Music
16 Apr 01

Mack To The Future

JOHN COLLINS catches up with eclectic dance pioneers dEcal to talk about their new album Ultramack 004

IT’S NOT often in Ireland’s embryonic dance scene that an act releases something unheralded by the usual rumour mill talk and trickle of advance white labels. Enter dEcal and Ultramack 004, which is the product of two enthusiastic but anonymous musicians, with as much interest in Sonic Youth as jungle and hardcore. The seven track-album of electronic bleeps and dub-beats owes as much to 2FM as to the club scene.

“Neither of us sit at home all night but we’re not real clubbers as such,” explain dEcal, “though we do go to clubs. The album’s a lot more to do with the music we listen to ourselves than what’s being played in clubs, although you cannot help but draw on what happens. We’re probably equally influenced by Barry Lang – or whoever – on the radio, whether we know it or not.”

Ultramack 004 is unlike anything else that’s been released here to date; in fact, it’s not strictly “dance” music at all, drawing as it does on so many influences. Tracks like the 25-minute mini-epic ‘Teendream’ are unlikely to get hands in the air but should ensnare home listeners. Why an album as the first release?

“Well we had enough stuff for it, and also economically it works better; you get way more minutes of music per pound. We’re hoping to have another album soon. For us, it would be really good to do one every six or eight months – keep it rolling. It’s kind of punk rock – just lash it out there, lads.”

There are plans for dEcal to perform live and the logistics are presently being worked out (“we don’t want a DAT and five girls dancing together”), but as to where to perform they are still stumped. The combination of club and gig ambience that they seek is not easily found. As for clubs, they freely admit that there are not a lot around that sounds right to them. “We’re into loads of things, like, we’re both really into jungle. We’re not big fans of teutonic stompers. We’re more angling towards Detroit.”

dEcal aren’t carried away with the notion of an Irish dance scene either. A friend of theirs got into a conversation in a record shop in New York recently and the American behind the counter drawled “Gee, you’re from Ireland. I think that’s probably the only country in Europe I’ve never heard any techno from!”

• dEcal’s Ultramack 004 is available on mail order from Ultramack Productions, PO Box 5055, Dublin 6, price £6, and from better record stores.