Beats + Pieces

Having caused a major storm in rock ’n’ roll circles this past 12 months, Dublin’s hotly-tipped black-clad sonic terrorists Mainline, launch their first assault on the dancefloor next month with remixes of their awesome debut single 'Black Honey'. The club treatments come from Who Made Who and Leo Pearson, and will be released on New York label Plant records at the end of June… Limerick DJ Code, of the renowned south-west drum ‘n’ bass team Nu Killa Kru, has just launched a new label, Subtle Audio Recordings. Hailed internationally for being more musical than your average hard and fast UK d ’n’ b workout, the label’s first release is a double-vinyl set featuring reputed UK producers Alpha Omega, Equinox and Senses. The vinyl is on sale online at www.subtleaudiorecordings.com …
Irish superstar DJ Fergie, who will be resident at Mauro Picotto’s Meganite Ibiza parties this summer and who recently launched his own Excentric club nights “so I can play longer sets and various styles”, has remixed Tears For Fears’ ‘80s smash, ‘Shout’. Meanwhile, Fergie has revealed that ‘Funkytime’, his collaboration with Mauro Picotto due for release in the coming months, is “the first of many”. Fergie returns to his new favourite stomping ground, Lush in Portrush, Co Derry, on May 21st …
Albums hitting the shelves and online markets about now include electronic innovators supreme Autechre’s eagerly anticipated eighth opus, Untitled (on Warp), Chok Rock’s leftfield electronic funk epic, Big City Loser (Warp), and Jay Haze’s often insane Love For A Strange World (Kitty Yo). Less experimental is Vitalic’s OK Cowboy (Pias), an exciting melodic electro affair with strong Belgian nu-beat influences – anyone for a Frank de Wulf revival? Meanwhile, Petephilly And Perquisite’s jazzy and soulful Mindstate (Epitaph) should put Dutch hip-hop on the map thanks to its musical fluidity and lyrical dexterity. Equally likely to prompt an enthusiastic ‘rap’s not dead’ reaction is the Lyrics Born remix album, Same Shit, Different Day (Quannum Projects), a stunning 16-track set that includes new tracks and total remakes and features guests like Shadow, KRS One, Dan The Automator, Dilated Peoples and Morcheeba …
Compilations currently surfacing include Bob Sinclair’s latest mix of genetically modified ethnic grooves, Africanism Vol III (Defected), while Gilles Peterson’s In Africa (Ether) takes a more organic route; both deliver the tasty flavours you would expect. Subliminal Sessions 8 mixed by Jose Nunez, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso (Subliminal) covers the dirtier end of house, Inland Knights’ Family Duals (NRK) covers the deeper waters (and delivers a bonus CD of rare IK productions and remixes) while Adam Beyer’s Fabric 22 (Fabric) simply bangs like any self-respecting techno set should. Compilation of the year so far is arguably Stereolab’s Oscillons From the Antisun (Too Pure). The box set of three CDs of rare singles and EP tracks (and a DVD full of videos and archive TV footage) reminds one of just how influential they were ahead of the release of a new album in 2006. Treat yourself …
New Order’s Peter Hook has rescheduled his date at The Savoy in Cork. He will now be appearing on May 19th, alongside Raymond Franklin… Progressive house pioneer Anthony Pappa plays TBMC in Dublin on May 27th. Tech-houser Mr C is at the same venue on June 18th … Thoughts are already turning to the next bank holiday weekend in June, and Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez from Masters at Work will play a three-hour set in the sunny south-east at Axis Mundi in Waterford on Sunday June 5th. He’s also at Spirit in Dublin with his MAW partner ‘Little’ Louie Vega on June 3rd … Brazilian drum’n’bass whiz Marky plays Remedy at TBMC in Dublin on June 5th … The world’s No1 DJ Tiesto, headlines at the first Global Gathering festival in Ireland, which runs on Sunday July 31st at Millstreet, Co Cork. Full line-up details next issue …
This fortnight sees the official arrival of summer with the opening of Summertonic, the monthly latin and samba club from the Bodytonic crew, at Wax tomorrow (May 6th), with breaks barons Plump DJs making their Norn Iron debut at The Empire on Saturday as part of the aforementioned digital T festival. On May 13th, new Dublin house club Elysium will be broadcasting the sets of six local DJs live on 94.6FM from its home at The Vaults, while ‘Higher State Of Consciousness’ creator Josh Wink will be performing at The Savoy in Cork. On May 14th, Bassbin is back at TBMC in Dublin with the inimitable Rohan and Naphta… And finally, congratulations to RnaG’s An Taobh Tuathail programme, which celebrates its sixth birthday this month. The cutting edge mix of worldly beats can now be heard on the station’s new youth service, Anocht FM, from 11pm to 1am every night. The show has been given the go-ahead to broadcast songs with English lyrics for the first time (the reason for its predominantly large instrumental playlist until now) … THE BEAT GOES ON!