Keep on tracking

Robert Dalton, aka Dalto, the aspiring hard dance producer from Ringsend in Dublin, has just signed his first two tracks to a UK label. ‘Psycho’ and ‘Swarm’, co-produced with Alan Pullen and Raff at RDG Studios in Dublin, were signed by new UK hard dance stamp, Birmingham Hard Style – an offshoot of Redemption Records – and will hit the streets later this Spring. Meanwhile, Jay Pidgeon has signed an Alan Pullen single ‘Disco Shit’ for his new label Crash Test Recordings. Distribution will be by Alphamagic… Wexford DJ Paddy ‘Chaw’ Kehoe’s ‘Wanna Live Til I Die’ (released this fortnight on Nukleuz and also co-produced at RDG by yours truly) has been licensed to Lisa Pin-Up’s Hard House Anthems 5 compilation on Warners… My own ‘Charlatan’ – out on March 22 on Vicious Circle – has been included on Andy Farley’s Harder Generation 4 compilation on Tidy Trax, and on the aforementioned Hard House Anthems 5…
Elusive Recordings releases its third release Eklectra on March 1. Eighty minutes of warm and melodic electronica, peppered with organic elements. Twenty exclusive tracks by artists such as Formica, Eddie Rocket and Halfset, all Irish with the notable exception of guitar legend Bill Nelson (on ‘Blazing Memory of Innuendo’, a track on which ironically, Limerick man Eddie O’Neill provides the guitar work). The album is launched at The Sugar Club in Dublin on March 4, and performing live are Jimmy Behan, Murmansk, Formica and Herv, with support from DJ Jon Hussy… Dublin breaks duo Splitloop has been nominated for Best New Act at the Breakspoll awards in the UK (www.breakspoll.com). The act’s next two singles are ‘Hyper Hyper’ on their own Musicdownstairs, and ‘KFC’/’HotRockBoy’ their second effort on cool English breaks stamp, Supercharged…
Former 2FM DJ John Power brings to an end his club DJ career on February 28 at the Hillstreet venue in Leitrim. Power shot to fame in the mid-’90s on Dublin pirate radio station Pulse FM, alongside Al Gibbs and Mark McCabe. His lucky break came when he entered a hotpress/2FM DJ For A Day competition. Despite the fact that he finished second, Power was later offered a job by station head of music John Clarke after former 2FM dance guru Micky Mac was moved sideways in RTE to Lyric FM. Power went on to front the 2FM Sessions for several years, and he became one of the most in-demand DJs on the Irish club circuit. Power is now off to Australia for a year and Beats & Pieces wishes him all the best…
Sin in Dublin was recently ordered to close three hours earlier, at 1am. The court order followed a similar ruling for Spirit in Dublin, which a couple of months back was ordered to empty its premises at 3.30am as opposed to the 5am finish it had enjoyed during its first year in operation… Incidentally, Spirit has announced a series of guests for the coming months. Jon Carter plays March 14 (he’s also at Trinity Rooms in Limerick on 16), David Morales (the only DJ ever kicked off the decks at Trade) plays April 11, Frankie Knuckles plays May 2 and Roger Sanchez plays June 27…
Love Saturdays got off to a great start at Club Matrix in Dunganon, with a capacity crowd turning up… San Francisco’s Rithma plays Bodytonic in Dublin on February 27. The club is running a 100% Irish series of parties every Friday in March, to coincide with the release of the second in its series of Irish house compilations, Greenhouse Effect… I’ll be among the DJs playing at an Old Skool special at Redbox in Dublin on March 12… Subculture returns to Kilkenny’s Zoo Club on March 6. DJs are Will O’Brien, Derek Carr and Lee Holman… Don’t forget the latest 110th Street Boogaloo – the biggest and best independent dance party in Ireland – is at Black Box in Galway this Saturday (28). DJs, as ever, are Cian O Ciabhain and Aran MacMahon…
The Herbaliser plays Ri-Ra on March 25… Paddy Sheridan and Joe O’Connor welcome summer with an outdoor party at The Greyhound in Tralee on April 3… U:Mack has some great Static parties lined up for The Shelter in Dublin. On March 6th, Ambulance and Decal are joined by DMX Krew, on April 3 the inimitable Plaid flies in, and on May 1 it’s the turn of electro pioneer Andrew Weatherall… There is a big fundraiser taking place for the Multiple Sclerosis Society Of Ireland on Sunday February 29 in the White Rooms of the Bodega in Cork. DJs are Shane Johnson (Go Deep), Stevie G (Red FM + JAM) and Colm Kenifick (JAM)…
One of the country’s foremost dance emporiums has moved. Big Brother Records in Dublin can now be found underneath Selectah Records on 4 Crow Street in Temple Bar. The phone number is as before, (01) 6729355, but the new opening times are a much more customer-friendly 11am-7pm Mon-Fri, 11am-8pm on Thursdays and 11am-5pm on Saturdays. Nationwide mail order service from www.bigbrother records.com… THE BEAT GOES ON!