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Month: December 2020

Second Round of Acts Announced for SoFFT Nights

SoFFT Nights have revealed their second instalment of their events in 2021. Jape and Columbia Mills will perform a double headline show with support from Dani Larkin on 11th & 12th June 2021. SoFFT Nights has already confirmed Cormac Begley with special guests Bunoscionn and Lemoncello for a performance on 26th & 27th March 2021. Soda Blonde will perform with special guests Maija Sofia and Nava, 16th & 17th April 2021.

SoFFT Nights is a daughter of Spirit of Folk Festival, a small boutique event that emerged out of the 2008 recession and made its successful return in October 2020.

The event has a well-being element to its line-up for those seeking an outlet for such practices. This is something important to the organiser’s Caroline Duke and Natasha Duffy, having dealt with their own anxiety battles, they want to provide a space for people to learn about meditation, healing through dance, shamanism and talks on well-being.

MUSIC LINE-UP

Headliners 11th & 12th June 2021

JAPE
Connect with Jape Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Headliners 11th & 12th June 2021
COLUMBIA MILLS
Connect with Columbia Mills: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Special guest
DANI LARKIN
Connect with Dani Larkin: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

New Music from Ben Pyne

‘Windows’ is the new single release from Dublin singer-songwriter Ben Pyne.

The track was written collaboratively, by Ben, Darragh ‘D.Cullen’ Cullen and producer Oystein Nyboe.

It tells the lockdown story of a person who tries to catch someone’s eye from an opposite-facing building, vying for their affection but remaining unnoticed. It is a soulful song with a warm 60s edge, and a simple but emotive message.

‘Windows’ is released on Friday, December 18th.

Leo Dynamic1 Asks ‘Will We Last Forever’

The latest release from Irish Artist/Producer Leo Dynamic1 is a complete change of direction.

This song won Leo an award at the Glinsk National Songwriting Competition 10yrs ago as an up-tempo country song, very different from his current genre of Dance/Pop. The song lay idle for 10yrs until going through his archives looking for a song to propose to his girlfriend.

Leo re-produced the original song to a romantic ballad, changing from up-tempo country to a more acoustic vibe with piano, strings and cello. It has a beautiful tone and a wistful love story.

He asked the question ‘Will We Last Forever’? with the song playing in the backround and she said yes! Wedding is set for October 2022.

Leo Dynamic1 composed the song completely, music, melody and lyrics.

This shows how Dynamic this songwriter and producer is. His music has received more than 3 Million streams to date.

‘Waves’ from Hallie Out Now

South East artist Hallie has just released her new single ‘Waves’, the much anticipated follow up to her debut single ‘Familiar Place’which came out earlier this year to critical acclaim.

‘Waves’ is accompanied by a stunning music video and is available to stream and download on all major platforms right now.

The song deals with the topic of grief and Hallie hopes the song can reach out and help others dealing with loss, while paying tribute to her deeply loved & missed grandparents.

Hallie emerged in early 2019 with her debut single ‘Familiar Place’ to critical acclaim with national airplay on multiple radio stations. The debut song made its way on to the RTE Radio 1 Recommends Playlist and got multiple spins on both Rising Time with Shay Byrne and Late Date with Cathal Murray. 

Other stations that had the song on rotation were Beat 102103, “Irish Beats with Rob O’ Connor”, RTE 2XM & iRadio, making Track of the Week on the latter. The video for the song received over 123K views on Facebook in it’s first few weeks. The video was shot on Mount Leinster with just an iPhone by The Orchard Recording Studio.

Hayley O’ Leary started writing as a kid after receiving a keyboard, playing by ear and merging her poems to melodies. For years, she wrote and played as a personal release to soothe and channel her life long battle with major depression, anxiety and chronic pain. She received a guitar at 14 from her parents which further aided her songwriting. Hayley’s mother would bring her to every open mic she could find and nurtured her daughters passion and lifeline in the times her mental health would cripple her progress. Hayley went on to finish and receive her BA Hons Degree in Music (WIT) in 2015 after completing her first year in BIMM Dublin.

Her music and songs were kept private and personal for years but she worked on overcoming her fear of live performance by attending secret singers concerts with her stage name ‘Hallie’.

Hallie went on to win the first ever Golden Discs Golden Busker Competition in 2019, along with Best Original Song in the Guinness Singing & Swinging pubs a few months later and recorded her music professionally for the first time in The Orchard Recording Studio. 

‘Familiar Place’ set the tone for Hallie’s message on why she writes songs, lyrically speaking about her battles with herself and mental health. 

‘Waves’ is her anticipated follow up single which introduces Hallie finding her sound as a cross-genre artist. 

