my favorites. What is it about remixing you love and do you get a kick putting your stamp on songs?
I do like remixing, but I've had to shelve it to work on my own stuff recently. I like getting material that you HAVE to work with; with any other production you can throw away bits you don't like. So I like that, that it pushes you out of your comfort zone. I also like that there's almost a dialogue there, that one band makes something and ask another act to re-interpret that. I think it kinda... tightens musical bonds or something? Like I've done a good few remixes for different styles of music and I love that I feel kinda connected to them because of that.

All of your tracks are available to download on soundcloud; it's not often you come across that. You're obviously very generous with your work. How come?
It's not like I don't think I should be paid for my work, but I do think I should only pay for my work when I ask to be. That music is from a while ago, it's old and I don't care so much about it anymore. That said, I'm working on releasing something in the next while, and I'm hoping people will pay for that. It's not so much the monetary thing (although obviously that helps) but more the.... kinda respect from it? Can I say that? Because when you buy something, digital, physical, whatever, it's not so much about the music, it's more a token of respect to the artist. Well, that's how I figure the whole piracy thing has ended up.

What are you listening to at the moment and what was the last music you bought?
RIGHT NOW I'm listening to a new track I made, trying to figure out why it sounds shit. In terms of new stuff, I was in Holland last week and I bought a load of jazz, mostly for sampling. One great guy out of those was a guy called pheeroan aklaff, I got a record that's pretty much a 40 minute drum solo. How can you not love that? Other stuff I got recently was the new Oneohtrix Point Never record, which was great. I can see him reaching Tim Hecker-level albums if he keeps at it. I also got a double LP of Pakistani synth cinema music on Finders Keepers that's really really great. Like you wouldn't expect the sounds considering the time and place.

What's on the cards for Toby Kaar in 2012?
Long term: keep making music, keep meeting interesting people, keep playing shows, keep my values
Medium term: finish an EP, finish university
Short term: finish this mojito, make another, dance like an idiot in some shitty club

Toby Kaar is most definitely on the way up and we're bound to be hearing much more from him, and indeed about him, in the future. He's back studying in Bath at the moment but we'll keep you informed on his much anticipated, forthcoming EP & on when next to catch him playing. Much thanks to Toby for the interview!

Brophy - Anaphalactic Rock Mix

2012-01-26T17:04:00.000Z

Dublin's own Michael Brophy posted up an absolute whopper of a mix last night. Mixed on all vinyl, it's an all out four to the floor, arms in the air, techno assault and I love every second of it and had to post it here. Keep an eye out for more of his mixes in the future because I can guarantee you they're gonna get better.

Design Change

2012-01-26T11:42:00.003Z

As you may have noticed the blog has undergone a design change. We felt a change was needed and we're very happy with the new look and we hope you like it too. It's not fully complete yet and, in the coming weeks we'll be tweaking and adding and changing things so bear with us. Please let us know what you think of the new design or what could be improved/changed and any other suggestions by leaving a comment below.

Cheers,
Ken, Shiv and Caroline :)

Aphex announced for Bangface Weekender

2012-01-25T21:09:00.000Z

The mighty Aphex Twin has been announced as the first act to play Bangface Weekender 2012. This is music to my ears (literally) as Aphex managed to play possibly the best gig I've ever seen at Forbidden Fruit last year. Cannot wait to see who else they announce.

Bangface takes place from September 14 to 16th in Cornwall.

New Mutant Bass release -In The Face EP

2012-01-25T16:57:00.000Z

Brighton party crew In The Face kick off the first Mutant Bass release of 2012 with the aptly titled In The Face EP. Residents Hadean, Simtek and Gash provide a track each on the release with Heapy and Skirmish favourite Yeahhbuzz tackling remix duties on Hadean's Psycho Skank. Each track is an all out Mutant Bass orgy with Yeahhbuzz turning Hadean's tune on it's head making the bassline even heavier. Have loved every release on Mutant Bass so far and this one is no exception. I've a feeling I'll be playing this on repeat for a while. As with all the other releases, you can pay what you want, including downloading it for free, but it's well worth throwing some cash towards,

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mutantbassrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-face-ep"&amp;amp;gt;In The Face EP by V/A&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Koloah - Bulletproof EP

2012-01-25T13:04:00.000Z

Saturday saw the release of Bulletproof, a new 6 track E.P. by Ukraine producer Koloah on Russian label Hyperboloid, who have gotten a few mentions on here as they've been consistently releasing quality producers. Bulletproof sees Koloah retain a crunk feel to his tunes but exploring more elements of juke mixed with floaty synths. It's a solid release with the last three tracks really holding the EP together and is another good release for the Hyperboloid team. It's available for download through their bandcamp below for $5.

<a href="http://hyperboloid.bandcamp.com/album/bulletproof">Bulletproof by Koloah</a>

Private Underground Residence Return

2012-01-24T16:23:00.000Z

One of Ireland's finest bands Private Underground Residence make a welcome return to the gigging circuit on the 9th February in An Realt Dearg on Barrack St in Cork. The band have been on hiatus for a year working on their album, which is due out soon and looks set to be an all out post rock jamboree . They're a band that very much have their own sound and are always brilliant live. Support and the night comes from The Handless Organist and Brian Dillion. While it's free in, they'll be accepting donations towards the album. Click the poster for more information.

Private Underground Residence - Snuffbox by P.U.Residence

Recommended: FAWS -Antonym EP

2012-01-24T13:28:00.000Z

This has been doing the rounds on the blogosphere for the last month or so and boy is it good. Antoynm is a five track EP by illusive Dublin producer FAWS. Nothing more is known about the project other than he/she/they are from Dublin, as little is given away through the facebook and bandcamp pages. This mystery adds something more to the project as Antoynm is very arcane sounding in itself. This is also true of Burial's debut release, whose an obvious influence on FAWS. It would be unjust however to merely write FAWS off as a Burial replica because rather than sounding like Burial, it sounds like it was influenced by him, which is a great thing. The whole EP is driven by tight rhythms and eerie vocal samples drifting over foley sounds and lavish keys. Opener Take Notice sets the mood for the rest of Antoynm with a haunting melody and soft piano loop laying the foundations for a tune, that, when you close your eyes, takes you to somewhere else altogether. This feeling flows throughout all 5 tracks and while they won't make you want to take to the dance-floor and groove, you'll just sit back, listen and take it all in-which is I'm sure the aim of the EP.

This is certainly one of the most original releases by an Irish producer I've ever heard and although there's no release yet, you can stream the EP through the bandcamp below. Time will tell whether gigs will happen and whether all will be revealed but the only thing that really matters is the music and I hope that FAWS keep's making it because it's just simply lovely to listen to.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://faws.bandcamp.com/album/antonym-ep"&amp;amp;gt;Antonym EP by Faws&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Interview: Radioactive Man

2012-01-23T18:01:00.000Z

If there's two things I love in tunes it's big bass and catchy riffs. Radioactive Man knows how to do these very well. Having been on the scene for 20 years, he's brought out some great music, from creating some quality tracks with Andrew Weatherall as Two Lone Swordsmen to collaborating with Billy Nasty as well as putting out his own solid releases. Growl is an album that I know inside out and I was lucky enough to catch him play twice last year and both times he was epic. I thought my brain was going to explode at his set at Bloc which was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. With a new EP this month and and album in February for Wang Trax, 2012 looks set to be another busy year for the veteran producer . I'm delighted to have an interview with him to pick his brain and find out more about the upcoming releases.

I supposefirstly, what was it that got you interested in electronic music and makingyour own tunes?

Well, turning 20 in 1992 and being in the midst ofthe most exciting change in music was the main thing...

The free parties were kicking right off, everysingle weekend there was a massive rave somewhere, I had a big blue van andevery weekend I would fill it with mates and off we went..

Culminating in the beast of a rave that wasCastlemorton, estimated 50,000 people by word of mouth that went on for10 days..

It was a truly amazing time, the birth of Jungle/Drum n bass as we know it, all fuelled by a new drug called ecstasy - it was arecipe for adventures and going completely mental for days on end...

But before all that I was going to clubs like theDrum club,(thursday) Sabresonic (Friday) and Full circle on a Sunday where itwas mainly Techno /House vibes..

I was playing guitar in a band ,so I wanted toexperiment with electronic music too, and it was great cos you could do it allon your own, which after playing in a band is very refreshing...

My 1st release was a 12" on Full circle recordswith a mate, we were called 7Hz..

Radioactive Man DJ Mix by Clash Music on Mixcloud

The newalbum and EP Engine have been a while coming. Was this a conscious decision?Did you purposely take your time with them?

No, some of these new tracks have been done for 3-4years. It was going to come out on my own label Control Tower, which was beingfunded and run by Fabric records.. to cut a long story short, they had to windthings up on the record side of things, as a lot of small labels did, becausepeople just weren't buying enough to justify the cost. It’s not that much better now really, butthings have got better and hopefully still are.

After that happened I was very disillusioned with itall and decided to just sit back for a bit and see how things panned out. Goodmusic will still be good music in the future, and that can also be a good test- the test of time.. I was just about to release it all on Digital, (begrudgingly because it sounds so much better on vinyl ), when my goodfriends at Wang told me they were starting a label with vinyl and would Ilike to put my music out with them..

So now I have a big backlog of tracks to releasewhich is good.

The Engine EP Previews - out end of Jan 2012 on WANG Trax by RADIOACTIVE MAN

Growl hasa different feel to your other releases in the sense that it feels moreexperimental. Was this intentional?

I don’t think it was experimental when u compare itto things like Autechre for example, but for me – I don’t really want to repeatmyself too much, you got to keep things fresh for yourself otherwise you'rejust going over the same shit. That’s why it always amazes me when peoplejust make 4/4 music or DnB or one kind of any music - it would drive menuts.

Do you think electronicmusic is progressing through incorporating different genre styles or do youthink sticking with the old-skool methods are enough?

Yes its defo progressing, I think thats what we dobest on these isles - we are generally the ones who push things forward andsome of the stuff coming out now is well warped... But sometimes simplicity isthe key too, I don’t like tracks that sound like a technology competition whensometimes a good groove is all u need..

Having said that, there are people that do thatkinda stuff exceptionally well.. Aphex being one of the untouchables..

What doyou find more satisfying – a DJ set or playing out live?

Both are really enjoyable, but playing live defo hasthe edge.. theres more room to jam and Ad lib etc..

The newEP is being released through new London label WANG Trax. How did this deal comeabout and what’s the story behind the label?

Wang is Lou and Nathan Hernando, really good friendsof mine whom I've know for years.. I grew up in same area as Nathan. They'vebeen doing parties indoors and out for over 12years, really musicallyenthusiastic people so when they said they were doing the label I jumped at thechance because i know they're hearts are in it 100% . I always liked toput my music out with people I know cos its a really personal thing too, andyou can always trust your mates to give you an honest opinion.

Do you listen to non-electronic music and if so, who?

Yep, loads. I've got a staple diet of roots reggae(Lee Scratch Perry being one of the most inventive producers ever in myopinion). I learned to play guitar when I was young by learning blues so Istill love all things bluesy like Jon Spencer, R.L Burnside, Howling wolf, The Kills, PJ Harvey, Hendrix, etc to loads of 70's funk and soul,The Meters being a fave... to dirty rock n roll like The Cramps, Nirvana etc.Most new music is shite and over cooked, and don’t get me started on thekaroake competition which is X factor etc. shocking. They should at least beencouraging people to write their own music ffs. But the public seem tolap it up, so who am I to argue ?

How do youapproach writing a tune? Any gear and routines that are always a must?

I normally start with the drums, inevitably the 808as I just love that sound so much. I cant believe no-one's invented a drummachine that is so immediately brilliant sounding.. The kick drum alone has andstill is in all genres from DnB to house to hip hop.. unbeatable. And Ilove using arpeggios cos you always end up with unexpected stuff happening..

What are the benefits of using hardware over software?

Hardware sounds much fatter, especially the analoguekind, and generally the clock is much tighter..

EG an Akai Mpc sounds totally different to acomputer clock. And computers are generally much thinner sounding than machineswhich are built to do music specifically.

What kind of reaction do you want your music to evoke from the listener?

Crying, Laughing, Raving, shagging.

What producers are you into at the moment?

Boddika is doing some great stuff, NeilLandstrumm, Jerome Hill, Cisco Ferreira, Ed Rush and Optical, Carl Finlow,Dexorcist, AFX, Luke Vibert , and Paul Blackford + all things Detroitlike Model 500, Carl Craig, Mad Mike, to name a few..

What is your favourite piece of music?

