FORBIDDEN FRUIT 2017: Must-see International Acts

The Staves (Monday)
As frequent collaborators with the man himself, The Staves are a fitting addition to the Bon Iver-curated finale. Jessica, Camilla and Emily Stavely-Taylor have been performing since 2010, and since then have produced two albums and six EPs. They have also toured with Florence and The Machine and, of course, Bon Iver – who also produced their most recent album, If I Was. The record was another masterful blend of acoustic rhythms and gorgeous harmonies, which won widespread critical praise. Their latest single, the wonderfully atmospheric ‘Tired As Fuck’, is a perfect example of the group at their spellbinding best.

Danny Brown (Monday)
One of rap’s most fascinating performers, Danny Brown specialises in high octane hip hop with a punk rock edge. Brown’s music deals with his experiences in the Detroit drug and rave scene, delivered in his trademark nasally tone and backboned by dazzlingly inventive production. He frequently performs in Ireland, most recently selling out the Academy last year. His current album, the critically acclaimed Atrocity Exhibition – the title inspired by both the JG Ballard book and Joy Division song of the same name – was released on legendary electronica label Warp and featured contributions from Kendrick Lamar and Earl Sweatshirt. For good measure, Brown also popped up on Gorillaz’ recent comeback album, Humanz.

Hot Chip DJ Set (Saturday)
Festival favourites Hot Chip will be making their return to Ireland with a DJ set at Forbidden Fruit. Their sixth album, Why Make Sense?, was released in May 2015 and saw the group put in a series of acclaimed performances at high-profile festivals, including Electric Picnic, Benicassim and Lollapalooza. As anyone who’s heard their killer DJ Kicks or Bugged Out mixes can attest, Alexis Taylor and Joe Goodard’s impeccable taste makes for electrifying listening. Those records found the group brilliantly splicing together tunes from numerous genres, including electro, house, techno, hip hop, soul and funk. Expect this DJ slot to make for an equally thrilling experience as Hot Chip conjure a heady party atmosphere.

Nicolas Jaar (Sunday)
With the space the Chilean-American producer occupies in dance music right now, you could call him the US answer to Four Tet: popular enough to headline festivals without sacrificing his avant-garde tendencies. Last year’s Sirens album showcased a wide sonic palette – from the dancehall nod to his Latin side ‘No’, to the driving Suicide rhythms on ‘Three Sides Of Nazareth’. Jaar returns to Ireland having headlined Body & Soul twice, solo in 2013 and then the following year as part of his psychedelic project Darkside. Seasoned Jaar fans will know to expect a minimalistic live production – he prefers to let his soundscapes generate the atmosphere.

Aphex Twin (Sunday)
The Limerick-born English electronic musician and composer makes a welcome return to Dublin as one of the festival headliners. He is best known for his influential and idiosyncratic work in electronic music, especially with IDM and acid techno in the 1990s where he gained widespread critical acclaim. Over his career, the artist has released six studio albums as Aphex Twin, with his most recent, Syro, winning a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2015. His latest EP, Cheetahwas, was released in 2016 and fans have been eagerly anticipating his return since then.

Tycho (Saturday)
American ambient music project Tycho, led by songwriter and producer Scott Hansen, bring their live show to Forbidden Fruitas part of their tour for their fourth studio album, Epoch. It was released in September 2016 on Michigan independent Ghostly International, and has since received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Festival goers can expect a mixture of electronic beats, downtempo synths and ambient sounds in addition to the occasional full-on dance wig-out.

Flying Lotus (Monday)
Los Angeles’ strangest son, Steven Ellison – aka Flying Lotus – is one of Forbidden Fruit’s must-see acts. The enigmatic FlyLo is a multi-genre, free flowing sort of a guy whose live shows contain elements of hip hop, electro and jazz. The multi-talented record label boss raps under the alias Captain Murphy, while his controversial directorial debut, Kuso, premiered at Sundance earlier this year. For his most recent album, the typically innovative You’re Dead!, Lotus collaborated with a number of other groundbreaking LA acts, including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat. Ellison is also noted for his spellbinding live shows, which boast state-of-the-art visual fireworks. Wearing a black mask with glowing eyes, Lotus is surrounded by a 3D cube of shifting, psychedelic projections that change at a rapid pace, creating a spectacle unlike any other DJ set around. Beloved of everyone from Thom Yorke to Erykah Badu, FlyLo is quite simply one of the top electronic producers in the game.