Hallie has big plans for 2021 with new music being released in the early new year, she hopes her songs and message help people out there that feel alone with the battles they fight everyday and to know it’s okay to struggle and we are all in this together.

https://www.instagram.com/hallieishername/
https://www.facebook.com/hallieishername
https://twitter.com/hallieishername
https://www.tiktok.com/@hallieishername
https://soundcloud.com/hallieishername
https://site.spinnup.com/hallieishername
https://www.breakingtunes.com/hallieishername
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH-OkCZjhRzyXl4pUhcN3Kg

Temperatures Rise as A92 Share ’92 DEGREES’ Mixtape

Drogheda’s Drill collective A92 has become the hottest topic since the birth of Irish Hip Hop, becoming the first act from a hip hop subgenre to enter Official Top 40 Single Charts in both Ireland and UK. Receiving a copious amount of co-signs from respected figures in the industry like Charlie Sloth, Kenny All-star, Blanco, Fumez The Engineer, DJ Target, Semtex and Classical Kyle. With extremely humble beginnings and a humble approach toward their music, the collective has captured the attention of the nation with a series of street heater since arriving earlier this year. 

A92 finally deliver their debut mixtape, one of the most anticipated releases of the year. ‘92 DEGREES’ features 15 tracks that straddle the worlds of commercial rap and underground drill produced by international beatmakers with credits from AJ Tracey, Hardy Caprio, Dig Dat, M1llions, Pop smoke and A$AP Ferg. The tape features introductory ‘A9 Link Up’, chart-topper ‘Plugged In, hood bop ‘Wrist On Bop’ a Mixtape Madness production of ‘Go Low 2.0’ and ‘WAR’ from new member Andre Fazaz alongside an arsenal of hits.

The collective formed not more than a year ago by manager Joel Safo who saw a gap in the market for drill music outside of Dublin. Since launching they have broken barriers for drill music in Ireland, being the first drill collective to be played on all mainstream radio, it didn’t just stop there. A92 have been recognised on a national scale through editorials from Irish Independent, Golden plec, Hotpress, Nialler9,  IMRO and District Magazine not to mention International support from GRM daily, Mixtape Madness, BBC 1xtra and Captial Xtra. Becoming Ireland’s most successful rappers in a generation, in the space of a year breaking into the UK & IRISH TOP 40 Charts with their latest release ‘Plugged In‘ freestyle with Fumez the engineer which has gained over 24 Million streams in under 2 months. Entering in the Top 5 of the Irish Home Grown charts with the highest-entry ever. Outside of the music A92 have proven to be a positive force in the community of Drogheda, supporting the less fortunate and disadvantaged. Setting a positive example for the youth of today. 

Out on all Digitial Streaming platforms via Moves Recordings – 11/12/20

A92 – https://www.instagram.com/a9ineofficial/
BT – https://www.instagram.com/a9trapboy/
DBO – https://www.instagram.com/dbo.a9/
DRE- https://www.instagram.com/andrefazaz/
KEBZ – https://www.instagram.com/a9.kebz/
KSAV – https://www.instagram.com/ksav.a9/
NIKZ – https://www.instagram.com/a9nikz/
OFFICA – https://www.instagram.com/a9offica/
MOVES RECORDINGS – https://www.instagram.com/movesrecordings/

Billy Kennedy and The Crosshaven Community Choir to Release ‘Angels On Patrick Street’

How long does it take for a simple song to travel around the world? Cork songwriter Billy Kennedy has the answer. He collaborated with The Crosshaven Community Choir for a haunting new song ‘Angels On Patrick Street’. The song was given a soft release on his Facebook page last week, and has touched people around the world. With a voicemail from Maui, Hawaii, and messages from Boston, Ecuador, Johannasburg, Sydney and the UK while the world is in lockdown, ‘Angels On Patrick Street’ has proven that music has no borders.

Ironically, Billy and the Crosshaven Community Choir have yet to perform this song together. Due to social distancing restrictions a more creative approach had to be taken while recording the song. The choir, under Dr Eva McMullan, rehearsed the song over a series of Zoom sessions, then members recorded their parts individually on their phones. The music and voices were put together by Billy at his home. The choral arrangement by Richard Rudkins adds a stunning backdrop to this song of hope that Billy and the Choir wish to dedicate to those lost to Covid 19 this year.

This year has been busy for Billy Kennedy who released three singles, ‘Giants’ in August, and ‘Sea Creatures’ in October which featured on the RTÉ Radio1 Recommends List.

‘Angels On Patrick Street’ will be released on Monday December 14th as a digital download. For further details see www.billykennedy.ie

www.billykennedy.ie // Billy Kennedy Facebook

Belfast’s Aislinn Logan Releases Upbeat Synth Infused ‘Never Stay Low’

Aislinn Logan’s EP, ‘Look, I’m Flyin’, offered up breezy pop and gentle groove during a less than carefree summer. Lead Single, ‘What Everybody’s After’ saw Aislinn talk matter of factly about love, finding something with a magic that must be the goal of everyone’s pursuit. Its glistening melody showed Logan’s flair for writing, and the track was well-received by national radio and press.