Brian Eno 'An ending ascent' is one of them... Icould listen to that on loop for hours.

What does2012 hold for you?

Hopefully lots of gigs and good times, as i'mnot cut out to get a 'proper' job. :)

Big up to Radioactive Man for the interview. His new EP drops at the end of this month with an album to follow in February so make sure and get your hands on em.

Squire Of Gothos - We Do Jeff Goldblum Things

2012-01-23T14:40:00.000Z

Sheffield nuthob's The Squire Of Gothos have a new release out, We Do Jeff Goldblum Things on their own label, Off Me Nut . It a 6 track collection of mega bassline madness with some MC's thrown in for good measure. You can download it for the very reasonable price of £3.

The Squires play Galway and Cork on the 3rd and 4th February and having seen em a few times they always put on a savage show and have the place hopping.

<a href="http://offmenutrecords.bandcamp.com/album/we-do-jeff-goldblum-things">We Do Jeff Goldblum Things by The Squire Of Gothos</a>

Chonnage this weekend

2012-01-20T13:40:00.000Z

Some gigs going on in Cork this weekend!! Click pictures for more information!!

Cian Finn of Intinn plays his first solo show in The Pavillion tonight with Hibernian Dub Foundation and guests taking over for a night of heavy dub reggae .

The excellent Skeptical plays in Cyprus Avenue tomorrow night for Rise Up and promises to be a balls to the walls drum and bass assault. Have only heard good things about him live!!

If your looking for some house music tomorrow night then the Realt Dearg is the place to be with an array of guest DJ's and live performances in store and it's FREE!!

New Clark album - Iradelphic

2012-01-20T12:19:00.000Z

Well, this is brilliant news altogether. Clark is set to release his new album through Warp on the 2nd April. I've been waiting for this for a while so I'm thrilled it's on the way and he's giving away a free download of a track from the it, the absolutely lovely Com Touch. Clark had this to say about the record:

"I've been hunting down that elusive paradox. To create something that didn't sound like what I've done before. But was also unmistakably me. It's quite a maddening task."

"I don't think I've ever recorded in so many diverse locations; there was a lot of field recording going on in Snape, Sussex, harpsichords and orchestral drums. All recorded with a variety of tools. From £8k Cold War microphones, bling studio set ups, to laptop microphones, crumbling cassettes, Dictaphones. It all got used."

"Then a massive recording session in Wales with Bibio, only some of this is used on the album."

"I played a lot of guitar after leaving England, played pretty obsessively everyday for about a year. I never played it before but I picked it up pretty quick I reckon. I'm just stubborn with stuff like that."

"It feels like it's been a massive test, a huge, all engulfing self imposed boundary that I had to step over, can I transform all this wild instrumentation and confounding, chaotic will into something with a monolithic unity, can I bring all of these seemingly contradictory shifts in mood into a homogenous whole? I hope I've nailed it"

Clark - 'Iradelphic'
WARP222 - CD, Vinyl & Download
Released 2nd April 2012 On Warp Records

Tracklisting

1 - Henderson Wrench
2 - Com Touch
3 - Tooth Moves
4 - Skyward Bruise / Descent
5 - Open
6 - Secret
7 - Ghosted
8 - Black Stone
9 - The Pining pt. 1
10 - The Pining pt. 2
11 - The Pining pt. 3
12 - Broken Kite Footage

Artwork by Julian House

Interview: Macronite -Representing The Underground In Limerick

2012-01-20T11:53:00.000Z

This is an article that I wrote for Drop D but I said I'd post it here so as to have it on the blog as well. It's with Limerick promotions crew Macronite

The Macronite crew in Limerick have been throwing immense nights for the past year bringing big name acts such as Surgeon, Equinox, Goth Trad and Loefah and Chuky to name a few to the city. They're also responsible for one of the best festivals I've been to, Bump which saw them take over Clonnarra in Co. Clare last summer and throw an almighty session for two days with a wicked line up. 2012 looks even brighter with Equinox kicking things off this month on the 28th Jan and then Oscar Mulero taking over Dolans for their first birthday on Feb 18th. I caught up with them to find out more about the club and they recorded a wicked promo mix for the night that you can listen to below that showcases what the club has to offer.

We’ll start at the very beginning I suppose.How did Macronite get started?

Speaking as the Hivemind, some of us were already running nights, most in fact, and then twopromotion groups became suddenly homeless... Micronite was already establishedin Dolan's, and we decided to throw in our lot together and become acollective... it turned out to work much better even than we thought, insteadof single-genre nights, we can now play the gamut of quality undergroundelectronic music... Nobody only listens to one kind of music, right? So you geta broad range of music, in a great venue, on a serious sound system, once amonth... and we took it from there, or maybe it took us there, we're not sure!

Whats the basic ethos behind the club?

We represent theunderground. We feel it's not justa clubnight, it's a proper experience, and also a community... we're constantlyworking on production and details and, well, everything else, and trying tomake the night the best it can be... we want everyone there to go home (at somepoint after the weekend!) having had one of the best nights ever, by poolingall we have as a collective and working together as a family to do what we lovedoing.... with some of the soundest people in the country, too!

Ye’re also responsible for my personal favouriteIrish festival the past two years, Bump! Was this always a plan from the start,and how difficult is it to run a festival in this current climate?

We went tofestivals and said... we can do this! Bump! predated Macronite, but really itwas inevitable..... we're far from festivals in Limerick and we wanted toshowcase both the artists we've loved and the talent Ireland has to offer... Asto the economics, just don't ask.... it's like everything else in this country,it's tough! It's a learning curve, it's an experience, and a challenge, butwith the right group of people behind it, you can do anything!

What have ye learned as promoters through runningMacronite/Bump?

The learning curvenever stops.... everyday we learn more, from each other as a group, and thepeople we meet. And as a collective, we can achieve so much more, passingskills around, sharing and growing ideas, and that the only limits are the onesyou impose yourself!

Ye work closely with other promoters throughoutthe country such as Dubculture and Electric Underground. How important is it doyou think to have a good relationship with other promoters especially in acountry as small as Ireland?

Well it benefitseveryone, we all go to each others gigs, and we really want to see theelectronic scene as healthy as it can be, and we can all help each other out,sharing ideas and such... and there's such wicked crews in this this countrywith such a strong ethos, that it's just natural... I think we all share thesame ideals and values, and it's almost like a big, and growing country-widefamily!

What’s been the highlight since starting the night?

At the start, whenwe came together, we joked about booking Surgeon... and when we were allstanding together in front of the stage when he started, well, it wasemotional, and quite a moment for us! Apart from that, the atmosphere on thenight is always something special, and it just keeps getting better... We'lltake this opportunity to thank all the people who make that happen every month,we're privileged to have such a genuinely sound crowd!

Ye seemed to have filled somewhat of a gap in theLimerick scene but as of late there seems to be more happening of late which isgreat for such a small city. Do ye feel partially responsible for this?

No, we just didwhat we wanted to, and had to, really, do.... we're part of a bigger pictureand we're proud to be part of it, and we're proud to be representing ourcity.... there's so much happening and it's amazing, from all the nights doingall kinds of music, to the arts scene, Occupy Limerick, and the general feelingof community here.... There's so much happening around the city at the minute,especially in electronic music, and people are really into it... maybe it's therecession causing the session? It's worth checking out, in our humble opinion.

The electronic scene in Ireland seems bigger nowthan it ever was. There’s more local talent and more dj’s and producers comingto these shores. Would ye agree with this and why do ye think this is?

Yes, we agree!Technology is cheap these days, music is easier to find than ever, the internethas enabled a total rewrite of how music is dispersed, as well as the communityaspect... if you're good, it's easier to get heard, really. Also, Ireland hasalways been full of talent, and electronic music production enables a singleperson to make complete records with equipment they already have with access toan infinite world of sounds...

What’s the best thing about running a clubnight?

Quite simply,seeing the faces of the crowd at the end of the night is one of the mostsatisfying feelings in the world....
Getting to see actsyou love on a big system is unreal, and the, uh, unwinding after the night!

Why should people from outside Limerick make thetrek and check out Macronite?

We think that theexperience, vibe, people, and atmosphere are different to the point of unique,and that makes it something truly special, and something to be seen & heardto be believed, really.... so.... get down and schnare on!

What does 2012 hold for the club?

We're alwayslooking to push on up to a higher level with our events, so we have somebigger, better, and badder plans in store... keep an eye on what we're doing onPaddy's Day, especially, cos that's going to be siiiiiiiick! There's been a lotof activity in Macronite Studios too, so expect more tunes! We recently gotfeatured in DJ Mag, which was nice, and we intend to keep on pushing this upand up.... as we said, we don't do limits!

Big up to the Macronite crew and below is a promo mix for the club packed full of quality tunes. Make sure and check em out anytime your in the Limerick area!!

TheHiveMind-MacronitePromo-Jan2012 by macronite

Interview: DSNT Belfast

2012-01-19T17:21:00.000Z

With the economy the way that it is at the moment, I alwaysfind it very commendable when promoters book underground acts to play on theseshores that often times make a loss. Oisin O Brien is someone, who, along withevery other underground promoter in Ireland, is fighting through the hard timesand bringing acts to these shores he truly loves. Having started DSNT in 2010, he’sbeen consistently putting on excellent nights in Belfast which always havesavage line up’s. In November of lastyear, DSNT hosted the Belfast Electronic Festival which saw Michael Forshaw, Broken Note, The Advent and Perc to name a few take over the city. 2012 looksset to be an even bigger year for DSNT as the label side of things kicks offwith a release by Belfast producer Mark Rogan which features remixes by JeromeHill and Bas Mooy, the latter whose playing the label launch night with MarkRogan on the 4^th February. Oscar Mulero is also booked for the 17th February. It’sreally admirable to see someone doing all this for the sheer love of music so Icaught up with Oisin to find out more about DSNT and shine some light on the excellentlabel and club.

1. How did DSNT get started?

It originally started as a party I was running called Freakshow, which was mostly breakcore and gabba, I then ran the first Belfast Electronic Festival which catered to a diverse range of tastes and I then started DSNT which has been host to a fairly diverse range of guests. Recently my bookings have been leaning close towards a dark techno sorta buzz though.

With that said though I'm keen on keeping an open mind and theres a heap of acts that wouldn't be considered techno that I really want to book as well.

Recently DSNT has been doing a fairly wide variety of other stuff as well as just putting on parties, Its also an outlet for the graphic design work I do for people and recently we put on an art exhibition showcasing some of our favourite visual artists. I've also recently been doing a bunch of motion graphics projects for other clubnights in belfast and hope to have a full showreel online in the next few weeks.

Once I get the website online it will be much more effective for showcasing everything DSNT is doing at the moment, been up to my eyes with a heap of different things and I keep putting it aside.

2. As well as the clubnight, ye’re also starting a label. Was this always going to be the case?

The label is the newest addition to what DSNT does, it wasn't always the plan but it just seemed right, I was hearing a lot of music that I wanted to showcase and it seemed like the right time to do it. Hopefully as it grows it will create a platform for some of the artists that are making absolutely amazing stuff but aren't getting the exposure they deserve.

3. What releases have you planned for the label? Will it be vinyl and digital?

Our first release is by local producer Mark Rogan, it features two originals titled Anxiety/Paranoia, with remixes from Paul Mac, Bas Mooy, Forward Strategy Group & Jerome Hill, the first release is going to be a digital release though its my goal to be releasing vinyl by the end of the year! Have a few pretty big names lined up for vinyl releases that I can't really mention yet.

Depending on how the coming parties go its possible that the vinyl releases will happen sooner, the only restriction is money more than anything mate. If I had the cash our first release would probably be vinyl but it probably makes sense to let the label grow organically and do the vinyl release when we're ready for it.

I've been talking to deadsound about doing a release and we're looking at tracks for it at the moment. He makes some seriously good tunes and anyone that hasn't heard him should check his stuff out, got a class style!

Another Irish producer thats making some great stuff at the moment is P-Hocto, hes living over in London at the moment and I've had him as a guest a few times, plays an all vinyl set and produces some quality techno.. He's studying music production over in London at the moment and it seems to take up a lot of his time but once he has a few tracks ready its likely that he will be doing a release for us as well. Check him out!

DSNT 001 by DSNT Records

4. What’s the most important aspect when booking an act for the club?

Ah theres a heap of variables, i've recently had to take a step back sometimes and ask myself will this actually work in belfast, for instance I would LOVE to book otto von schiarach, but a flight from miami and a fairly high fee isnt really viable for a show that will interest a fairly small audience.

