Constance Keane is a force to be reckoned with. Alongside being drummer for punk band M(h)aol, making her own music under Fears and managing Laura Groves, Keane is also about to launch the collective and management label TULLE. TULLE is specifically for women and non-binary musicians which, in a heavily male-dominated industry, has the potential…
Writes Elle Kelleher In light of recent discourse around women’s place in the Irish music scene, I sat down with two of my favourite artists, Elaine Malone and Abbey Blake of Pretty Happy, to chat about women and music in Cork. University Express: Do you feel as though being a woman in the scene is…
Writes Fionn Kelleher If you’re interested in producing electronic music but don’t know where to start, here’s the lowdown. I’m going to focus on setting up an environment for you to start experimenting, as well as providing some essential resources and pointers. The only prerequisites are a laptop, a pair of headphones, and a bedroom….
Cork DJ Stevie G’s dropped his Soul Ireland 2020 mixtape, and it’s well worth listening to. A longtime advocate for Ireland’s rap, hip-hop, R&B and soul musicians, Stevie’s led club nights and primetime radio shows, but is best known for Black on Red on RedFM, where he mixes classics with new cuts. Collaborating with MC…
By Fionn Kelleher We live in an age where almost any sound imaginable can be synthesised on our computers: On workstations or laptops, but also on our mobile devices. Generations of producers have been inspired by accessible digital audio workstations [DAWs] such as Ableton, FL Studio and third-party audio plugins, and it’s easy to see…
On the 13th of February, Matt Corrigan played his first headliner upstairs at the Roundy, which he sold out. Wearing a white shirt, dark jeans and a look of intense solemnity, he lilted out the ‘dah, da-da dah’ bridge of ‘Tokyo’. A room dimly lit by stage lights, crammed full of friends, and their friends…
Writes Fionn Kelleher Inheritance is the latest release from Arvo Party, pseudonym of Belfast’s Herb Magee. Magee’s published a multitude of EPs and LPs over the years, and Inheritance is undoubtedly his best work yet. ‘ABCD’ opens the experience, transporting the listener to a vast jungle of reverberated vocals and layered pads into the calmer…
Things I’ll Never Say is Cork producer Gadget and the Cloud’s (GATC) latest project since 2018’s Songs For Sad People To Dance To. Her skilfulness as an experimental electronic artist with an ability to explore feelings and moments with a blend of compassion and astuteness has seen her garnering acclaim in Cork and far beyond….
2020’s been a milestone for Irish music, even in a year without gigs. Denise Chaila’s gone from underground to RTÉ darling, while artists like Jafaris and Nealo are making airplay and playlist waves, disproving notions about race and heavy brogue in Irish rap. But meanwhile—and more importantly—the fight against Direct Provision has become more prominent,…
It’s the same and yet brand new. I scan the Kino and see the faces I’ve seen at gigs across the city for the last four years. We’re here for what will be the last Pretty Happy gig for the foreseeable future. It comes with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Excitement for what is,…