Donegal-born duo, Timmy & Tommy [pictured], are riding the crest of a wave. The house, electro and techno producers – regularly championed by Tall Paul on his London radio show – have just signed their Sir Tuffner EP to Swedish label, Liftin’ Records.
Due out early in the New Year, it’s the label’s third release and features a remix from Polish producer Greg Kobe, who has produced for labels such as Evolved and Manga. The three-track EP is completed by ‘Down ‘N’ Dirty’, a chunky house groove which lives up to its name.
The Dublin-based pair have also just completed a remix of ‘Why Keep On’ for electro-pop group, Rubikon, which is being released through Swedish label Substream. Rubikon, incidentally, consists of producer Huw Williams and singer Tiff Lacey, who provided the vocals on Paul Oakenfold’s recent hit, ‘Hypnotised’.
More signatures have been signed with Canadian stamp, FullBodySoundSystem, which promises to unleash Timmy & Tommy’s ‘Massive Passive’ with new remixes in February 2007. Somewhat closer to home, organic house label, Queep Records (which recently switched bases from London to Dublin), has picked up their ‘Rapture’ cut.
Irish rapper Rob Kelly has just unleashed his long-awaited album, Bragging Rights, an 18-track tour de force of raw, hardcore rap with sharp, witty humour and double entendres over blazing production by big name beat-makers.
Critically acclaimed in the US – with almost 130,000 song plays on his myspace.com/robkelly site – Rob’s Acquisition Records album (the label he co-owns with DJ Flip and businessman Grant Leech) has been boosted by a U.S. distribution deal with Swagger, a company owned by Jay-Z.
In the recent poll-winners issue of DJ Magazine, the world‘s official number one DJ, Paul van Dyk (as voted by more than 200,000 clubbers worldwide) tips Irish trance producer John O’Callaghan as his ‘one to watch’ in 2007.
Currently completing his debut album for a Spring release on British label, Discover, John has also confirmed his second mix album to be recorded live at top English club Inside Out on December 27. Live As will boast two CDs, one mixed by John and one mixed by Belfast ex-pat, Greg Downey.
The O’Callaghan magic recently rubbed off on aspiring Dublin DJ, Paul Webster, who got John to master his latest solo single, ‘Corruption’.
Following an intense bidding war involving a number of top British labels, Paul decided to sign the track to Armada, the top Dutch label owned by the world’s number two DJ, Armin van Buuren.
“It was the best move for my career,” Paul told Hot Press. “The English labels were offering more money, but signing to Armada for three singles was the better move for me.”
Cork based ex-pat Mark O’Sullivan has just released ‘Emission’, the third single on JM Recordings, the label he co-owns with Swede John Dahlback.
A collaboration between Mark and fellow Cork native, Edwin James, in his Corrugated Tunnel guise, ‘Rockstars Swallow It’ is scheduled for a release at the end of January.
After its most successful festival yet, Planet Love returns on December 26 with its second annual Winter party at King’s Hall in Belfast.
Joining Dutch wizard, Marco V, are Italian legend, Mauro Picotto, hard dance queen, Lisa Lashes, Dutch hardstyle heroine, Luna, fast rising trance icon, Sander van Doorn, German hard dance DJ, Scot Project, and Belfast whiz-kid, Jordan X.
Tickets (priced £29.95) are now on sale from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. See www.planetlovemusic.com for details of coaches running from across the North.
Lisa Lashes will wrap up her mini-tour on December 31 with an early set at The Music Factory in Carlow and the closing set at Colony in Wexford.
Drum ‘n’ bass club Bassbin launches a new monthly residency at Kennedy’s in Dublin on Friday December 8. DJs include Metalheadz acts Commix (from Cambridge) and Beta 2 (from Dundrum), both of whom recently worked together alongside Zero Tolerance under the guise of Three’s Company.
Galway club 110th Street welcomes Backlash founder Jon Averill to The Vic on December 9. At the same venue a night earlier, Gary XLR8 follows his recent sold out Mr Spring party at Hard Dance Hedonizm with another all-Irish affair featuring the aforementioned Paul Webster and Galway girl, Tara Murphy.
On December 10, Crawdaddy serves up a hip-hop treat with maverick DJ and producer, Peanut Butter Wolf, who owns Stones Throw Records, joined by Aloe Blacc. At the same venue on December 22, electro-trash trio, Chicks On Speed, perform a DJ set.
Upstairs at the newly-opened Tripod on December 29, techno and electro pioneer Dave Clarke cuts them up alongside Belfast’s Alan Simms. Tickets are now on sale.
At The Market in Limerick on December 29, Strictly Rhythm presents a Best of Irish celebration across four rooms, with DJs and clubs from Cork, Kilkenny, Tralee, Galway, Waterford and Dublin joining the locals.
There are two new online stores offering MP3 downloads of hundreds of new tunes weekly at high-quality rates of 320kbps.
Mosdownload.com is Ministry of Sound’s impressive shop, where more than 75,000 tracks are available from as little as 99c per tune.
While the re-launched Trax2Burn.com claims to be the first (and possibly only) downloads site to offer telephone technical and sales support… THE BEAT GOES ON!