Recently the bookings I have been doing have all been a reflection of the sort of stuff i'm planning on releasing on the label in some shape or form, our next party is the label launch on the 4th of Feb with Bas Mooy, this is a show i'm particularly excited about as Bas Mooy is one of my favourite producers and dj's. Check out the podcast he did for us below.

Bas_Mooy_@_DSNT_podcast_2011 by Bas Mooy

Next off is a party that I'm completely stoked about with Oscar Mulero, I seen him at the surge stage when I was like 17 and it was one of my first experiences of proper techno, man completely destroyed the place was unreal. Cant wait for it!

Back in October I took an initiative to only use Funktion1 at my parties which is kindly provided by Hertz-U Soundsystem, ran by Collie Hertz one of the nicest guys in the industry, since its made such a difference, the artists prefer playing over a system like that and it really adds to the party. This will be the same for the bas mooy party & the mulero one. I'm fairly excited about getting to hear some of my favourite producers kill it over Collies Rig!

5. How hard do you find it running a club and label in this current climate?

It can be fairly hard but I think the main thing is to stick at it, the last few parties I've ran I've lost money from, if I didn't have the graphic design business side of things to fall back on i'd be a lot worse off.

6. What is the Belfast electronic scene like in general? Any producers/DJ’s to keep an eye out for?

The Belfast scene is fairly tightly knit but there's quite a lot of great stuff coming out of it. Acroplane for example are doing brilliant things, puttng out so many good releases and that it's all coming from Belfast is great. There's also a heap of great producers & DJ's to look out for. The ones i'm really liking at the moment are;

Mark Rogan (obviously) - http://soundcloud.com/mark_rogan

Makes some lovely techno, his release Silhouettes, Shadows & Reflection has been getting support from the likes of Chris Liebing, Dave Clarke & Psycatron to name a few...

Katrina O'Kane/Kiani - http://soundcloud.com/kiani

Katrina makes some lovely electronica and we have been lucky enough to have her play a few live sets are our parties, she played a live set at our belfast bleeps event with Kyle hall and he was loving it! Great stuff all together, think border community meets autechre with a little dark techno influence! Shes supporting at the Oscar Mulero show and I cant wait to hear her over that funktion1!

Chris Hanna - http://soundcloud.com/chrishanna

Chris has been a recent addition to DSNT, makes some great tracks and is worth checking out.

Samaan & Graeme (One DJs) - http://soundcloud.com/samaan

These guys have played host to a heap of great guests recently, their biggest show to date was New Years Day with Robert Hood. Samaans just had a few releases on fullbarr digital with remixes from heavy hitters Mark Broom & Vince Watson.. Detroit techno buzz.

Timmy Stewart - http://soundcloud.com/timmy-stewart
Runs Jet Project and is definitely a must for any house music fans.

Cave Djz - Cricky Lyttle & Blacky - http://soundcloud.com/djcrickylyttle/cricky-lyttle-jan-12

Cave Djz are great as well they regularly play the support at our parties, check out crickys most recent mix, it features a serious tune selection, and even a track fourth coming on DSNT.

The other half of the cave djz is Blacky, whos style of techno is generally referred to as blackno among fellow belfast techno aficionados.

http://soundcloud.com/blackjack1210

There are a heap more great producers and djs but i'm going to finish this off with Ryan Dallas a stiff kitten resident..

Ryan Dallas - http://soundcloud.com/ryan-dallas/industry09-mixed-by-ryan

This guy plays the sort of techno i'm really digging at the moment, the mix above features 2 Mark Rogan tracks, one due to come out on DSNT. I'd love to book him as the stuff he's playing really suits the guests we're putting on at the moment but he's exclusive to stiff kitten.

7. You’ve hosted the Belfast electronic festival which had some serious names such as The Advent, Broken Note and Michael Forshaw to name a few. Is this going to be an annual occurrence?

Yeah, took a bit of a hit on the last Belfast Electronic Festival, got a bit carried away with the lineup and i'm still paying for it now. It is going to be a yearly occurrence though, i'm already thinking about acts for the next one in November.

michael forshaw - inappropriate aids (for DSNT magazine) by Michael Forshaw

8. What producers are pumping your stereo lately?

Deadsound's - Eat your brains mix - http://soundcloud.com/deadsound666/dead-sound-eat-your-brains

Seriously nice stuff here, would definitely recommend this to anyone that likes techno absolutely quality, download it and listen.

Ancient Methods - Handmade Blend Mix - http://mnmlssg.blogspot.com/2010/11/ssg-special-ancient-methods.html

Serious mix here, its fucking great, another one I can't stop listening to, seriously good.

Forward Strategy Group - Erratic Podcast - http://soundcloud.com/erraticnyc/erratic-podcast-11-fsg

When you listen to this mix you will see theres a reason why it got chosen as Resident Advisors mix of the day, its quality, the erratic podcast series in general is worth checking out great stuff consistently.

Perc - DSNT Podcast - http://www.mixcloud.com/DSNT/dsnt-014-perc/

We released this podcast a while ago but its still quality, this is a live set he sent me to release on DSNT, great set, check out our podcast series in general some great sets from jerome hill, neil landstrumm, bas mooy to name a few.

Other artists that I'm loving at the moment are pretty much everything out on Acroplane

Ohhh and this is quality, hip hop buzz from Jerome Hill's FatHop label;

The guys at Pole Group need a mention too, top quality techno from from Reeko, Oscar Mulero, Exium, Architechural -

Really like Xhin, Go Hiyama, Marcel Fengler, Jerome Hill, Dj Godfather.

Another great label worth checking out is Killekill been following their stuff for a while now and they have a really cool style and are putting out some seriously good vinyl releases. Everything about their label is to my taste, their releases and particularly their artwork really makes it stand out. Even the flyers for their parties always look great, the artist that designs them is quality.

9. Have you any advice for people looking to start their own labels and nights?

Emmm, the main thing would really be to stick at it, if its something you believe in then just stick at it a lot of the time things don't work out the way you plan but its best to be open minded and play it by ear.

With events one of the things it took me a bit of a while to be conscious of was the sound quality, when I first started doing parties we where using a really crap p.a and it didnt do the djs any justice, its always worth getting a good sound-system in as it makes a hell of a difference.

10. What does 2012 hold for DSNT?

2012 holds a lot of big parties, So far the shows we can announce are Bas Mooy on the 4th of Feb, Oscar Mulero on the 17th of Feb and Xhin on the 31st of March.

I've been working on developing the motion graphic stuff ive been at and ive been chatting with a few people about working on AV sets for them so its likely ill spend a bit of time on that.

I hope to put on a few more art exhibitions and release some great music. Will still be sticking at the graphic design stuff as well as I really enjoy it, come summer its likely we're going to be doing some showcases at festivals so I'm looking forward to that. Should be some craic. I'm looking forward to a heap of great parties with nice soundsystems and hopefully minimum tinitus (fingers crossed).

Big up to Oisin for the interview and make sure and check out the facebook and the night if your ever in the Belfast area.

Lapalux - When Your Gone EP

2012-01-19T12:54:00.000Z

February 7th sees glitch hop mega man Lapalux drop his first release for Brainfeeder. The seven track EP fits nicely onto the California label and with lush melodies and tight grooves flowing into each other and the excellent use of vocal samples, it's very easy to get lost in the music. At 7 tracks it's almost an album but it stays interesting throughout and holds it's own against anything else on the Brainfeeder roster. You can check out previews of it below and it also get's a vinyl release which you can preorder here.

Lapalux - "When You're Gone" EP Sampler (Brainfeeder) - Available on the 7th Feb 2012 by Lapalux

Drokkr - Free EP

2012-01-18T16:43:00.000Z

Cork producer Drokkr posted a limited download of a new free E.P. he's released on facebook yesterday. The E.P., entitled Furepea 1 is a 5 track collection of some 120 bpm noodlings that he's been making.The producer whose on the Badman Press roster plans to release another five in 2012.

Furepea 1 - FREE EP by DROKKR

New Bloc Venue Confirmed

2012-01-18T13:38:00.000Z

After lots of speculation, Bloc has confirmed that the new venue for the festival will be London Pleasure Gardens on July 5th and 6th. Unlike before there will be no chalets but I'm sure that the line up will be stellar as it has been every other year. You can watch the short preview video they've released below.

Bloc 2012 from Bloc. on Vimeo.

New Duke Slammer EP - Spandex

2012-01-17T21:29:00.000Z

The consistently quality Duke Slammer is set to release a new EP on Bonus Round Records. Entitled Spandex, the two track release is packed with eighties inspired funky grooves and is a nice shift from his other persona Mr Lukes Anger. Really liked everything he's brought out so far, good solid fun music!!

BONUS7_004 by Duke Slammer

Planet Terror Records

2012-01-17T16:35:00.000Z

Planet Terror Records releases music for free on it's netlabel. Yes that's right, FREE! It host's many artists already and you can send them your tunes at demos@planetterrorrecords.com or their facebook page! The sound a lot of the artists produce is glitchy electronica. There's more chillout tunes than banging on it but that suits me just fine!

Sk'p - Soivelslevios [PLANET026] by Planet Terror Records

The ethos of thefree music labels are simple and admirable, promoting music for whatit is and doing the added job of promoting many artists under the onename. Free labels are creating a balance within the debate aboutbuying music versus downloading. In this sense you can downloadtracks for free but I'm sure if you like the music you hear thenyou'll check out their other releases :)

Robot Koch - 101 [PLANET010] by Planet Terror Records

Their website is well laid out and has loads of mixes to download too! Hours of entertainment at your fingertips so enjoy! http://www.planetterrorrecords.com/

Titus Twelve - The Table of Six [PLANET018] by Planet Terror Records

http://soundcloud.com/planet-terror-records

Shiv

Tunage in Cork this weekend!

2012-01-13T14:34:00.000Z

This weekend see's gigs providing tunes from both ends of the electronic music spectrum.

Friday night in the Pavillion, minimal techno night Click Cork have three Djs blending their bleeps and bloops to maximum effect. John Barry, Robin Keys and Chris Cashman will be on the decks for the night. Check out their facebook for more information.

https://www.facebook.com/events/123294547788756/

The Realt Dearg is hosting deep house night Monotonik with its Winter Grooves session. With the nice chilled atmosphere of the venue I'd say there will be a lot of heads bopping by the fire there tonight.

https://www.facebook.com/events/149758388467781/

For all house lovers in town Squelch in the Realt Dearg is beginning at 9pm on Saturday. Tunes will be provided by My Sister Dot and Dj Gilbert Steele. My Sister Dot is a connoisseur of house music, providing sets infused with disco and funk, just how we like it!

If you're feeling up for a more relentless ravetastic night then get yourselves down to Cyprus Avenue where unreal blog Basswax are launching their night of the same name on Saturday. Dr...UM will be donning the decks as the headline act, who's brought over from a scene which is structured on bass heavy breaks and drums that grab ur soul and spit it back out at you! Waspcatcher and Bellows are on warm up duties so get yerselves in early for some dancing! You can check out Dr...UM's sets/tunes here http://soundcloud.com/dr-um .

https://www.facebook.com/events/180315182060947/
http://basswax.blogspot.com/

Dead Sound -Eat Your Brains (Live PA)

2012-01-13T11:56:00.000Z

This is one of the best techno mixes that I've heard in a while. Dead Sound is the pseudonym of UK producer Paul Carroll. Having started making techno around 2008, he began to develop his sound and quickly garnered interest from Perc, and along with his DJ partner Videohead remixed two savage tracks for Go Hiyama and Samuli. Their Chosen EP was later released by Perc Trax. Full of dark industrial techno, the EP is one of the best techno releases of last year. November however, saw both producers drop their Pench EP for Irish label Acroplane and is again full on balls out techno. Eat Your Brains is a promo mix done in support of this EP and afater hearing it a couple of nights ago, I've had on repeat ever since. There is literally not a second of bad music in it and if your a techno fan, will surely put a smile on your face. The releases have been coming thick and fast and expect more in 2012, which I can assume will all be quality.

Dead Sound - Eat Your Brains (Live PA) by Dead Sound/Digital Filth

Bourbon Street Stage At Body And Soul

2012-01-12T17:00:00.000Z

Ronan from the now unfortunately closed Bourbon St bar (check here) has put a proposal together for a Bourbon St stage at Body and Soul this year and he needs everybodys help to make this happen by emailing traders@bodyandsoul.ie and explaining why it would be so great to have a stage at it. The more people that message them the better chance their is of this happening. The bar had a great atmosphere when any gigs were on and it would be great to recreate this at Body And Soul.

