Beats + Pieces Column

A spiring female vocalist Nat Leonard makes her live debut at the Creamfields festival in Liverpool this weekend (August 28/29), singing live with ex-Brothers In Rhythm member Dave Seaman’s new outfit Group Therapy. Dubliner Nat provides the vocals on Group Therapy’s new single, ‘My Own Worst Enemy’, a proggy/trance affair which is released on Monday (Aug 30th) across two 12-inchers on Dave’s Audio Therapy label. Mixes from Trafik, Yoshi & OMB, Group Therapy and Spector …
Acclaimed Belfast DJ and producer Timmy Stewart – one half of prolific remixers New Alumnists – launches his new Irish label, Island Hopper Records, this fortnight. The Island Hopper EP features tracks from Phil Kieran, Crashdaddy, The New Aluminists and Scoper & Bubba. Praise has come from many quarters globally, not least from hot Scottish remix king Ewan Pearson – currently working on Gwen Stefani from No Doubt’s solo album – who rates the Scoper & Bubba tune as “the biggest I’ve got this year, and my biggest tune at this year’s Sonar festival in Barcelona”. Mighty praise, indeed …
Fergie’s Mixmag Live album is shaping up to be a monster upon its UK release on September 6th. The Irish techno-god has undertaken a promotional campaign that will see his pretty boy mush adorning every magazine cover you can think of, not to mention poster sites all across the UK. It’s the first release in the relaunched Mixmag Live series and is being supported by a major-label styled campaign spend. Incidentally, Fergie – who is currently opening his sets with Punkrok’s ‘Sweet Child’, the Ibiza hit which marries the guitar riff from ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses to pounding drums – will launch the album at LOVE Saturdays in Dungannon, Co Tyrone on September 4th, also the launch of his new LOVE Saturdays residency …
Irish trance lords Agnelli & Nelson – who played to over 30,000 clubbers during one recent weekend – are back in the record shops. Their white-hot remix of Armin Van Buuren’s lost trance classic ‘Blue Fear’ out now on Xtravaganza … Alan Pullen has had four tracks signed to a new compilation by extreme London fetish club Fist … Former pirate radio DJs Keith Downey and Thinktoy will be presenting an ambient/electronica show on Spin 103.8FM in Dublin, every Sunday from September 5th, between 11.45pm and 12.45am … The most exciting new Irish rock band of 2004, Mainline play The Village in Dublin on September 18th, with DJ support from Johnny ‘The Man’ Moy, Arveene ‘The Pin-Up’, Nic ‘The James’ and Eno ‘The Fade’ …
hotpress scribe and talented deckmeister Barry Redsetta looks to be the firm favourite for the resident’s job at the soon-to-reopen PoD in Dublin … Philadelphia hip-hop act The Roots promote their new album The Tipping Point (their sixth) with a gig at The Olympia in Dublin on August 30th ... Trinity Rooms has announced two new hip hop gigs. Arrested Development play on September 3rd, and ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ star Coolio flies in on October 1. Arrested Development will also play Crawdaddy in Dublin on September 2nd, and the inaugural Electric Picnic ‘boutique’ festival in Stradbally, Co Laois on September 4th. Full details on the festival elsewhere this issue … Soul legend Norman Jay plays Shake at Bar 093 in Galway on September 4th … The Finnish Warp Recordings’ star Jimi Tenor brings his jazzyfunkytechy band to Crawdaddy in Dublin on September 17th … Tickets are now on sale for John Digweed’s return to Redbox on September 24th … FC Kahuna play GPO in Galway on September 4th …
D.A.V.E. The Drummer makes a rare appearance in Dublin this weekend, at The Belvedere on Saturday (28th) … Soulfuric Records’ legend Brian Tappert plays Eye Candy at Traffic in Dublin tonight (26th) … Belfast club Mono hosts a four-night Northern bank holiday DJ Weekender from tonight. DJs include Sean McCann, Colm Regan, Carl Spree and Sandra Gourley … This year’s Irish DMC World Mixing Championships Finals take place at Ri-Ra in Dublin tomorrow … And finally, one of the North’s foremost clubbing institutions will be demolished after its closing party – headlined by Lisa Lashes – this Saturday (28th). The Met in Armagh has been at the forefront of Northern clubbing for fifteen years, and gave internationally acclaimed Irish DJs Robbie Nelson, Gleave Dobbin and Fergie their first big breaks … THE BEAT GOES ON!