With possibly its most diverse and comprehensive programme to date, DEAF 2008 will host an incredible 52 events across the city in venues from the Digital Hub to the National Gallery of Ireland between Thursday October 23 and Sunday October 26.
Musical highlights include appearances from the revered veterans of electronic experimentalism Nurse With Wound and White Noise at The Sugar Club, Trans Am and ZZZ at the Village, M83 at Vicar St., and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop at the Digital Hub.
And it just wouldn’t be DEAF without some top-notch club sessions. Lined up for DJ sets are Luke Vibert, Rob Hall, UR DJ Skurge, Regis, DJ Sandrinho, Broadcast, Shawn Rudiman and DK7.
There will also be a series of workshops and seminars with Andreas Schneider, Niamh Ahern, Dave Vorhaus, Mark Jenkins, Peter Kirns and Steinski.  
The annual flagship event is the DEAF closing party, which this year features a host of highly-regarded international names such as Model 500 featuring Juan Atkins and Mike Banks, Laurent Garnier and the Moritz Von Oswald Trio playing alongside the best of local talent including Americhord, Chequerboard, Wobble DJs and Rollers/Sparkers.
Its a three-stage affair with one ticket providing access all areas to The Village, Whelan’s and Whelan’s Upstairs on Wexford Street in Dublin. The event runs from 7.30pm sharp until 3am and tickets are €35 (plus booking fee) from www.tickets.ie and the likes of City Discs in Temple Bar.
2008 marks the start of the DEAF Awards for new composition in the fields of ambient and electro-acoustic music, a collaboration project with South Tipperary Arts Centre, Limerick University and RTÉ Lyric FM.
Another focal point is the annual DEAF CD, which showcases the best new experimental music being made in this country. The double disc features 35 tracks from Irish-based artists such as Nurse With Wound, Fovea Hex, Major Grave, Roger Doyle and Sunken Foal.
While DEAF Junior, the children’s workshop programme, will visit some of Dublin’s disadvantaged areas offering kids of all ages an opportunity to experiment with new music technology.
Last issue we revealed that Cork tech-trance club Reincarnation is taking place at Trabolgan Holiday Village on November 7 and 8.
The full line-up has since been released, and it’s great to see Irish heroes John O’Callaghan and Agnelli & Nelson topping an outstanding, 40-strong bill, also featuring international big guns John Askew, Fred Baker, Solarstone, Alex Morph, Mark Sherry, Supr 8 & Tab and Tylor Leigh.
Other Irish DJs performing include Neal Scarborough, Paul Webster, Bryan Kearney, John Gibbons and Reincarnation’s mainman Scott Millz.
Eleven hundred tickets only are on sale directly from the village 021 4661551 and from [email protected] and they cost €180. This fee includes your chalet accommodation for the weekend. Chalets are available to cater for groups of 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 people.
All of Trabolgan’s usual entertainment centres and bars will be utilised for the duration of the weekender, with at least four main rooms running music for hours that apparently won’t be restricted by the usual nightclub hours as everybody present will be a resident.
The event is modelled on the Tidy Weekenders that have run 14 times so far at Pontin’s in the UK, and one suspects it will be the first of many at the County Cork resort.
Speaking of Tidy, the label’s fifteenth weekender running in Prestatyn, Wales from October 3 to 5 is rumoured to be the last time the label’s lynchpin act The Tidy Boys will be performing together.
The hard dance heroes have denied they are splitting up, but admitted a “major announcement” will be made during their set at TW15.
Fans have been hotly debating if this is about the end of the Weekenders themselves, but some industry observers are predicting the Tidy brand being sold off to a third party with the two lads carrying on as DJs under the Tidy Boys moniker.
Whatever happens, it means the Tidy spectacular at the newly revamped, 3,000-capacity Theatre Royal in Castlebar, County Mayo on September 27 is going to be the end of era in Ireland. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.
After a few outings at Andrew’s Lane Theatre during the summer, Al Keegan’s new club Rubberband will be launching as a weekly party at Dublin’s Wax on September 20.
Resident DJs include Al and the fast rising three-deck trickster David de Valera. Admission will be €10 (or €8 before midnight or with a student ID) except when there are guests.
The opening night attendees will receive a free Rubberband CD if they are among the first 100 through the Powerscourt Centre club’s doors.
Belfast club Shine has announced that Laurent Garnier has rescheduled his recent Queens Students Union gig, which was cancelled due to illness.
The Gallic guru will now play on Friday October 24, and all tickets purchased remain valid for the rescheduled show, while refunds will be available from point of purchase.
A spokesperson told Hot Press: “Laurent has not cancelled a show in 20 years, and has apologised for not being unable to honour this booking.”
And finally, congratulations to Waterford’s premier house club RePublik as it celebrates its third birthday this month. French don DJ Deep is the special guest for the big blowout on September 17… THE BEAT GOES ON!