Next Hessle Audio Release - Objekt -Cactus

2012-01-12T15:02:00.000Z

February 6th sees the next release by Hessle Audio, the excellent London based Dub label. I've really enjoyed everything the label has put out so far and this forthcoming release by Objekt is no different On the first track Cactus he gels old school dubstep aesthetics with the new, supporting the wobble with some interesting rhythm and a savage build. The B side Porcupine borders into techno territory with a solid groove holding it throughout. The percussion on both tracks is quality and makes it fit nicely into the Hessle Audio catalogue. Another great release from the label and I'm sure they're two tunes that you'll be hearing in clubs all over the place this year.

You can preview the two tracks here

Alecks Auclair - Lapse

2012-01-12T13:19:00.000Z

There are certain producers that when you hear their tunes, you instantly know where they're from. Alecks Auclair couldn't be from anywahere else besides Los Angeles. He's a producer who soaks up the influences and sound of his city to create some lovely downtempo glitch hop. I really like all the stuff coming out of LA at the moment. Artists such as Tokimonsta, Flying Lotus and Cryptex are all consistently releasing quality records that share that ''LA sound'' and Alecks Auclair's releases have the same feel to them. Having put an EP on his bandcamp every month since November, his latest offering Lapse, that he released last Saturday, is I feel his strongest of the three. Full of glitchy beats and broken harmonies, the EP flows nicely and boasts his obvious love of chilled hip hop and minimal electronica. It's a sound I really enjoy anyway and it makes me want to sit in the sun with a pint.

Lapse is available through the ''name your price'' scheme while Leaving and Apparatus are $5 and $3 and are well worth parting with your hard earned cash for.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://awklr.bandcamp.com/album/l-pse"&amp;amp;gt;L∆pse by Alecks Auclair&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Giveamanakick -Free Download

2012-01-11T16:43:00.000Z

To start of their series of free downloads of their back catalogue, Outonalimb Records have been good enough to put one of my favourite Irish albums (and the labels first release) up on their bandcamp. Is It Ok To Be Loud Jesus, is the first offering by now defunct Limrock duo Giveamanakick. Originally released in 2003, it's balls out rock and roll that doesn't let up for one second and is absolutely mountains of fun.

It's only available for the next 24 hours so act quick. There's also a limited number of physical copies available for €4 which can be purchased through the bandcamp page as well.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://outonalimbrecords.bandcamp.com/album/is-it-ok-to-be-loud-jesus"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Is it ok to be loud, Jesus? by giveamanakick&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

2012-01-11T15:46:00.000Z

Seattle label Bass Hound Records, which put out Killinger by Irish producer Yeahhbuzz, has released the first in a series of singles by Seatlle man Tony Rocky Horror. As stated on their website:

'' Our first in a new series of singles is live on shops everywhere now! Featuring a slammin UK Funky/Bassline tune by Seattle’s Tony Rocky Horror (Badman Press), with a remix on the flip side from the mighty Star Eyes (Trouble & Bass). Pick it up and help support Bass Hound! It’s available everywhere fine digital music is sold, and probably elsewhere. Click the “buy this whole set” link on the bottom left of the player to head to beatport''.

BHRSING001 - Bump & Grizzle by Bass Hound Records

2012-01-10T14:24:00.000Z

Next month will see the release of a remixed version of Black Sands on Ninja Tune, the superb album Bonobo released in 2010. The album sees remix duties by Bonobo contemporaries such as Machinedrum, Cosmin TRG, Mike Slott and Floating Points to name a few. If you head on over to Bonobos website you can get a preview of remixes by Cosmin TRG, Arp 101 and get a free download of the Machinedrum remix posted below. All remixes compliment the tunes really well and I can't wait to hear the rest of the album when it's released on February 13th.

Irish Talent: Fear Stalks The Land

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000Z

Fear Stalks The Land are a two piece from Cork that make very good music altogether. They combine elements of post rock with electronica that gives them a sound that sets them apart from other producers on the Irish scene . Their tracks are nicely layered and can range from the melodic to bass heavy affairs. There is obviously a lot of influences in their stuff and tunes like Zoos sounds like Godspeed jamming with Gary Numan. They have a 9 track album on their bandcamp that can be downloaded for free which perfectly represents their sound.

For anyone in the Galway area, they play the weekly Citog nights in the Cellar Bar on the 20th January.

<a href="http://fearstalkstheland.bandcamp.com/album/003">003 by Fear Stalks The Land!</a>

Interview: Neil Landstrumm

2012-01-09T20:10:00.000Z

There really was only one person to kick off the interviews of 2012 with and that is Mr Neil Landstrumm. The word legend is thrown around a lot these days, I'm guilty of it myself but this term most defnitely applies to Neil Landstrumm. From the very first time he started releasing music, the Scottish producer has been pushing boundaries and crossing genres to create some of the most interesting and banging electronic music around. He's one of the few producers who can seamlessly go from releasing stuff on a techno label such as Tresor to a label like Planet Mu, all the while retaining a certain sound that sets him apart from his contemporaries. He's responsible for some of the best Wonky techno releases out there and with more releases in the pipeline for 2012, there's no sign of him slowing up. The guy is one of my all time hero's and has released some of my favourite music ever so I was thrilled to do an interview him and pick his brain.

1. How and when didyou start off making electronic music?

Around about 1991 I bought my first Boss drum machine and startedprogramming it by copying things like "Energy Flash" and LFO. Thatgave me a feel for what was involved and soon after I began to hunt down aTB-303 and Tr-606 to make some acid trax. I was already DJ-ing and buying vinylby then so it seemed the natural progression . By the first time I heard my 303and 606 over a big soundsystem at an under 16's rave I was playing at my mindwas made up. It was production I really wanted to do. DJ-ing was limiting and Iwas on the way to sourcing other bits of hardware as and when money wasavailable. Part of the fun then was finding the gear and building a studio upfrom nothing. I was lucky to experience the rave explosion after the acid houseyears and also attended Pure and Wave in Edinburgh which was a superb educationin quality electronic music at the time.

2.Your sound ishard to fit into one category. While some would say Wonky Techno others wouldsay Dubstep. Which genre would you feel more a part of or does it even matter?

Personally I dont think it really matters. It still all sounds the sameto me as it did then. I've always wanted to sound unique and different toeveryone else which in some ways has been a real hinderance to any big successbut it has given me great longevity in the scene which is better overallreally. The Wonky adjective has been attached to music both in the late 90'sand in the late 00's....I definitely wouldn't consider my music dubstepalthough there is heavy bass elements and it was an influence in the mid 00'scertainly. I have always just thought of it all as "techno" really.I've always liked the early 90's rave and bleep period in electronic music andthat has stuck with me over the years. Same goes for the Chicago shuffle andfunk. I like Detroit but it was always other cities music that inspired me likeNew York and loads of Dutch techno and acid. The majority of the namesgiven to electronic music now are just plain nonsense,. Fickle fashion andemperor's new clothes and all that.....Im just proud to be part of the Britishelectronic sound and innovations over the years.

Neil Landstrumm _ Sexuality by Neil Landstrumm

3.How did you find living in New York? Did it have a major influence onyour sound compared to Edinburgh?

Yeh great.. It was a good education in life being there and it enabledme to do some other art and music projects. I came back to Edinburgh after5 years in New York

and its just a place I find relaxed and comfortable to be. I thinkNew York influenced my music more in a mood rather than anything else. I diddig for loads of old

hip hop and dancehall / dub music which eventually filtered through inthe Planet Mu records.

4.How does your live set up work?

I've developed and adapted it over the years to where it is today. Itsstill a bit of an effort to drag it around but the hardware sound kicks it outover a big rig.. I use Elektron equipment

from Sweden , namely the Monomachine and Machinedrum. The Machinedrum isthe master midi clock and the Korg ESX-1 sampler is the next in the chain.After that comes the Monomachine for synth lines and basslines then the MotuUlralite and Powerbook 12" running Ableton is stuck on the end. Iuse Ableton just for throwing in breakbeats, vocals, samples and bits of oldtracks etc . The Korg sampler is where I stuck all the analogue samples andsounds from my Jupiters and Pro One etc. This type of hardware setup keeps thelive set quite flexible as each box is independent and can keep running ifthere is a problem with the mac. Plus you can load different disks and sets onthe fly whilst its all running.

I'd really like to get rid of the Mac to be honest and use an Octatrackbut we'll see once they start becoming available second hand.. I've seen it allon the road with my equipment, live wires coming loose on stage and blowing up909's, baggage trucks running over my suitcase, tables falling over mid set,cables coming loose and my pet hate , the power going off mid set leaving youon stage looking like a fool or worse wiping memories on the gear...arghh.

5.You’ve releasedstuff on Planet Mu. How did this deal come about?

Just as simply as sending Mike Paradinas a demo CD and him liking it. Ifhe's into something he's really into it and gives you decent artistic reign.

6.You also run your own Scandanavia Records. Any upcoming releasesafoot?

Well I officially stopped releasing Scandinavia records directly around about 2006 but every Landstrumm release always has the Scandinavialogo on them as its my signature. So in my head everything I do is aScandinavia release.

7.Have you any moreplans to release stuff as The Sugar Experiment Station?

Not at the moment.

8.Do you still domuch design work? Which would you consider as your main ‘job’ or do they gohand in hand?

The design side of the business has slowed right down due to theeconomic conditions mainly as the clients we had were financial companies inEdinburgh.

Music and design have pretty much always been side by side for me so Ienjoy both. I've got a decent amount of gigs up until April at the momentincluding a tour

of Japan so Im lucky in that respect. I am actually thinking of goingback to University to re-train in renewable energy so I have something to doonce I finally hang up my 808.

9. You recently played in Berlin with a big Irish line up. How was that?

It was a superb night. Great venue . Loved it. Best thing I’ve done inBerlin for years. It was a club called Subland run by Dean Rodell and the night"Skank"

was run by a couple Irish lads. Rory St John and Simon Stasis.....Sunil played and

Eomac from Lakker. Co-incidentally Lakker was the last release onKilleKill records where my new EP is coming out...

10. What does thefuture hold? Any releases in the pipeline?

Yes I've just had a slew of releases out and there's a new12" on Berlins' Killekill label for January called "NightTrain E.P.

The 12"s just out are Neil Landstrumm- Munich 72 E.P. on Snork aGerman label, Doubleheart (co-produced with J D Twitch) - Salsa Apocalypso onBoddika's

NonPlus label and Neil Landstrumm- Explicit Six E.P. on Slidebaralso from Germany.

Im really pleased with all the above releases as they are recorded on newrecording gear bought with the royalties of the Planet Mu LP's. Yes I blew it all on a Midas Mixer, Crane Song STC-1 and Thermionic Culture RoosterVavle EQ Pre Amp.!

Other than that I made a few techno classics reinterpretations recentlywhich Boddika and others are playing out....Beltrams_ E_Flash..BlakeBaxters_Sexuality and Random XS-

Give your Body... Just waiting to see what I dowith those ones at the moment... Also there will be more in 2012 from theDoubleheart project with J D Twitch.

Big Up to Neil Landstrumm for the interview and watch this space for upcoming news and reviews about his stuff :)

Kazuya Kawakami - Traveler EP

2012-01-08T15:26:00.000Z

Japan is a beacon of quality techno with the likes of Go Hiyama, Ryuji Takeuchi consistently releasing stomping tunes and Kazuya Kawakami is no different. Under his other alias Asagaoaudio , he's put out some of my favourite industrial techno records including last years Execution Support EP and he looks set to do it again with his upcoming Traveler EP for superb Japanese imprint HueHelix. It's the fifth output for the label, who already have releases by the aforementioned Ryuji Takeuchi and Nil. From the preview on their soundcloud, Traveler delivers some funky grooves mixed in with some harsher sounds, which suits me perfectly and should please anyone whose a fan of dark industrial techno with a twist.

HHX05 - Kazuya Kawakami / Traveler EP by HueHelix

Ian Mackaye Talk

2012-01-07T13:30:00.000Z

Ian Mackaye of one of my favourite bands ever Fugazi, and founder of Dischord Records, a label that helped shaped my musical tastes, gives a really interesting talk to Music Business students at Loyola University. He discusses about running Dischord and his time in Fugazi and Minor Threat. Well worth a watch. The man is an absolute hero.

Outonalimb Records Free Digital Downloads

2012-01-06T19:51:00.000Z

Outonalimb, the excellent Limerick label have announced on their facebook that they will be giving away a free digital download every week of there brilliant back catalogue. A statement reads:

''Just because January iskind of rotten, we'll be doing a free daily album download from our backcatalogue, starting the middle of next week. This includes a couple of releasesthat have never been available digitally before. There is no catch. Stay tuned fordetails.''

