Durch of Ireland

Hot new Irish release this fortnight is the Vorsprung Durch Celtik EP on Belfast label Nice & Nasty Records. This quality package from Desy Balmer’s long running imprint includes a couple of deep and uplifting Irish techno soul productions from Derek Carr, Teknik and Slow Chocolate Autopsy, plus remixes by Fabrice Lig and Tomas Jirku… The first release on Raff and Jay Pidgeon’s Crash Test Recordings label is the duo’s own ‘Give It Up’, which is released in June. The B-side will be Raff and Alan Pullen’s ‘Technopop’, which samples the en vogue Kraftwerk and is the third in a series of recordings made under their pseudonym Predators. The first two have yet to be released, but number four is already lined up as a future CTR single…
The latest addition to the ‘urban living’ vibe in Belfast’s city centre comes in the form of stylishly intimate café bar mono, run by one of the North’s longest serving dance pioneers. Situated on the upper side of Ann Street, mono is a short stroll from Cornmarket and it promises friendly service, mouth-watering menus, indulgent cocktails and drinks, and an avant-garde music policy all of which are promoting the finest in homegrown ingredients. Proprietor and DJ Sean McCann has been working in the entertainment industry for the past 16 years, and is one of the original innovators of house music in Belfast, alongside David Holmes and Iain MacCready. Music policy is varied and inventive, borrowing from jazz, soul, funk, r’n’b, hip-hop and house, and DJs include McCann and Imprint’s Sandra Gourley…
Acclaimed club 091 celebrates three years of entertaining Galway’s clued-up crews this weekend, with a feast of electronic music and some of the biggest names in the world of dance. Tomorrow (April 23), the French duo of Gil Escoffier and Olivier Matieu aka The Youngsters bring their energetic live show to Galway for the first time, with The Redsettaz and The Commander. In the second room Belfast’s Calibre will be dropping drun ‘n’ bass. On Saturday (24), 091 hosts The Rotters Golf Club Session, with UK electro pioneer Andrew Weatherall and his Dublin counterpart, Alan O’Boyle, taking over the main room for a night of cutting-edge electro and techno. Decal will be showcasing tracks from the imminent second album for Weatherall’s label. Support is from the 091 residents Tiddlerz and Lynam, and the second room features Irish hip-hop champions DJ Flip and Mayhem…
There’s a Club Space reunion at Labert’s in Camolin, County Wexford on May 15. The club was pulling over 1,000 punters in its heyday, and last summer’s reunion attracted similar numbers. DJs on the 15th include BK, Andy Farley and yours truly, and there will be two rooms of music… Nigel H’s Dublin club Absynth has closed until further notice … Tickets are now on sale for a mind-blowing techno-fest at Redbox on Sunday May 2, starring Jeff Mills and Christian Smith… And at nearby Crawdaddy (formerly PoD), building work continues at a furious pace on the site of the new live music venue, and so the Horace Andy gigs scheduled for this weekend have been postponed until April 29 and 30…
Today FM’s Donal Dineen – cruelly moved to after midnight in a recent schedule reshuffle – is the guest at Aran MacMahon’s Shake at Barcuba in Galway tomorrow (23)… Tony D has just launched a new Friday r’n’b club Bump & Grind at Club Nassau in Dublin… Pete Tong plays Love Saturdays at Club Matrix in Dungannon this Saturday (24)… On the same night, Seb Fontaine plays The Arena in Armagh, and admission is only £5stg… On May 1 at Bridge House in Enfield, Fellow DJs present a male vs female DJ battle, with three from each sex going head-to-head over the course of the night. Standout battle is Laura Lethal against Alan Pullen… Synewave founder Damon plays Electric City on May 13… Quantic DJ Will Holland plays Ri-Ra on May 14, and there’s a Choice Cuts party with homeboys Tu-ki and Splyce at the Dublin club on April 30…
Ampeater is a new free Dublin dancefloor magazine. The first issue is now available from clubs and record stores … And finally, Clubmix offers condolences to DJ Orbit from The Banana Boys, who had been scheduled to appear at the recent Temple Theatre reunion. Orbit – aka Rory Long – sadly lost his brother in a tragic road accident last month… THE BEAT GOES ON!