Mango X Mathman, Aby Coulibaly, Monjola on Red Bull SoundClash: "We obviously don’t have any beef, but we're winning!"

For the uninitiated, SoundClash is a unique event, inspired by the culture of competing sound systems originating in 1950’s Jamaica, and subsequently spreading around the world. It is essentially a battle between two different dance crews, with the audience deciding who wins.

Red Bull are bringing the concept to Ireland, with a show in the Shelbourne Hall, RDS, Dublin on October 21, featuring two of Ireland’s most critically revered hip hop crews in open – if essentially friendly – combat.

The iconic Mango X Mathman – who are among the leaders of the burgeoning Irish hip-hop scene – head up the first crew. The duo are thrilled to be among the artists featured in the debut Irish Red Bull SoundClash.

SHELLEY FKA DRAM and Baby Tate perform at Red Bull Sound Clash in Atlanta, GA at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 30 November, 2021. Brian Hall.

SURPRISE GUESTS

“I was at SoundClash 2018 in London,” Adam ‘Mathman’ Fogarty reveals. “I’ve seen a lot of shows, and I’ve been involved in a lot of shows – but this was the greatest thing I’d ever seen. It was just incredible. I walked away that night going: ‘Wow. Imagine if that ever came to Ireland? Wouldn’t it be great to be part of it?’ I never thought in my wildest dreams that it would actually make it here. So, it’s a real honour to be one of the first acts involved in what I think is quite a historic moment for street music culture in Ireland.”

Leading the second crew are rising Irish hip-hop and R&B stars, Aby Coulibaly and Monjola. Individually, these stable-mates rank as two of the most exciting new acts to have emerged from Ireland in recent years. Alt-R&B artist Monjola has been hailed for his themes of self-exploration, while Aby Coulibaly has been successfully mixing 90s R&B beats and buttery vocals with insightfully observational lyricism.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Aby tells Hot Press. “We obviously don’t have any beef with Mango X Mathman – but we’re winning!”

“We just want to be ourselves and get the audience to see that,” Monjola chimes in. “I have a new song, ‘Big Fat Liar’, coming out on the same day as the SoundClash, so I’m excited for the audience to hear that.

“And to see us defeating Mango X Mathman,” he adds with a grin.

In the spirit of the occasion, Mango X Mathman have also created new tracks specifically for the event – some of which will be performed for one night only!

“We’ve got new versions of songs – and we’ve also got very special surprise guests,” Fogarty divulges. “We’ve specifically designed exclusive tracks that no one has ever heard before for the battle. We’ve got dubplates as well, in true SoundClash culture.”

A ‘dubplate’ is an acetate disc, used by studios to test recordings prior to being mastered and sent off for vinyl pressing. They were adapted by reggae sound systems as an inexpensive way of delivering original – and often deliberately provocative – beats for Soundclashes.

“Where this all comes from is,” Fogarty explains, “back when Jamaican sound systems used to battle each other head to head, they’d come with records specifically designed to diss the other crew. So, you better believe we’ve got some of the best dubplates ready to go to shut Aby and Monjola down – and end the whole thing early!”

Mango x Mathman at Body & Soul Festival 2022 at Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath, 17th– 19th June. Copyright Ruth Medjber.

GETTING BETTER

Much like a boxing match, the Soundclash is set over six rounds. Stages will be located at either end of the Shelbourne Hall and the crews will take turns, building up the heat as they get creative, pit their musical skills against one another, answer any put-downs and generally work like demons to outshine their opponents – with more than a few surprises thrown in to keep things lively.

In the end, it’s the audience that’ll decides who wins. A decibel meter monitors the crowd’s reaction after each performance and whoever receives the biggest cumulative crowd response will be crowned crew champion.

In other words, Red Bull’s SoundClash promises to be a unique and fascinating event. Given that SoundClashes were precursors to a lot of the grandstanding, hype, bitching and put-downs that are a vital component in contemporary rap music, this is an exciting moment for the Irish hip-hop scene – a new form of recognition.

“Before we even started doing music, pre-pandemic, I always said young Irish artists or emerging Irish artists didn’t get enough radio play,” Aby Coulibaly says.

Aby Coulibaly at The Sound House. 21st of April 2022. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

“This year, in particular, so many festivals had so many Irish acts; more than I’ve ever seen before. I just feel that – slowly, maybe – it’s getting better. I’m guessing that’s why Red Bull have brought SoundClash to Ireland. So, it’s really nice to be among the first people involved in it.”

With recent Hot Press cover stars, Kneecap, just added to the bill as special guests, and Gemma Bradley announced as MC, it promises to be an extraordinary evening. As for who is most likely to emerge triumphant, well, that depends on the referees!

Meaning you...

• Check out Ticketmaster for tickets to Red Bull SoundClash on Friday, October 21, in Shelbourne Hall, the RDS, Dublin.

Read more music features in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.