Considering they've got releases by Ten Past Seven, Giveamanakick and Waiting Room, this is great news.

Joy Orbison And Boddika- Swims

2012-01-06T13:04:00.000Z

Swims, the collaboration between Joy Orbison and Boddika finally gets it's release on January 13th through the excellent Swamp 81 label. Heard a DJ play this track out over at the Swamp 81 night in Cable last year and I couldn't get it out of my head The track, with it's catchy as hell vocal and acid groove, nicely reflects the output of both producers, who consistently release quality material.

You can pre order it from the Swamp 81 store here

Swims by Boddika

Stolen Gear In Limerick

2012-01-05T23:05:00.000Z

Macbook Pro and iPad 2 was stolen from the boot of a Toyota Avensis at approx 6.30 today. If anyone hears of anything at all then contact me here or at skirmishcork@gmail.com and let me know. It's not my gear but I will contact the relevant people.

This kind of shit is an absolute disgrace and ruins peoples livelihoods. Scumbags!!

New Radioactive Man EP Preview

2012-01-05T16:54:00.000Z

The genius that is Radioactive Man is finally releasing his new EP The Engine at the end of this month on Wangtrax, a new London label and you can listen to excerpts from it on his soundcloud. It's everything that you'd expect from the London producer - balls out quality electro. He's definitely one of my favourite producers and having seen him live a few times has given me some of my favourite gig experiences. The four tracks from the EP will be available on vinyl with the other three as digital download and the other good news is that there's an album to follow at the end of February. Happy days :)

Excerpts from The Engine EP - out end of Jan 2012 on Wangtrax by RADIOACTIVE MAN

Sandwell District Cease Operations

2012-01-05T14:10:00.000Z

Sandwell District, the techno collective featuring Karl 'Regis' O Connor, David ‘Function’ Sumner, John ‘Silent Servant’ Mendez, and Peter ‘Female’ Sutton have called it a day on the label and recording side of things. They posted a statement on their website outlying their intentions to continue Sandwell District in some form in the live arena but that ''audio communications from Sandwell District will cease''. They also issued a further statement that read: “We stopped Sandwell District the same way we started it — through intuition. It’s what anyone with a passion or half a brain would have done. It will never get old. No one will be able to impose their clean values on it. We will all continue to work together. Nothing has changed but everthing has shifted. It was a glorious death, not a mercy killing, as is so often the case in these situations.”This is a shame as Sandwell District had released some quality material from both themselves and other producers such asRRose and Bob Ostertag and Marcell Dettmann. It will definitely be missed but all producers will undoubtedly pursue quality projects in the future.

Irish talent: Replete

2012-01-05T13:38:00.000Z

I really love when savage music arrives in the inbox and it's something I've never heard before. It's makes it all the better when it's Irish. Replete is the pseudonym of Kilkenny producer Pete Lawlor. Now based in Cork, he makes some extremely lush electronic melodies. The tracks are definitely the work of someone who knows exactly what he's doing, with each track nicely crafted and layered. My personal favourite on his soundcloud is Eat My Love with it's insanely glitchy vocals and excellent production. Definitely one of the most impressive Irish producers I've heard in a while. Eat my love by REPLETE It's time this time by REPLETE Splits by REPLETE

Happy New Year and Top 10 Tune Results

2012-01-04T18:09:00.000Z

Happy new year dear readers and welcome to the first post of 2012. Last year was great for the blog and there's loads more planned for this year.

First up are the results of the top tunes and are posted below. Thanks to everyone who voted and here's to another great year of music.

1. James Blake - Limit To Your Love

2. Brian Diolun - Foglights

3. Kevin Blake - Coming To Terms

4. Blawan - Getting Me Down

5. Bjork - Crystalline

6. Oscar Mulero - Grey Fades To Green

7. Subhead - That track

8. Vaetxh - Mass

9. Gold Panda - An Iceberg Hurled Northwards Towards Clouds

10. Death Grips - Guillotine

End Of Year Tracks Poll

2011-12-26T01:07:00.000Z

Okay, so myself, Shiv and Caroline have compiled our 30 favourite tracks of the year. We chose 10 tracks each. These are tracks that we feel really struck a chord with us this year. But, it's you, dear readers that we want to have the final say.

We posted our favourite tracks below (in no particular order) and we want you to vote on 'em. You have from now until next week to vote and then the ultimate list will be compiled from your choices after New Years. Happy voting :)

You can pick your favourite tune from the poll widget and then listen to them below:

My Choices

1. Brian Diolun - Foglights

Foglights by Brian Diolún

2. Loops Haunt - Ark

3. Rrritalin - Do It Now

4. Blawan - Getting Me Down

5. Subhead- That Track

DON'T 019 Teaser.. Tracks by SUBHEAD & BONER M by JeromeHill

6. Death Grips - Guillotine

7. Vaetxh - Mass

8. Ruby My Dear - Dreaming Tree

9. Rockwell - Aria

10. Ital Tek - Cobalt

Shiv's Choices

1. Amon Tobin -Surge (16 Bit Remix)

2. Kevin Blake - Coming To Terms

Coming To Terms by Kevin Blake

3. Oscar Mulero -Grey Fades To Green

6. The Green - Grey fades to green by Oscar Mulero | WarmUp Rec

4. Welder - Florescence

5. Hecq Nihilum

6. Subjex - Mannekan Acid

Subjex - Manneken Acid by Subjex

7. Rrritalin -Fukd Anbd Bombd (Sample Junkie Remix)

rrritalin- F.u.k.d and Bombed (SampleJunkie rmx) by Sample Junkie

8. Sk'p -Lunar Morphics

Lunar Morphics [demo] by Sk'p

9. Dave Monolith - Farewell Frenchman

10. The Person - Hyh Intro

Hyh intro by The Person

Caroline's Choices

1. Burial, Four Tet and Thom Yorke - Ego

2. Bjork - Crystalline

3. James Blake - Limit To Your Love

4. Daphne - Yeye

5. The Flashbulb - Let Me Walk You To Your Honda

6. Wagon Christ - Harmoney

7. Gold Panda - An Iceberg Hurled Northwards Towards Clouds

8.Ochre - Playsoft

9. Bibio - Lovers Carvings

110. Boxcutter - Zabriskie Disco

Interview: Kevin Blake

2011-12-25T12:35:00.000Z

Merry Xmas!! Hope that whatever your up to you're having a great one. For the Xmas post, I'm delighted to have an interview with Limerick producer Kevin Blake. It's one I've wanted to do for ages - he was the first local producer I heard that I really liked and that got me interested in production. Having followed him since his early beginnings playing in Cork, I've watched his sound develop to what it is today and his progression is extremely impressive. His tunes are a testament to his ability as a musician, with each part carefully constructed and well thought out. He also set up and co run's Electric Underground, a club night which has always been my favourite night out and which has hosted some massive names in Cork such as Luke Vibert, Clark, The Hacker and James Holden to name a few and was a catalyst for fuelling my love for electronic music and disocvering loads of new artists. Having just returned to these shores after a spell living in Canada, he's ready to unleash his new productions and tour his band's début album, the also savage Private Underground Residence. I absolutely love his music and can't speak highly enough of it. He's only going to get better as well and completely take off and I'm thrilled that he agreed to answer some questions. Not only that but he's been good enough to give me his unbelievable remix of Death Grips, which you can hear below for the first time and download. It's one of the best remixes I've heard in ages and he's managed to make an already filthy tune even filthier, putting his own stamp on it.

1. What got you interested in making electronic music?

When you spend your teenage years being in bands you feel like you have to compromise a lot. I've always loved electronic music. It's not just something I got into
in early adulthood. I've been listening to Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Prefuse 73 since I've been about 14 or 15. Hearing Kid A for the first time tweaked a few wires in my brain as well.
I remember going to a festival just after a band i'd been in for a few years broke up and promising one of my friends that this time next year i'd know how to make electronic music and have an album. The album part was a bit ambitious, but I did learn. I was lucky enough to get some pointers here and there from people who already knew how to use the programs. (Thanks Paddy Montana, Don and Vinnie!)

Coming To Terms by Kevin Blake

2. Why do you think so many people go from rock music to electronic music? It never seems to go the other way.

I really think it goes both ways. I think there comes a stage in people's lives when you just have to open yourself up to all kinds of music. The earlier you do it the better. It's almost always been 50/50 for me. Good electronic gigs are (generally) much more fun than rock gigs. You don't have to stare at a band like you've never seen one before. You just enjoy the music with your friends and have a dance. It's a lot more therapeutic than your average rock gig.

3. You recently just got back from living in Canada for a while. How does the music scene over there compare to Europe?

Yeah I was in Vancouver. I met a lot of really nice people there but I wouldn't consider it to have an amazing scene. They love all that pitched up vocally dubstep/drum and bass and skrillexy stuff. Then again, you have your small group of heads into their good shit. Max Ulis and HXDB are good producer/dj's there. Overall though - I had a very productive year of writing new music, but I couldn't picture myself fitting in anywhere into that particular scene.

Heck No by Kevin Blake

4. How do you approach writing a tune? Do you always have something in mind?

Sometimes i'd be walking home from a night out and a riff would come into my head. Then i'd sing it into my phone and work on it that night or the next day. Usually it's just starting with a bpm in mind, making a drum beat on that and jamming some synths over it. I've been writing songs since i've been a kid so i've never really had much of an issue developing a track. It just comes naturally. However, you can't force these things. You have to be in a certain mood; one that you want to spend a few hours doing it. Otherwise, it's counterproduction!

5. What gear could you not live without?

I've become a bit of an audiophile so i'd have to say my headphone amp and sennheisser hd 650 cans. A microphone is a really good tool for messing around and sticking through effects or synths as well. Sometimes it's easier to sing what's in you head in rather than playing it.

6. What producers are influencing you at the moment?

Alva Noto, The Person, Death Grips, Jackson And His Computer Band (still), Loops Haunt, Matthew Herbert, Take, Vaetxh, Ancient Methods, Fourtet, Fran Hartnett, Boxcutter, Tim Hecker and more i can't think of....

7. You also started Electric Underground and have brought some massive names to Cork in the past five years. What have you learned from the club? How hard is it to be a promoter with the current state of the economy?

It's very hard these days... Unless you want to compromise and put on shit music. I've learned a huge amount. It has pretty much been my life for the past five years. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions, and it's impossible to please everyone. I'm both amazed and proud that we've been able to keep it afloat for five years now, especially considering the fact that the country is broke. These days we just concentrate on breaking even with low door prices. If we make a profit, we invest it straight back in to the next event, or pay off previous outstanding debts! Essentially - more people need to support good club nights, even if it just means plugging them on their social networks. Everything is a help to struggling promoters, venues and labels these days.

Tunnel Vision by Kevin Blake

8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

"Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say." - Barbara Kingsolver
"A song without emotion is like a motion way too long" - (I just made that up) - k to the blake - 2011

9. What are your plans for the future?

I've had a bit of a gap year in 2011, so i'm hoping I can make a bit of an impact in 2012 with my own new productions and the release of our band Private Underground Residence's debut album. I'm pretty excited about both.

10. What advice would you give to young producers starting out making tunes or setting up nights?

Always keep a good head on your shoulders. Just because your friends think your music is great doesn't mean you're there. Accept criticism with appreciation when it comes; sometimes it's tough to hear, but without good constructive criticism along the way i'd be lost. Keep hunting for inspiration; whether it means traveling or reading books. Try not to get yourself too caught up in a loop!

As for nights - look for niches, rent good soundsystems, have a good graphic designer to help create an image or (I hate this word) 'brand'. Don't get too competitive - try to help maintain a good community buzz. We all want to put Ireland on the map, but it's going to take teamwork.

Few words about the remix:

''Death Grips are the rawest thing i've heard in a couple of years and Ex-Military was my favourite album of 2011. They're one of those groups you either love or you don't. The original of this track is very minimal. I wanted to bring its energy towards the dancefloor and make a bit of a stomper out of it. I've had a lot of fun doing it, and i'm sure my neighbours enjoyed the bass line vibrating their couches''.

You can download the remix below:

Death Grips - Guillotine (Kevin Blake Remix) by Kevin Blake

Shad - Besides (25 Minute Mixtape)

2011-12-24T19:38:00.000Z

This comes from The Find Mag, an excellent hip hop resource. Definitely one of my favourite hip hop artists, Canadian Shad has been tearing up the scene since his 2005 debut When This Is Over and has worked with a number of different producers. Besides is a 25 minute mixtape mixed by Dj T-Lo , which showcases some of these collaborations Shad's been involved with throughout the years. It's quality altogether and features tracks with excellent Seattle duo Blue Scholar, Skratch Bastid and a host of others.

