Beats + Pieces: System of a Downey

Belfast-born trance producer and DJ Greg Downey has remixed Bedrock’s all-time anthem ‘Heaven Scent’ to great effect, and while no official release date has been set, with the likes of Paul van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell and Armin van Buuren hammering it so regularly, it can’t be long before Digweed gives it the go-ahead.
The ‘Vivid Intent’ creator has, however, got two confirmed singles hitting the shops hot on the heels of his ace remix of Dubliner Paul Webster’s ‘Corruption’ on Dutch stamp Armada.
Greg Downey and Marc Linden’s self-titled EP is due on another Dutch label, Midway, while the Greg Downey remix of Deem’s ‘Tears Of Hope’ on English imprint Discover is being tipped as one of trance anthems of the summer.
Ork Recordings – the label co-owned by Leeside natives Fish Go Deep and Mark O’Sullivan – pushes on this month with its sixth superb single. The Walkabout EP comprises three tracks of deep electronic house from fast-rising Dutch duo, Nick Hogendoorn and Eelke Kleijn.
O’Sullivan has also just launched DK7 Recordings with his partner in DK7, Jesper Dahlback. The label’s specific aim is to rework DK7 tracks and it opens its account with ‘Killer’, lifted from the pair’s debut album, Disarmed, in Tommy Four Seven, Lopazz and DK7 mixes.
Mark’s Harthouse single is also fired up and ready to go this month. The Atmos EP features three new tech-house cuts, ‘Atmos Dub’, ‘Tommy’s Fear Of Submarines’ and ‘I Funk’, along with a remix of ‘I Funk’ by another Cork-born producer, Edwin James, who dons his Corrugated Tunnel guise for the proceedings.
South Dublin-based hard house DJ James Devlin launches his production career this summer with a single on the Manchester stamp, Toolbox, founded by Nik Denton.
The promoters behind the new dance festival running on August 18 which we revealed last issue are close to making an official announcement about the eagerly-anticipated event. Keep your eyes peeled on hotpress.com in the coming weeks where the full line-up will be unveiled.
We can confirm now, however, that the organisers are limiting the capacity to 15,000, and that the many Irish DJs on the bill will be appearing across all four arenas as opposed to just one. The ticket price will be in the region of !60. As stated last issue, the venue is on the outskirts of Dublin and live radio broadcasts from the main stage are planned.
Across the Irish Sea on August 25, Creamfields 2007 takes place at the Halton Daresbury Estate. Among the ten arenas is one hosted by Belfast-born BBC starlet Annie Mac in conjunction with Chibuku. Appearing under Annie’s banner are Sven Vath, Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco Live, MSTRKRFT, Claude Von Stroke, Tane, New Young Pony Club and Freeform 5.
Last issue, I erroneously reported that the Bodytonic dance tent at this year’s Electric Picnic festival – at Stradbally in Co Laois from August 31 to September 2 – would be bigger than at last year’s event. Despite its huge popularity last year, Tayor and his posse have in fact decided to make the tent smaller, citing reasons of intimacy, and they have also gone for a more underground line-up.
Announced already are techno DJ Derrick May, audio-visual renegades Hexstatic, Chicago deep house DJ Derrick Carter, ‘Higher State Of Consciousness’ producer Josh Wink, hip-hop maverick Mr Scruff, Brazilian drum ‘n’ bass wizard Marky, Belgian DJ duo The Glimmers, electronica pioneer Jamie Liddell, the seismic Simian Mobile Disco and the aforementioned Annie Mac. Many more acts and DJs will be added to this expanding bill in the coming months. Regular updates can be found on bodytonicmusic.com
Electric Picnic is, of course, co-promoted by POD Concerts, which has just revealed the line-up for the first ever Groove Armada Lovebox festival in Dublin. The event, which takes place at Malahide Castle in north Dublin on July 21 from 1pm until 2am, will feature Groove Armada (naturally enough), Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals, New York punk-funk outfit The Rapture, reggae legends Toots & the Maytals, pop house act Just Jack, laptop DJ and living legend Sasha and ace Irish electronica act, Jape.
Other Irish acts appearing include Deadbots, Dancepig, Hystereo, Sourcecode and Japanese Popstars. Tickets cost !79.50 from usual outlets and are on sale now.
R’n’B queen Kelis returns to Dublin for a show at The Ambassador on Friday June 8. Her latest hit ‘Lil Star’ featuring Cee-Lo joins a long line of hits such as the number one ‘Milkshake’, ‘Trick Me’, ‘Bossy’, ‘Millionaire’ and ‘In Public’. Tickets are on sale now.
Other major events recently announced include a techno feast at TBMC on June 2 (with Rephlex Records’ Bochum Welt and 808 State’s Graham Massey among the entertainers), and Dutch VDJ Sander Kleinberg at Tripod on June 1. He will be joined by fellow Dutchman, Sebastian Leger, and Dublin’s Breakology DJs.
The North enjoys a bank holiday on Monday May 28 and Lush marks the occasion on Saturday May 26 with a Meganite party hosted by Mauro Picotto. Keen to promote his new single ‘Maybe’ and his new album Now And Then, Picotto will be joined by fellow Italians Gabby Fasano and Ricarrdo Ferri. Tickets for this expected sell-out cost just Stg£12.00.
On the same night in Belfast, after-hours club Yello hosts a bank holiday blow-out with special guests Lottie (in the main room) and Ric McClelland (in the deep room)…
And finally, later this month all eyes within the island’s dance industry will be turning to The Northern Ireland Dance Music Awards 2007. It’s all for a good cause too, as KeyMix, a local charity heavily involved within the scene to promote up & coming talent, will be the main beneficiary this year.The nominees hoping to scoop the Best DJ gong at the La Lea in Belfast on May 25 are Col Hamilton, Fergie, Gleave Dobbin, Agnelli & Nelson and Phil Kieran, while competing for Best Up & Coming Talent are Marcus Belmar, Jordan X, Ryan Blair, Andrew Liggett and Erik K... THE BEAT GOES ON!