Dublin-based electronica label Elusive Records returns this fortnight with its fifth release, Dramanalog, the stunning album from Halfset, aka Stephen Shannon and Jeff Martin. The standout cut for dancefloors is its euphoric climax, ‘Laptop Dancer’, while elsewhere the album dips into ‘folktronica’ and ambient waters while never losing sight of its audience or its melodic edge. It is officially launched at The Sugar Club on April 15th and there is a free in-store show at Tower Records in Dublin on April 16th at 1pm… Folktronica fans should also note that the much-hyped Country Falls album from Finnish act Husky Rescue has just been re-released on Catskills. The intriguing effort is a potentially huge crossover hit deserving the high praise heaped upon it…
Irish ex-pat Fergie has teamed up with production legend Mauro Picotto for his new single ‘Funkytime’, which will be released on the Italian’s Alchemy label. According to BBC1 presenter Fergie, it was one of the biggest tunes at the recent Winter Music Conference in Miami … Fergie’s old pal is caning the third release from Dublin label Hard Sounds, Rodi Style’s ‘Messin’ With Your Mind’, which is paired with the techno-infused pounder, ‘Speaker Bustin’, from Raff & Karl Davis and hits the shops this fortnight. The fourth release from the fledgling label will couple label owners Karl Davis & John Kerrigan’s hard and hoovery ‘All That Noise’ with George E & Steve Maynard’s equally thumping ‘Freakin It’. The latter track is currently being hammered by Ian M ahead of its May release… Irish drum ‘n’ bass producers Calibre, Beta 2 and Zero Tolerance have a tune, ‘Cheap & Nasty’, on the Audioworks Volume 2 compilation out this fortnight on Audioworks...
Notable album releases on the dance front this fortnight include Outhud’s Let Us Never Speak Of It Again (warped disco on !K7), Aesop Rock’s Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives (Blockhead-produced hip-hop on Definitive Jux), Kings Of Tomorrow’s Trouble (genre-hopping funk-fuelled set from Sandy Riviera on Defected) and Whitey’s The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (second album that delivers groovy and mature pop on 1234). Pick of the bunch is Thievery Corporation’s The Cosmic Game (on ESL). It features worthy collaborations with David Byrne, The Flaming Lips and Perry Farrell… On the compilations front, Miami dominates – check Danny Howells’ Miami 027 on Global Underground and Dave Piccioni’s Miami 2005 on Azuli, while Phil K’s Y4K (on Distinct’ive Breaks) and DJ Die’s Cross Collaborations (drum ‘n’ bass team-ups on Full Cycle) illustrate perfectly there are two sides to the UK’s breakbeat coin …
Deep Dish have been named as the headline act in the dance tent at Oxegen on Sunday July 10. Tickets for the two-day festival at Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare are now on sale… Voted the world’s number one DJ for the past three years, Dutch DJ Tiesto will appear at his biggest ever Irish show on bank holiday Sunday May 1st at King’s Hall in Belfast. Tickets for the Gatecrasher-promoted event are now on sale at Ticketmaster (priced £35stg). Support comes from Ferry Corsten, Agnelli & Nelson and Gleave Dobbin… Mayfest at The Vaults in Dublin on May 1st will feature 10 DJs in three rooms, with progressive pioneers Chris Fortier and Cristian Varela headlining. Tickets are now on sale…
One of the gigs of the month is at Crawdaddy on April 24th, with hip-hop legend Money Mark supported by Irish electronica genius Jape. And at the same venue on May 6th, DJ Format will be promoting his excellent album If You Can’t Join ‘Em Beat ‘Em flanked by MC Abdominal and D-Sisive… For fans of more banging dance, there’s few more entertaining DJ shows than The Tidy Boys, aka Amadeus Mozart and Andy Pickles. The Tidy Trax empire owners will be making an all-too-rare Irish appearance at TBMC in Dublin on April 22nd. They have just announced that they will be mixing the next Euphoria album for Ministry Of Sound along with Tidy acts Lee Haslam and Amber D…
Highly-rated Irish techno act Corrugated Tunnel, from Cork’s Seedy Recordings stable, is playing live at Electric City at Traffic in Dublin on April 21st… Detroit icon Theo Parrish makes his Irish debut at Bodytonic in Dublin on April 22nd… DJ Krust & Dynamite MC descend on The Empire in Belfast on April 23rd, the same night that French deep house pioneer Miguel Migs plays Groove at Axis Mundi in Waterford …
Club nights worth shouting about this fortnight include Pornoground05 at Club Matrix in Dungannon on April 16th – ‘wet and hard’ DJ Corvin Dalek will be joined by DJ Klang and Spin FM’s John Gibbons – and Rapture at the Hamlet Court Hotel in Enfield, Co Meath tomorrow (April 8th) with Seb Fontaine. Also in Enfield, Turbulance takes place at Bridge House Hotel, Enfield on Saturday (9th) with the Hard Sounds DJ crew. While at new club One at nearby Fairyhouse Racecourse, BBC1FM Anthems show presenter Dave Pearce headlines on April 16th … And finally, the next DJ and Digital Music Academy runs at The Digital Hub in Dublin on April 16th and 17th. To book your place, email [email protected] … THE BEAT GOES ON!