You can download Besides here and find the tracklist and more information about it here

First Skirmish guest column for drop-d.ie

2011-12-22T17:05:00.000Z

Just did my first guest column for Irish music and culture site Drop D. Great site with loads of stuff on it. Hopefully gonna be a fortnightly feature. First post is a list of my top tunes for 2011.

You can read it here

Bangface Weekender 2012

2011-12-22T15:52:00.000Z

Bangface posted some new news on their facebook about next year's weekender. The legendary festival is moving to a new location in Cornwall and is moving to the later date of September 2012. Having never experienced the hedonistic paradise, next year is defnitely a must.

This is from the Bangface weekender facebook page:

BANGFACE WEEKENDER returns in 2012 at a new venue!
14-16 September, Trevelgue Holiday Park, Newquay

We're moving to the beautiful Cornish coastline to a site
that allows us to achieve much more of a holiday Weekender vibe :)

Set in a lush green valley we have private self catering caravan accommodation plus for the first time ever, additional camping tickets!

We have a huge warehouse style main room plus two more indoor rave rooms.
The pool party will be held outdoors at this warmer time of year.
There is also a 24 hour chillout bar terrace.

Plus stand by for hype on the all new BANGFACE BEACH PARTY!

** eTickets will go live at 7pm on Friday 23 December from eBANG **

- There will be 20% deposit system in place so you can secure your place before the end of the year ;)
- Tickets with accommodation are £175 per person.
- Camping tickets are £150 per person.
- If you have internet banking set up then you can avoid the additional £5 booking fee per person by choosing eBANG direct.
- £5 booking fee per person will be added for all PayPal transactions.

Hype and tickets: http://www.bangface.com/weekender

Holiday park: http://www.trevelgue.co.uk/

Irish Talent: Coopers Dream

2011-12-22T12:29:00.000Z

Coopers dream are two Limerick lads with a penchant for writing deadly tunes. Massey and Cos have the wind in their hair and the sun in their eyes as they combine their talents to create truly lovely music. While their are only three tunes on their soundcloud they showcase their brilliant sense of melody with their dulcet tones. Still in their infancy, their definitely and act to keep an eye on in the future.

Asdf by Cooper's dream

Untitled by Cooper's dream

Play by Cooper's dream

Listen to New Radiohead Tracks

2011-12-21T12:05:00.000Z

Radiohead yesterday released two new tracks, The Daily Mail and Staircase recorded as part of their session for King Of Limbs: From The Basement which they filmed. Both tracks, as always with Radiohead, are quality, and follow the same vein as King Of Limbs. They announced a number of live European and US dates on their website for their upcoming tour with more dates to be added. Am definitely gonna catch em this time.

Bourbon Street Closure

2011-12-20T17:33:00.000Z

Just want to share my disappointment at the closure of Bourbon Street. It was one of the finest bars in the city with the soundest bar staff around. Put on and played a good few gigs there. Only last Friday night, Vaetxh played an unbelievable set in the venue. Want to say a massive thanks to Ronan and the lads in there for giving us the opportunity to put on gigs and being so brilliant to deal with and hopefully they'll go onto bigger and better things in the future.

Head on over to their facebook and show em some love

Fachwerk Records EP

2011-12-20T17:14:00.000Z

Yesterday saw the release of Fachwerk 22, a 4 track compilation by the Berlin based techno label showcasing some of it's producers talent. It's the first of four EP's to be released by the label from now until Spring and this first release has label bosses Mike Dehnert, Sascha Rydell and Roman Lindau with Dehnert and Lindau collabrating on the acid influenced Sophia. The standout track is definitely Blattwerk, which has a solid build up and great delivery.

Fachwerk 022 to 025 will all be released on coloured vinyl with hand crafted artwork and a tour will follow in Spring 2012 featuring all three DJ's playing throughout Europe.

You can buy and preview the EP here

Blog- Two Years Old

2011-12-20T16:45:00.000Z

Well the blog's officially two years old. Can't believe how far it's come since then. Just wanna say a massive thanks to everyone who reads it, Siobhan and Caroline, all my friends, all the producers/dj's/vj's both home and abroad that have done interviews and mixes and to all the people who make genuinely unbelievable music that I have to write about-it wouldn't exist without you. Here's to plenty more :)

Here's the first tune I heard that got me into electronic music and changed everything. Still the greatest tune ever.

Takeshi And The Kid - Austrian Christmas

2011-12-20T13:22:00.000Z

Cork's own Takeshi And The Kid has released a Christmas EP for your listening pleasure. On Austrian Christmas she takes her sound and gives it a seasonal twist. The young producer definitely has a sound of her own on the Irish scene and I really like the idea of electronic Xmas tunes. The whole EP flows along really nicely and ends with the brilliantly catchy Melody For The Sewn Princess. Great cover as well and it's for free. Merry Xmas!!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://takeshiandthekid.bandcamp.com/album/austrian-christmas"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Austrian Christmas by Takeshi And The Kid&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Interview: Ben Pest

2011-12-19T19:45:00.000Z

The 'wonky techno' sound is one that has completely grabbed me since I first heard it a few years ago. I can't really explain it but whenever I hear it, it instantly makes me wanna dance and puts a smile on my face. It's definitely my favourite form of music and there are so many good producers on the scene and hopefully as the years go on, more people will start making it. One producer that really sticks out in this sub genre is Ben Pest. I first heard his productions on a 3 hour mix he recorded ( still my favourite mix ever) and I've listened to everything he's done since and it's always quality. He's got such an unbelievable sound. It's fun, banging and interesting all at the same time. He's also a member of Ninja Tune act Pest, a band who've constantly made savage tunes. He's without doubt one of my favourite producers of the past couple of years and I'm thrilled that he agreed to do an interview. If you don't know his stuff then your in for a treat!!

1. I suppose firstly, what got you interested in music? Were you always intothe electronic side of things?

It's hard to remember what got me into it now - it always seems to havebeen there. Stylistically ive been interested in electronic stuffsince i discovered samplers in our school music dept (20+ years ago!).But no, I have beeen into so much different stuff over the years -metal as a teenager, then funk, jazz - name it really!

2. You're better known for playing in the band Pest. How did the bandget together and what role do you play in it?

We met in the late nineties around the london underground techno partyscene. Tom and Matt are from up north originally and have known eachother for years. I play keys in a live capacity, and co-write a fairold chunk of the material with the other guys.

3.You released one of my favourite records with Cristian Vogel under TheBlack E. Is this a collaboration that’s going to continue again in the future?

Well I'd certainly like to think so - Hey Cristian!? Are you listening?!

4.You play solely with hardware live. What pieces of kit are you using andwhich couldn’t you live without?

I couldn't live without any of them! Korg Electribe ESX1, Yamaha DX200and a nintendo DS, plus occasionally a nord lead 1 rack- my newaddtion is an electron monomachine.

5. What producers/music are you digging at the moment?

Too numerous to mention really! Tom (Pest)'s stuff as Fedka theIrritant - especially the new track on Horror Boogie.. Squires Of Gothos and Kanji Kinetic are my favourite of all that bassline wobblestuff around at the moment.

6. Your 3 hour mix for Fun In The Murky is my favourite mix ever. Was thissomething that you did at a gig or solely for the blog?

I think the mix you are referring to is actually a gig in Leipzig, Germany - thats the only 3 hour recording I can think of anyway..

Bleep Radio 214 by Ben Pest

7. How do you approach writing a tune?

There is no one single rule basically - also, I am a fan of workingwith gear with limitations (the nintendo DS being a prime example) -it forces you to be inventive.

8. Have you any tour/releases planned for your solo stuff and/or Pest?

Pest has this ongoing 3rd album project which will be finished ONEDAY.. I am currently working on a new release for Victim & hopefullyBonus Round and Horror Boogie.

9. What are your three favourite tunes ever?

Impossible to answer this question - sorry!!No, it really is - it hurts my brain just to contemplate..Actually, 3 of my favourite musicians of all time are Frank Zappa, Jamie Lidelland Miles Davis.

10.Finally who do you think would win in a fight you or Mr Luke Sanger?

Well, Luke is taller than me - plus he has more heavy objects in hisstudio to throw..

Thanks a million to Ben for the interview!! Legend!! Watch this space for news on his releases etc...

History Of The Amen Break

2011-12-19T12:56:00.000Z

The Economist have compiled a very in depth article on The Amen Break, the famous drum and bass drum sample, that has influenced so much music. Well worth reading.Article can be read here and a second article with audio examples can be found here

Gigs this weekend

2011-12-16T13:25:00.000Z

Click on poster for more information

FRIDAY NIGHT

Bristol glitch step hero Vaetxh makes his Irish debut in Cork tonight bringing his brand of brain noise to Bourbon St and for FREE.Not to be missed. Finishes at Half twelve.

Here's a link to the interview he did for the blog in case you missed it

Also flying in from Bristol is none other than Al Tourettes whose been tearing up dancefloors for years and with some seriously good releases on Applepips, it looks set to be absolute quality and for less than a tenner.

Riseup celebrate their Xmas party in Cyprus Avenue with Jonezy, Algi, Komplex Theory and Drokkr. So if your looking for some jungle vibes then this is the place to be. €5 before twelve.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Local house producers showcasing their stuff with live vocals and guest DJ.

If your in Dublin then definitely check out !Kaboogie's Xmas party which has a host of DJ's delivering the bass.

Yeahhbuzz-Killinger EP

2011-12-16T12:15:00.000Z

Irish bassline maestro Yeahhbuzz has his first release out today on Bass Hound Records and it's an absolute whopper and it's free. Yippeee!! The EP features his reckless track Killinger and remixes by no other than Fluffy, RRRitalin and Heapy. The track on it's own is an aural assault and each remix takes it off in a different direction and really fucks shit up. Expect this to be one of many releases by the Dundalk native as his productions keep getting better and better and in case you missed it check out the mixes page for the mix he recorded for this site, it's fucking unrealllll!!!!

BHR012 - Killinger EP (Released 12-16-11) by Bass Hound Records

Welder -Florescence EP - Free Tune Download

2011-12-15T12:36:00.000Z

Florescence is the latest release by Welder, the other alias of Ninja Tune loon Eskmo. Released on Angelides own Ancestor output it's a different beast than the Eskmo stuff. While inherently different, their are traits of Brendan Angelides production throughout the release but Florescence moves in a different motion. The album flows like the soundtrack to some epic movie that has to be watched on a big screen to be truly appreciated. The only reasonable comparison that can be drawn between Eskmo and Welder is that they are both savage and are the same person. The Welder record is astonishing in that it it's hard to get over the fact that it's made by one person. On all of the tracks it sounds as if Welder are in fact an entire band. The drums and strings are so organic sounding especially on tracks such as Japan and Be My Light, that it's easy to imagine a full band with an array of strange and wonderful instruments in front of you in a giant concert hall. Every track feels like this and it's a testament to Angelides ability that he's able to evoke this. It's all perfectly layered and beautifully constructed and I definitely know that I'm going to love it more with every listen. Unbelievable.

You can stream the entire EP below.

Enter your email address below for a free download of opening track Run.

Raikes Parade

2011-12-15T11:23:00.000Z

I love it when good music arrives in the inbox. Raikes Parade emailed me some tunes last week and I've had them playing ever since. The Manchester producer makes lush dub/reggae and the excellent live set on his soundcloud features lots of trippy vibes and different instruments from harps to synths to guitars.Really like the sound of his stuff and you can download his track Take A Version (Dub) from his soundcloud below.

You can purchase his Blunted In The Bedroom EP here

Raikes Parade - Take a Version (Dub) by Raikes Parade

Raikes Parade - Live in Session 2011 (Promo live set) by Raikes Parade

Raikes Parade - Roll the Right Way Dub by Raikes Parade

Hear New Burial Clip

2011-12-14T17:04:00.000Z

Last night on Rinse Fm, Scratcha DVA previewed a couple of minutes of a new Burial track Ashtray Wasp, that will feature on his forthcoming Hyperdub release Kindred that's due out in the near future. The track will apparently be eight minutes long but here's a snippet of what to expect and it sounds good!!

