There was much celebrating at Traffic last week as the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival went online with their new www.deafireland.com website.

DJ Mark Broom, aka Vistitor/Rue East, took care of turntable duties as the packed Middle Abbey Street venue were given a taster of what D.E.A.F. is all about.

They also used the occasion to launch their Playstation 2 Console Customising Competition.

30 creative gamers will be given the chance to customise a PS 2 which will be exhibited at the festival. 25 runners-up will be given their consoles back, and five winners compensated for having theirs kept with a special Playstation prize.

Taking part couldn’t be simpler – just create a sketch, description or painting of how you would customise your PS 2. Include information about yourself, what you do, your age and any previous relevant creative work and submit electronically to ps2comp@deafireland. com or post to D1 Productions, 5 Moore Street, Dublin 1.

Running from October 17 to 27, the festival was founded by Rob Rowland, Eamon Doyle and Karen Walshe who says its raison d’etre is “to bring the whole Irish electronic community together and to lift the field onto a recognised platform.”

It’s no idle boast with over 12,000 people attending last year’s event. Rob Rowland is confident that D.E.A.F. 2003 will be even bigger.

“We are doubling our efforts with two nights at the Guinness Storehouse, 10 days rather than seven and two weekends with the main focus on the second,” he enthuses.

With Sony on board as sponsors, the D.E.A.F. programme is more varied and star studded than ever. One of the highlights is a breakbeat gig featuring Split Loop members Bren Crowe and Phil Byrne who believes the festival is “needed by the community to bring the different genres of electronic music together.”

The organisers’ hope is that over the next five years D.E.A.F. will develop into a free, international, on-street gig to rival the likes of SONAR in Barcelona.

“Kraftwerk under The Spike,” is Rowland’s dream but in terms of funding, electronic music is still regarded in certain circles as being of minority interest.

“Sometimes it feels like we’re constantly hitting our heads off the wall,” he rues. “People still think it (electro) is a bit underground.”

The good news is that Rowland and his colleagues recently had a meeting with Dublin Corporation Arts Officer, Jack Gilligan, who was responsive to the idea of an outdoor event and wants to hold further discussions.