Grooving On Up

I’m opening this electronic music digest with a look at what’s coming up on the clubbing calendar. Anthony Rother, Troy Pierce, Greg Wilson and Machinedrum take centre-stage over the coming weeks. There’s also artist news from Fran Hartnett, David Porter, Myler and Another Alias.

On the clubbing front, Rother brings his Verbalizer tour to Opium Rooms, Dublin on February 6 where he’ll deliver a three-hour live set. Rother shot to electro fame in 1997 with his Sex With Machines EP. Since then he's come to be regarded as one of the genre’s most important artists. His studio work has seen him collaborate with figures such as Sven Vath and DJ Hell. The new album is somewhat of a return to his hardcore roots. Support on the night comes from DeFeKt.
In Waterford, Hessle Audio co-founder Ben UFO is playing Crystal Nightclub with Re:Publik. Ben is one of those rare DJs that managed to break through without having a release to his name. His label has been at the forefront of the dubstep/techno crossover movement.
Troy Pierce makes his much anticipated return to Dublin in Pygmalion on February 7 with Division. Pierce was an integral member of Richie Hawtin’s M-nus family and a key figure in the M-nus Contakt tour. Tracks such as ‘25 Bitches’ and his Louderbach project were key works in the mid-noughties minimal craze. In 2011 Pierce, Magda and Marc Houle famously left the M-nus camp to concentrate on their Items And Things imprint. Since then, the label has gone from strength to strength with a number of lauded releases.
Hacienda legend Greg Wilson performs in Hangar, Dublin the same night. He began DJing in 1975 and was a key figure in the ’80s Manchester club scene. His Essential Mix was rated by BBC Radio One as of the top 10 sets from the show’s 17-year history. Also on February 7, Travis Steward, aka Machinedrum, performs up the road in the Opium Rooms with Hidden Agenda. Stewart has completed over a dozen albums under various aliases covering a variety of styles.
Fran Hartnett had a good 2014. He played live alongside AnD, Blacknecks and Truss at the Exit Festival in Serbia. His music was remixed by Sleeparchive and Charlton for Plector Records. He announced the launch of his FraGile collaboration with Giles Armstrong which debuted alongside Octave One in December.
2015 sees the arrival of David Porter’s Belfast label Four Sides. He will release under the alias Kapoor, starting with his Veil Of Thoughts EP. Porter describes the imprint as a “platform for artists to push their creativity and to develop”.
Dean Myler had a busy 2014 with releases on No Logo Music (London), Mindcut Records and Fifth Wall Records (NYC). The 12 months ahead are shaping up to be just as frenetic. He's putting out singles with Mindcut Records (Germany), Resin Records (London) and Mord Records (Netherlands).