Interview And Mix: Aodhgán (Púca)

2011-12-14T13:22:00.000Z

Something that I keep on talking about constantly with people is the wealth of talent that there is in Ireland with regards people making their own electronic music. Every week I seem to be discovering new tunes by some local producer and someone that I really feel proves this statement more than most is Aodhgán, or Puca as he’s also known. Having honed his craft from a young age, the Cork based Sligo producer has gone from strength to strength throughout the years , creating the kind of dark soundscape techno that wouldn’t sound out of place in The Berghain in Berlin at five in the morning. While rooted in techno there’s so much more going on and having seen him live an absolute multitude of times, whether playing his own stuff or DJing, I’ve loved every second of it. I can’t speak highly enough of the guy and it’s with this latest mix that I feel he's really outdone himself. I've been told that I tend to exaggerate but this is honestly , no exaggeration, personally one of the best live sets I've ever heard from an Irish producer. Both the production quality and tunes are top notch and it’s music that’s right up my alley. I'm both very privileged and grateful that he recorded it especially for the site and that he was up for an interview. So sit back, turn up your speakers and take it all in.

1. How did you start off with an interest in and making electronic music?

I was pretty much weaned on house around my family growing up. My
godfather taught me to beat match when I was about 10, and I got
addicted... So I suppose that started the interest. Got my first pair
of crappy belt drives with my confirmation money! It just grew from
there really, I got a copy of Mod plug at the age of about 13 on
floppy disc from one of the older lads at school (thanks again
Peter!), and that was the can of worms.

Polyester Princess by Púca

2. You grew up in Sligo before relocating to Cork for college. How’s
the music scene up there?

I haven't really been back to Sligo much in the last few few years.
Going back it was mostly house. When I was there there wasn't much of
a scene for producers, it was all very D.I.Y, making music in the
bedroom and playing tunes at home. There's some great bands like The
Oddsocks Revival and Túcan. Also, there is a brilliant hip hop night
called This side up.

3. How would you describe your sound for someone who hasn’t heard ya?

Well Ken, tough question, I'm not really one for sub genres but I'd
like to say somewhere between Psy-discore-tech and extra funky
loungecore nu-wave sean nós techno...!! Don't really know myself!!
You'd have to take a listen really, I don't set out to make a
particular style, I just make electronic music usually with a healthy
dose of 4/4!

Laserface - Wires Of Love (Púca Remix) by Púca

4. How does the tune making process work?

I try to approach every track differently, but usually start out with
a field recording or a weird sound or drum loop from Pd, or a circuit
bent toy or something and then bring it into ableton and start to
twist it into a groove of some sort. Then build on it from there. I
run some elements back out through speakers messing around with them
in different ways to try and get some 'analogue' distortion or
harmonics. For example I have the inside of and old upright piano that
was retrieved from a skip. It's warped from lying out in a garden, but
it works as a kind of resonance chamber when you send stuff through
it.

5. What producers are invading your brain at the moment?

I'd have to say Alva Noto, his set at BLOC this year was a game
changer for me. His productions and collaborations go right from
really mellow to absolutely insane. Also Max Cooper, Kangding Ray,
Murcof and Byetone. I've been listening to a lot of Blockhead recently
as-well.

Sick Doctor by Púca

6. You also recently collaborated with Toby Kaar doing video work. How did this differ from your straight live music performances?

It was much tougher in a straight up logistical sense, as I was doing
sound and video live so it was tough to do so many things at once, as
I'm sure my laptop would agree... Toby is living in England so we had
to back and forth things over the internet before doing it which left
for a lot of improvisation on the night which was great fun. I think
our sounds work well together. I had worked with Toby before, as part
of the half and half exhibition but Toby was in absentia and I wasn't
doing the video live so playing a piece with him, being aware of
someone else, being aware of matching colours with sound 'colours' and
playing with rises and falls and playing with alternating them between
the two, was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, both the collaberation
and the live video are something I'd like to do more of in the future.

7. Who would be your dream collaborator?

I recently did something with Robin Renwick and Caleb (Coherx) as part
of Robin's masters. The three of us jammed, in the same room but over
the internet with a max patch that Robin wrote. It was something new
that only happens when you approach something differently. I really
enjoyed it and I think we all got something out of it. Which is what
I'd be hoping for in any future collaborations.

Internal Combustion by Púca

8. What pieces of production gear couldn’t you live without?

I think getting a decent pair of monitors and headphones was the best
thing I ever did.... Hearing what your doing on something flat is
invaluable. Obviously, as an electronic producer I wouldn't get very
far without my laptop and Ableton. The trusty old m-audio ozone is
always in use from the start to playing live as-well.

9. As a DJ what records always work a room?

I don't think there's a tune for every occasion, unless your playing it
safe. I usually just have a rough idea of how I'm going to build a
set. I love everything I play and I think when someone is passionate
about what they are playing out its contagious. Hopefully people get
into it, you just have fun with it then.

10. Have you any upcoming releases planned?

I'm constantly working on new material, there might be something in
the pipeline but until anything solidifies I'm going to just keep
writing and playing as much as possible.

About The Mix:

''Tis a live set of all new material, some of which I have played live
recently, some is fresh out the box for Skirmish Blog readers!
Thanks a million for having me.... You've put me on to loads of great
music on here, chuffed to be on it!''

Púca SkirmishBlog Live Set by Púca

Big up to Aodhgán (Púca) for the interview. Sound out.

You can check him out in Bourbon Street in Cork with Vaetxh this Friday night. Click poster for more information.

La Musique DJ's Rob Yeahhbuzz Tune

2011-12-14T12:05:00.000Z

Okay this is the only bit of promotion that this/these guys will get but it needs to be out there. Some crowd called La Musique DJ's posted a track on their soundcloud claiming to be their own when in fact it's actually One Inch Hospital by Yeahhbuzz pitched down with some samples and stuff added over it.It's a blatant rip off. Here are the two tracks so you can hear for yourself:

One Inch Hospital (VIP link in description) by yeahhbuzz

Dose Houser & La musique Dj`s - Bassline Business (Original Mix) by La musique Dj`s

This kind of shit is unbelievable. Spread the word about it because no matter who him/she/they are, there's no excuse for it and they should be blacklisted!!

Ruan Flood December Mix

2011-12-13T15:34:00.000Z

Macronite resident and all round techno fiend Ruan Flood has posted his latest mix and by god is it a whopper. It's exactly what you'd expect from the Limerick DJ, four to the floor balls out techno featuring tracks from Marcel Dettman, Shed and Blawan to name a few it's sheer quality and is perfect Xmas listening.

Ruan flood dec 2011 by Ruan Flood

Autechre's Lego Feet getting Vinyl release

2011-12-13T14:55:00.000Z

Autechre's uber rare Legofeet EP is getting a vinyl release by Skam, the label that released the debut by the duo. Their Twitter read the following today :

“Due to the amount of death threats, begging letters, and ransom notes… Legofeet – Ska001CD will be released on Vinyl in around 8 weeks.”

The EP is the precursor to Incunabula, their first official release as Autechre and is very hard to come across witch copies exchanging hands for over 300 quid on discogs.

You can buy the digital release from the Skam store here

Stream Tooth -That Corporate Emotion L.P.

2011-12-08T12:23:00.000Z

The greatest band to ever come out of Ireland, Tooth, have uploaded their That Corporate Emotion LP to bandcamp. The now defunct Limerick group, who recieved praise from magazines and crtics both home and abroad, produced some of the best Rock n Roll this country has ever seen and the exceptional news is that they're reforming for one gig only on St. Stephens night in Limerick. I already know it's going to be incredible.

This is from their facebook page:

Limerick's long lost purveyors of downtuned, decibel-driven, aggro rock, Tooth, are back! For one-night only, the 4-piece will perform tracks from their acclaimed “That Corporate Emotion” album, along with gloriously noisy nuggets from their back catalogue.
The band, consisting of Dr Shane Darcy (Drums); Liam Marley (Vocals/Guitar); Mark O Connor (Bass/Vocals) and Stephen Ryan (Guitar) will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the album's release with what promises to be a very special (and very loud) one-off show, this St Stephen's Night in Dolans Warehouse.

"Something quite startling, like being caught up in a cubist storm" - Terrorizer

"Heavy, coruscatingly angular backdrop that brings to mind acts as diverse as Tool, Fugazi, Soundgarden and Deftones" - Metal Hammer

"Vast wads of Therapy along with dashes of Nirvana, some genuinely original talent here, much to sink your teeth into... Snap it up" - Kerrang

"If you are into speed freak, neck loosening, disc slipping distorted music you'll love this" - Drop Magazine

that corporate emotion lp by tooth

Interview: Vaetxh

2011-12-08T12:19:00.000Z

Sometimes music comes along so brutal and disjointed that it makes you pay attention. Loops Haunt fits into this category, as does Alva Noto and Vaetxh most definitely does. I first heard a short mix he did for the people at Braindrop around a year ago and was blown away by it. Hailing from Bristol, the young producer is creating soundscapes that are hard to comprehend. It’s the kind of music that gets inside your brain and turns it inside out. However, rather than being just a complete brainfuck there are elements of melody in there and that’s what’s really interesting about his stuff. With releases already on Tigerbeat and King Deluxe and a planned collaboration with Ruby My Dear (who mentioned him favourably in the interview he did for this site earlier in the year), things are looking up for Mr Rob Clouth. I’m also delighted that he’s playing Cork for free next week, Friday the 16th December, for his debut Irish appearance and what undoubtedly will be one of the highlights of the year. I caught up with him ahead of it to find out all about his sound and see what he has in store for the night.

How long have you been making music for?

Since I was about 16 properly, so about 7 years. Before that I'd messed around with a DAW called Evolution Audio Lite, my first ever track was called 'Losenge'.

Braindrop @ Matter Competition Mix by Vaetxh on Mixcloud

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it?

I have trouble with this but usually say something like: "It's all the sounds you might not have heard but don't necessarily want to hear, chopped and spliced restlessly and obsessively against pounding drums with some occasional pleasant melody to soften the mess - if you're still listening by that point. Then add bass."

vaetxh - Cuntpressor by robclouth

Your music is so disjointed. How do you approach writing a tune?

If I think of a melody or rhythmic idea I will draft it in FL with really basic sounds to use later. So starting a tune is usually picking up one of these and developing it. The trouble is I've got a really short attention span so I tend to get bored of an idea quickly, but then rather than starting a new track I'll take something from earlier in the track and start developing it with that as the focus. I guess that's how the tracks end up sounding disjointed.

vaetxh - Mass by robclouth

How is it working with King Deluxe and Tigerbeat?

Yeah, really good actually. Peter from King Deluxe is wicked, he's always got interesting ideas for projects and some how manages to find interesting artists that actually want to remix my stuff! Miguel is cool too. I haven't chatted to him too much, but when I have he's been sound as fuck.

You’ve created an itunes library condenser, a program that turns your data in a radio station of and in ear binaural headphones. Any other stuff your working on?

Well I've just got back from this Music Hack Day thing in London http://london.musichackday.org/2011/. It was well good - loads of like-minded music dweebs getting together for a 24hr coding binge, with free booze and food. Me and a mate made a SoundCloud Mixer app, but we totally bungled the presentation because my laptop had run out of battery. Embarrassing, but mostly just annoying because we'd just spent 24 solid hours working on it only to fall at the final hurdle. Over than that I'm working on a Cheat Boxer, for making tunes with my mouth.

What is it about the glitch sound you find so appealing?

I do like glitch, but I think my music is glitchy more a result of my process rather than actively trying to write it. Messing around in a wave editor tends to make things sound glitchy. But there is something satisfying about finding that something makes a better sound when it fucks up than it does when it's working. We've got an electric organ in our house and the when you stop the drum machine, some circuitry must be fried because instead of stopping immediately it just crumbles and crackles to pieces before finally dying. It sounds far better than the actual drum machine.

vaetxh - Crumbling Shuffle by robclouth

Hardware or software?

Software mostly, because generally most things that hardware can do software can, and more because it's more flexible. Got a little circuit bent drum machine though which makes lovely sounds. I'm bringing it the Cork show.

vaetxh - The sky is an abyss by robclouth

How does the live show work?

Remashing my tunes live with some custom MaxMSP stuff + dodgy hardware.

What can people expect from your Cork show?

My tunes (some unheard ones) mashed up with lots of knob twiddling, keyboard mashing, radio fuckin, and that drum machine I mentioned.

vaetxh - Sifting through static by robclouth

Bristol has always had a history of excellent music coming from it. Any artists to be aware of?

My housemate Henry makes some wicked tunes using the various instruments he's got lying round. http://soundcloud.com/henrylouis
I'm not the best to ask for recommendations though, I don't really listen to much at the moment to be honest.

What releases have you planned for the future?