The remainder of the EP cut a different tone – a war-cry against inner demons, and a garage inspired take on Undertones classic, ‘Teenage Kicks’. Lyrically, the EP dreamed about how wonderful things could be if we gave ourselves an easier time.

Supported by 2FM, also 2FM Track Of The Week, Spin South West Track Of The Week, BBC Introducing, BBC NI, Hot Press, Get In Her Ears, Nialler9, Amazing Radio, Irish Times Culture and more.

Now it’s time for the new noise. Logan’s been busy this year, and has been co-producing some material with Brian Kelly and Johnny Oakley, from Dublin and Kilkenny respectively. Having built up quite the portfolio of material over the course of 2020, the collective global situation has had its silver-lining and Logan feels confident that what’s to come is her best yet. 

The first in the series is ‘Never Stay Low’ out 11/12/20.

“There is so much pressure on us to do things a certain way, from such a young age – all our lives. Intangible pressure, words that slip into conversation, glances, the atmosphere in a room. There’s a fear that if you don’t conform to expectations you’ll be deficient in some way, when the opposite is true. I wanted to create something about rejecting the fallacy of expectations, and the pitfalls if you don’t.”

Channelling ‘Go Your Own Way’ sentiment, paying homage to Phil Collins rhythm (a favourite in Aislinn’s childhood), and going full-on ABBA with harmonies – ‘Never Stay Low’ seeks to charge the listener with renewed faith in their ‘pursuit’. “Whatever that may be,” Logan says, “Want to study Korean but your parents want you to do Maths? Some bozo call you a part-timer in the studio cus you have a day-job? Itching to move to a different city but not feeling brave?”

The track is wound around a simple guitar melody and deploys a tap-dancing sample with a gritty shuffle, but the chorus is where the magic really kicks off. Pad-synths lift the ear worm melody and Logan’s vocal is reinforced with gang harmonies, all underpinned by a percolating guitar riff surfing through. At the track’s peak, Jackson 5 style scats laud the build to a shimmering finish. 

‘Never Stay Low’ was mixed by Kristofer Harris (Ghostpoet, Belle and Sebastian, Emmy The Great).

The track was co-produced by Brian Kelly and Johnny Oakley (of Moons Delux). 

Official website | Spotify | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

Photo: Sophie Scott

1000 Beasts Remixes Pollena’s Debut Single ‘The Pool’

Vocalist/songwriter Pollena (Girlhood backing vocalist – Latitude / TGE / Airwaves) has released her debut single ‘The Pool’ with acclaimed producer Kirk Spencer (soundtrack ‘The Wave’ starring Justin Long and Donald Faison).

‘The Pool’ incorporates raw lyrics and ethereal vocals, sparse glittering instrumentation, syncopated percussion and synths with eastern flourishes. Drawing comparison with textured vocal cuts from The XX, The Japanese House, Sylvan Esso and Arlo Park.

“’The Pool’ is inspired by transition, sexual fulfilment & the tension of being trapped in a feeling of ‘otherness’.” Pollena.

Now we see Irish artist/producer 1000 Beasts remix ‘The Pool’. 

I came across Cian’s remix of Elaine Malone’s ‘You’ and immediately loved its 90s Massive Attack vibe. I knew we’d create something interesting so I got in touch and was really pleased when my single inspired a remix. He’s done a completely brilliant job, the remix is subtle, interesting and fresh. I’m really excited for it to be out there.” 

Previous support for 1000 Beasts has come from Earmilk, 2FM, BBC Music, Today FM, Nialler9, Hot Press and more.

It’s been a busy 2020 for 1000 Beasts (Cian Sweeney). Having drip fed singles to his audience for the first half of the year, the Cork based collaborative artist-producer dropped his debut EP ‘On A Different Page’, which is currently sitting on over half a million combined streams online, in July (via Unity Records) to great success. Followed by a superb live performance at this year’s online Ireland Music Week festival in September, and recently named one of the Best Irish Acts in 2020 by Nialler9. 1000 Beasts has been an incredibly in demand producer here in Ireland this year, with several releases he’s produced landing on Spotify New Music Friday, as well as the hit single from Robert Grace, ‘Fake Fine’, which currently sits at over 4.5 million Spotify streams.

Cian Sweeney / 1000 Beasts continues by releasing this laid back remix to Pollena’s ‘The Pool’:

“After releasing my remix of Elaine Malone’s ‘You’ just after Halloween I thought that was it for 1000 Beasts releases for 2020.

