New Irish RADIO: 8Radio.com

Simon Maher (2nd from right) with northern rockers "Therapy?"

That’s right, yes indeed, while there may be a veritable articulated truck-load of radio stations already populating the Irish FM and digital airwaves, vying for the attention of your poor, confused and battered ears, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for one more… does it?

Monday Morning Popped Culture: I Hate Maniac 2000.

Because it’s Monday, and because it’s Back To School Day for the majority of Ireland’s smallies, and because we haven’t had a single glob of daycent sunshine since Easter, I thought we might all have a little chat about hate, and hatred, and revelling in the fact that you hate something, and growing stronger from said hatred. Oh, come on. There has to be something you don’t feel bad about hating. Hitler, for example. You couldn’t possibly be made feel ashamed for stating, “Y’know, I hate Hitler” to the world at large. Some people hate certain foodstuffs, and since foodstuffs are inanimate objects (some only since the exact moment of consumption, in fairness), we shouldn’t feel bad about hating them. I hate milk. I don’t think I’m hurting anyone’s feelings by saying I hate milk. The cows? No, the cows are more than likely delighted that I hate milk. The … There’s more

Oxegen Stage Preview: Red Bull Electric Ballroom

In the midst of all the new bells and whistles features of this year’s Oxegen, one thing in particular caught our eye. The Punchestown Exhibition Centre, that shed that’s usually know as the ‘Dance Stage’, has been re-incarnated as the Red Bull Electric Ballroom. The electronica operation transformation includes a massive skin on the outside to make it fall in line with the look of the bigtop tent structures of the other stages, and comes complete with grand entrance, chandeliers, hanging prints and giant portraits all reminiscent of the 1930s ballroom era. The new look alone, a very welcome step away from the sweatbox of old, probably makes it worth sticking your head in for a poke around, but in particular we recommend checking it out tomorrow. Friday, Oxegen’s traditional Fancy Dress day, see’s the Red Bull gang calling for visitors to get on their gladrags for the ballroom. They ran … There’s more

How About A Durty Weekend in Cork?

… because that’s where I live. I know you’d like that. I see the way you’re looking at me. The lovely bhoys and gurls at The Pavilion in Cork have organised, for your aural pleasure, a Dirty Weekender. Now, I’m fond of complaining that there’s nothing to do in Cork, but that’s because I live there and as a typical Irish whingebag, it’s my duty to diss it whenever I can. The truth is that there’s always something going on in Cork, something odd or beetling or tricksy or bold that’s worth digging into. I would like to dig into the Weekender. I’ll leave it to the Paviolies to explain the game. Rather than give you the usual press release, intraweb media muck, we decided to let y’all know how we roll southside. Cork style. Dirty Weekender wasn’t born in some genius inspired moment of clarity nor seedy strip joint … There’s more

The Japanese Popstars feat. Green Velvet – Let Go.

… aaaaand we’re over the hump of the week. Happy Wednesday afternoon, everyone! Why not celebrate by making a nice cup of tea and bouncing along to this? Norn Irish electronica monsters The Japanese Popstars with utter ledgebag DJ Green Velvet? Yes pur-lease. This is the forthcoming release Let Go, which has been a massive festival hit this summer. If you could om-nom-nom a song, I’d om-nom-nom this one. Although those clubbers are far too clean-looking to be authentic. C’mon, lads! They look like they drink West Coast Cooler! They look like they’re going home after!

Review: UNKLE – Where Did The Night Fall

It’d make me a bit of a Bertie-socialist to complain about commercialism in music, wouldn’t it? As a part-time hippy (with foldaway bare feet), I’d like to waffle on that music needs to be free and unrestrained, and wafting meaningfully around city plazas in the summertime, but being mostly staid and sensible and stiletto-clad, I understand that music is a commodity, and must remain one. If you’re good enough to make music for the rest of us, for God’s sake, you should be paid for your trouble. So that one of the most broadcastable things about UNKLE is that they’ve done the soundtrack to loads of ads and games and tv shows and films shouldn’t bother me. There’s nothing wrong with James Lavelle and his ever-rotating army of cohorts spreading the electronica about like baked butter; every odd end that UNKLE have ever released is good enough for mass consumption. … There’s more

Pooled 25: House Keeping Its Value Shock!

It should come as no surprise to anyone (bar perhaps my GP, who would no doubt disapprove) that I am a bit of an Electronica Monster. From deep house to shallow, shallow trance, if it goes bleep boom bleep, I’ll bop to it. In fact, I can be quite militant in defending dance music’s honour; it being a musical genre tied in with the wilder end of socialising, with drink and drugs and blokes that go bump in the night, dance tends to be dismissed as superficial and throw-away. Whereas to my busy ears, it’s nothing less than classical music done on ‘puters. One should get the same rush from a well put-together electronic piece as from a beautifully composed instrumental. It’s music designed to pull at the heartstrings and to wreck the head. It’s music that should make your chest thump. If dance music’s remit is to make the … There’s more