Got a 12" released on DetUnd soonish, and I've been chatting to Schematic about a release with them next year. Also on a different note, Traum contacted me about releasing some techno with them so I'm gonna try and knock out some clangers over xmas.

Big thanks to Vaetxh for the interview!! Gig is gonna be unreal -Click poster below for info!!

Check out his mix for The Centrifuge here

New DFX Major Tune

2011-12-08T11:48:00.000Z

Manchester based Irish electronic hip hop artist DFX Major has posted a new tune up. The track is titled Grimestep Instrumental and sounds exactly as the title suggests complete with an excellent sample.

Heard some new stuff he'll be releasing under a different alias last night and it's quality. Look forward to hearing the rest of it in the near future. Watch this space.

For those that missed it, here's the lunk to the interview I did with him earlier this year

Gigs to checkout this weekend

2011-12-07T23:19:00.000Z

Another night of good tunes ahead in Cork:

Click the poster for more information

Yes, The Baron Of Techno returns to Cork and from listening to his recent sets, I suspect that he'll tear the roof off the place.

The local producer showcase takes place in Bourbon St again tonight from 9 onwards. Free in!!

Fans of minimal techno would defnitely wanna check out Noizeculture in Cyprus Avenue tonight. Only €5 all night!!

Min-Y-Llan - Eyes Handcuffed EP

2011-12-07T13:42:00.000Z

Section 27 is a label whose output I've been following for a while now. Run by Scottish producer Nonima, who I've featured here before, the label is consistently releasing free quality material and their latest offering from Welsh down-tempo, I.D.M. producer Min-Y-Llan is no different. At 9 tracks Eyes Handcuffed is almost an album with each track a slice of Ambient loveliness that's so catchy. It's the 86th release by the label and follows the same basic pattern as the rest - really good interesting electronica. On his soundcloud, he cites Brian Eno and Orbital as two influences and this is definitely apparent throughout the release with lots of lush pads flowing from tune to tune. It's on tracks like A & E Robot and You Always Fuck With My Mind Box that the producer really delivers and comes into his own, bringing some 303's and disjointed beats to the mix. Savage release by an absolutely savage label.

You can download the EP for free here

Vote For Bump At Irish Festival Awards

2011-12-06T21:13:00.000Z

Head on over to The Irish Festival Awards site by clicking the banner above and give Bump a vote. Defnitely the best Irish festival going.

This should help jog your memory:

Interview: Loops Haunt

2011-12-06T14:51:00.000Z

I remember the first time that I heard Loops Haunt - I was in a dark room in Dublin with surround sound around 2 years ago. It was such an unreal and different, I couldn't get over it. Myself and everyone else there were blown away. I instantly returned home and downloaded his mini mix and I've had it on repeat and been following what he's been doing ever since. It's still one of my favourite mixes ever and having seen him live twice, loved every second of it. He completely has his own sound and with his new release Ark, out last week on Black Acre Records, his sound has developed even further. I'm absolutely delighted that he agreed to do an interview for the site as he talks about the new release, the Scottish scene and egg fucking.

1. First off I suppose. What got you started making electronic music?

There was a few factors but I suppose fundamentally it was born out of playing with plasticine as a kid. I would do that for hours, its was perfect for translating my imagination and I would just build loads of things. Unfortunately my plasticine dried up a couple of years back now so I buried it in the garden and bought a studio.

2. Where did the name come from?

It's nothing interesting- I thought about it walking home quite drunk from a gig and remembered it the next day. Theres a strong possibility thats not what I thought at all but thats what I remembered. I have a lot of unreleased stuff under different aliases, I don't have plans to release more Loops Haunt music.

3. The first thing I heard you do was the Ballers Mini Mix and you sort of exploded from there and signed to Little Big booking agents who have some huge names on their roster and were supporting Aphex etc. Was it as quick as I imagine or was it a long process to get there?

The actual motion of going from doing gigs that friends and I organised and the odd slot at other events to actively gigging, happened really quickly. But yeah, I had spent 5 yrs or so DJing and running nights in Dundee with different groups of friends and bedroom producing for a about 5 years before that. I've been noodeling with the piano all my life really.

BALLERS MINI MIX

4.You’ve got such a fierce unique sound. Did it take you a while to settle on this? How does the tune writing process work?

Thanks, It's slightly awkward to describe as the process is one that I hadn't consciously developed-I tend to have a lot of projects simmering away at the same time and work on them when i think of the next parts. I dont have any templates or working processes and I have used different approaches for different tracks. The first two releases were all hardware based and mentally were really just me scratching an itch that i had from playnig with sound and listening to hip hop. The Ark Ep is was different in the sense that comes for an mix of inspirations predominantly-space and surrealism. Artists like Roger Dean- "Tales Of Tropigraphical Oceans" was the first record I ever owned and the art blew me away. Dali, Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, Zdislaw Beksinski, Giger all have an incredible sense of sculpture and imagination which is something I admire on a production level in any meduim.
I have a gallon of Drone stuff I make using different samplers and a records, and that can be all about processing then sometimes i can record for hours on this out of tune piano I have that I love. I think the my favourite production method its a just tying to translate somehting ive been imagining and have drawn or written down. E.G "Chalks Knots" was this idea about these tight Atom like shapes twisting and crushing together then expanding into a huge vast space. So I suppose on a good day just about translation really.

5.You’ve just released Ark on Black Acre Records on the 28th. How long were you were working on it?

Some parts are older than my first releases so I cant be sure how long they took to make, but once a few things were in place then the rest happend really fast. The melodies on the three tracks are old but the production under them was worked on over a month or so. The Midi sequences that run the main melodies and drums in ark took the longest. I started that after a mix i did for electronic explorations when I used a roger dean solo from "Yessongs" and was playing over the top of that, which resulted in the idea for Ark. This fitted in with a few other tracks I had so I finished them and that was it.

Loops Haunt - Ark by Black Acre Records

6. How does your live setup work?

I have changed it nearly every gig this year but it usually evolves around a mixture of improvised sounds over beats/ track ideas and then djing. I cant really do a complete live setup but its something I'm working on for my album. Some of the different set ups have been ableton running clips parallel to a korg electribe and kaoss pad for sampling and remixing sometimes with a midi keyboard for playing some improv melodies. I've brought along an old kawai monosynth a couple times just for jamming again and recently ive been using a king of hosting/networking application in MAX to precess sounds and incorporating them into sets. Ill work for about a week before a gig trying to come up with new things then I play one or two shows depending on how close they are then I dont use the set again. It's not the easiest way to do things but I like trying to change it up so its somewhat unique even if it's a bit chaotic and wrong somethines. My stuff sometimes gets broken too so that plays a part.

7. What is the Scottish scene like? Any acts we should know about?

The Scottish music scene is great but I don't really go out much or keep an eye on new things however my friend "Samoyed" who is the main man @Flask which is a our (label/music family) released his "spit EP". He is a genius, but an evil bastard. He actually works for Cliff Richard and wrote him a MAX Patch that keep him alive for another 400 years...... That aside the records brilliant.

8.Your now based in Berlin. I heard other people that moved there describe it as a ‘hub of creativity’. Do you find this is the case?

Never Actually moved over, I was going to but then a lot of things happened and I've moved out to the countryside in the middle of scotland instead for the time being. I actually spookily enough stay next door to the place where one of my favourite composers Alan Lamb grew up. The Pylons that used to run down the side of my road inspired his "wire" music.

9.What music are you listening to at the moment?

This week I'm enjoying the new Kuedo album but mainly ive been listening to-

Daniel Menche - ALan lamb- Klaus Sschulze-Phurpa-Earth-iannis Xenakis-Mark Clifford-

10. Any tips for producers?

A good tip I heard once from one of my favourite producers was - "Don't over egg the pudding"

11. What does the future hold?

Probably just a bowl of fucked eggs.

Big up to the legend that is Loops Haunt for the interview.

Ital Tek- Gonga EP

2011-12-05T13:59:00.000Z

Ital Tek is a producer whose constantly developing his sound. The Brighton man has offered something different with every release he's brought and his new E.P. Gonga, which is out today on Planet Mu is no different. Opening track Gonga is the most inteersting track, almost like one long build up with a dancehall feel to it. Footwork, the Chicago sound championed by Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas, has obviously had an influence on the producer in relation to his beats and timings and it works really well. Mike Paradinas even does a remix for the title track, adding some cool vocals and different layered drums. This is definitely a release that I'll have on repeat for a while to come.

You can purchase it from the Planet Mu store here and preview the tracks.

Gigs this weekend

2011-12-02T11:47:00.000Z

Two of Dublin's finest, T-Woc and Richie Kaboogie, take to the stage in An Realt Dearg tonight for Footstomp, with loads of Swing, Rocakbilly, Surf etc... on the agenda and it's free in. Lovely stuff

T-woc logan run by t-woc

zion live by t-woc

Dub Conference is taking place in The Pavillion tonight also with Revelation Sound System, Dub Investigation and Ras Tinny MC, providing the dub vibes for the evening

Dub Investigation - Archives 2010 by Dub Investigation

Derry electro trio The Japanese Popstars take over The Savoy tomorrow night in what's sure to be an all out party!!

Have an interview with them ahead of the gig which you can read here in case you missed it :)

The Fear Ratio - Light Box

2011-12-01T14:52:00.000Z

Whenever you get techno stalwarts such as James Ruskin and Mark Broom together you know that something special is going to come out. Light Box is the first album of the The Fear Ratio, the collaboration between the two producers and features eleven tracks of laid back lovely electronica. Releasing on a label such as Blueprint, there's a danger that it could be a very minimalistic affair altogether but this isn't the case with Light Box. While still not overly banging, it's a nicely layered release. There's plenty of bass here and at times, such as on Bronik, it harbours onto the dub side of things which doesn't sound like either producer. The album also features a great remix of the track Morning Blues by Plaid, who are an obvious influence on the album as, at times, some of the tracks could be straight off Plaid's back catalogue. There's loads of melody's and different ideas happening on Light Box and it'll be interesting to see what else they've to offer with the project.

You can pick up the release here

Final Small Hours Show tonight

2011-12-01T13:29:00.000Z

Unfortunately tonight is the last broadcast of The Small Hours - the groundbreaking radio show hosted by Donal Dineen. Throughout the years he has provided the airwaves with some much neeeded electlisim. While there were many radio DJ's on Irish radio that did take a chance and play something different (Dave Fanning, Gerry Ryan etc...), it was Donal's show in my opinion that provided a real eclectic output -playing everything from techno to folk and providing a real gap in the market for such a show. I have discovered so much music thanks to it down through the years and I'm personally very disappointed that it's ending. I'm not sure how Today FM will fill the slot. No doubt Donal Dineen will go on to do something equally as brilliant but make sure and tune in for what promises to be a poignant broadcast of the greatest Irish radio show ever.

Tune in from 12 to 2 am tonight on Today FM's website here

Zomby - Nothing EP

2011-11-30T14:29:00.000Z

Zomby's LP Dedication and 2009's Where Were You In 92? have been gracing my speakers for a while so I was delighted to hear that he had a new E.P. out this week. Originally included as an add on to the Japanese version of the Dedication album, these tracks are obviously from around the same time but showcase something a small bit different from the producer. It still has his trademark sound but almost sounds a bit more upbeat. It seems to sit happily in between Where Were You In 92? and Dedication which is definitely a good thing.

Release: Squire Of Gothos - Kevin And Perry Go 'Ard

2011-11-30T00:58:00.000Z

Sheffield loonballs The Squire Of Gothos have gone all summer with their latest release Kevin And Perry Go 'Ard. It's available through their own OffMeNut imprint and you can pay what you like it. Taking their sound in a somewhat different direction, the duo have produced four laid back tracks that are less hectic than their previous offerings, with first track Hiding In The Bushes having an almost Ibiza summerime house feel to it as does the rest of the E.P. generally and all just in time for Christmas. Gwan The Squires!!

Kevin & Perry Go 'Ard by The Squire Of Gothos

Deadlybuzz Bass Maggots EP Preview

2011-11-29T18:03:00.000Z

Limerick raver Deadlybuzz is preparing to release his Bass Maggots E.P. on Kanji Kinetic's excellent Mutant Bass Records and there's a minimix up on the Mutant Bass soundcloud. The release is a great mix of bass driven madness, with techno and bassline crossing over, as Deadlybuzz delivers his take on the Mutant Bass sound.

Watch this space for an interview and mix with the producer in the near future as well!!

Deadlybuzz - Bass Maggots EP Minimix [MUTANTBASS009] by mutantbassrecords