How wrong I was.

An email came through from Pollena, who had discovered my remix of ‘You’ through Spotify, and was looking to collaborate. I had one listen to ‘The Pool’ and it just clicked straight away, I thought the textures and use of space were superb, the vocals were crisp and the production by Kirk Spencer was 2nd to none. I immediately replied to see if we could make a remix happen. The whole process was ridiculously quick, I got the files on the Friday and the following Tuesday I was uploading to streaming sites, I just knew exactly what I wanted to do from the first listen. It’s rare that happens, sometimes you need time to experiment but I think a lot of things I had tried (and failed) to do on previously unreleased material found a home here, certain production techniques or sounds and textures I had been developing for quite a while but could never find the right place for.

I’m excited to see where Pollena goes and her development and I’m really excited to be working with such a fantastic artist.”

1000 Beasts
Bandcamp  
Instagram   
Youtube  
Facebook  
Twitter  
Spotify

Apella Return with Brand New Single

Apella return with their brand new single ‘Point Of View’, which has just been released today, Friday December 11th, 2020. Alongside this they are also thrilled to announce the release of their debut album ‘1963’ which is set for release on January 29th, 2021.

Formed in Dublin in 2016, Apella burst onto the scene with their radio hit ‘We Met At A Party’ and furthered their success with ‘Graceful Dancer’, ‘Logic’ and ‘City Limits’.

After touring all over the country – opening for Twenty One Pilots, appearing at all major Irish music festivals including Electric Picnic, Indiependence, Castlepalooza and Sea Sessions – accompanied by UK tours with Keywest and Don Broco, frontman and singer Dara Quilty moved to New York City to work further on his music career. This period saw him playing in venues like Rockwood Music Hall, Bitter End, Pete’s Candy Store and many more in New York City. The Pandemic brought the music industry to a tragic halt with Dara Quilty completing his work on the album at Empire Underground Studios in Brooklyn, NY. 

Speaking about  the album Dara Quilty said: “I had a goal to produce & record an entire album before I was 30 and I did it. I waited for too long to release this but now is the time. This is my life’s work, this is my twenties. I paid for the entire production of the record myself and I am truly excited to put it out into the world!

‘Point Of View’ the brand new single from Apella is out now across all digital platforms. Apella’s debut album ‘1963’ is out on January 29th, 2021.

Christmas Single from ZALI

ZALI is an award-winning Irish singer songwriter, hailing from Athlone, now based in Dublin, who has spent the last few years hypnotising Irish and UK audiences with her powerful vocals and her distinct cross-genre sound of pop-soul. Today she shares a Christmas hit, ‘Best Day’: https://lnk.to/ZALI

ZALI says: “This new song is my contribution of positivity, hope, and joy to the world this year. To give the world through my music, a much-needed reason to dance.”

Like the lyrics suggests, “After the year we’ve had, we deserve one perfect day. Even though our lives have been changed, to know we’ll be okay.”

Music has been ZALI’s passion since childhood, and her involvement as a lead vocalist in the church choir helped ZALI develop her powerful voice, dynamic vocal range, and signature sound of old-school R&B mixed with pop and soul.

ZALI’s path to a career in music has been unconventional. She studied finance and accounting in Dublin, graduating in 2013, and began a career in corporate finance before choosing to leave it behind to pursue her musical dream.

Inspired by artists like Amy Winehouse, Toni Braxton, and Frank Ocean, ZALI uses her talents to capture true emotions. The embodiment of a storyteller, weaving through life experiences and expertly transforming them through captivating lyrics and a combination of lively and soul filled beats.

Her debut single ‘Can’t Stop’ gathered over 120,000 streams worldwide, leading to highlight performances in her home town of Dublin at reputable venues such as RTE 2FM, JOE.ie, Abner Brown’s, IMRO, and Facebook HQ.

Her follow-up single ‘Girls Like Us’ described as “heartbreak with a twist” which boasts of the strength, solidarity, and freedom in womanhood has garnered over 60,000 streams on Spotify and have been among the latest additions to official Spotify playlists such as ‘The New Éire’ and Universal Music’s ‘This is Ireland’ showcasing the country’s top acts. And thanks to the support and positive reception all around, ‘Girl’s Like Us’ secured the award of ‘Best Irish Single’ at the 2018 Irish Post Music Awards, in addition to her show-stopping live televised performance with TG4 and The Irish Post at the INEC Killarney to a crowd of 3,000 people.

A major ambition for ZALI is to make a positive impact in her home country through her music and involvement in the music industry. With hopes that as she continues to grow her community, to use her platform to continue focusing on causes close to her heart and making an impact where possible.

‘Best Day’, ZALI’s modern take on traditional Christmas songs, is out today: https://lnk.to/ZALI

www.zalimusic.com

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