Month: August 2020

Following on from his critically-acclaimed debut solo single, ADT (Alan Daniel Tobin) released ‘Love Lost On The Streets Of New York’ on Friday July 24^th – the second song from his forthcoming debut album.

ADT writes stories of the heart wrapped in atmospheric soundscapes, and he describes ‘Love Lost On The Street Of New York’ as, “a simple folk song about the inevitable demise of a relationship, played out against the backdrop of the New York City streetscape.”

ADT made contact with Drone Fanatic – NYC. He sent them a treatment/storyboard of what I had in his head, along with a short biography, and asked if they would kindly give him permission to use their footage for free. In turn he would plug/promote them during the single’s period of promotion and credit them accordingly. They agreed.

He is thrilled to have this footage, especially to time stamp the song with the lockdown. He loves the Ellis Island mural and Brooklyn bridge shots – very iconic art and architecture.

His debut solo album ‘Volume 1’ (out September 2020) is produced by multi-instrumentalist, Justin Grounds .

The album was recorded in a little room overlooking the beautiful town of Clonakilty, West Cork, and is due for release at this year’s  Clonakilty International Guitar Festival . Hugely influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the West Cork landscape and his family, ADT admits to a minor obsession with lighthouses. He is also a member of renowned Irish band LOWmountain.

‘Love Lost On The Streets Of New York’ is dedicated to the frontline workers of the world.

Drone footage – Drone Fanatic – NYC

Facebook:  @ADTrecordings       Twitter:  @AlanDanielTobin        Instagram:  ADT

Genre-breaking, chart topping all-sister band Screaming Orphans from Donegal release ‘Every Woman Gardens’, a song written by Padraig Stevens, on August 28, 2020. This is the first single to be taken from their upcoming Folk album ‘Sunshine And Moss’, released worldwide on August 28.

Padraig Steven (Saw Doctors) wrote ‘Every Woman Gardens’ about the consequence of every action. The song idea came from an overheard conversation about giving a chainsaw as a present. He thought to himself, what do you do when you open your present and see it’s a chainsaw, well, you go find yourself a tree to cut down. What if the present had been a tree?

This song appealed to the Screaming Orphans during the COVID-19 lockdown as so many more people were forced to slow down and start appreciating the simple things in life like gardening and the wonder of nature and how we should value it so much more than we do.

‘Sunshine And Moss’ is available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon and other digital media platforms.

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Kildare singer/songwriter NÍV has released her latest single ‘Moonlight’. The single is the newest official release from the solo singer/songwriter. It was recorded and produced in Maynooth by 93 Acres.

Talking about her latest single, NÍV says, “I think that this song really depicts a constant love. It is a story of love that doesn’t ever really go away, even if the relationship does. I think there is always a specific moment or memory that people remember when reminiscing on past relationships and the song encapsulates that. We always seem to remember specific moments and in most cases, it’s the happy ones that we remember over the not so happy ones. When writing this song, it was kind of a realisation for me that in any relationship, romantic or non romantic, we always remember the better times which to me is a really positive thing. That’s what this song is all about.”

NÍV is the alias of Irish singer songwriter Niamh Murray who hails from Kildare. Niamh’s music career began when she was lead singer of Murmur; a country folk band made up of her and sisters Róisín and Sinéad Murray. During this time, the band achieved great success playing gigs alongside other talented musicians such as Hudson Taylor and Orla Gartland in venues like the Sugar Club and Sweeney’s. The band were finalists in competitions such as the Glee Club play the 3 Arena and TG4’s “Feis and Blood”. The band received great praise from Louis Walsh describing them as the “Irish answer to The Dixie Chicks.”

Following this success, Niamh joined the indie rock band, District Daze. During her time as lead singer, the band won King Kong Club’s Battle of the Bands – Play the Picnic, and were rewarded with a slot at Electric Picnic 2014’s Oxfam tent. The band went on to play at festivals and venues such as Vantastival and the Sugar Club, before launching their debut EP at a sold-out event in Sweeney’s, Dublin.

Niamh launched her solo career as NÍV earlier this year and has already gained many achievements. In March, Nív sold out her first Single Launch in The Workman’s Club for her single ‘Silly Voices’. In April, Nív was given the opportunity to perform on Hotpress Magazine’s “Lockdown Sessions”. Following this, in early May, Nív was added to RTE Radio 1’s Recommends List. She has also been shortlisted for Four Star Pizza’s Star Nation Competition as a Leinster Provincial Winner.

Niamh’s music is inspired by singer songwriters such as Damien Rice, The Cranberries and Joni Mitchell with influences from Irish traditional music and folk songs.

‘Moonlight’ is available now on all streaming and download sites.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niv_music/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nivmusicofficial

Unity Surrender is the latest project from the highly respected Irish electronic producer, John Daly, and the first to feature his own vocals. Daly has appeared to listeners in many guises over the years, producing variants of his own imaginative and interpretive music across the electronic spectrum – from techno to ambient, from hip hop to deep house and plenty more.

Daly has always trusted music fans’ abilities to see beyond any potentially limiting boundaries. A producer with progression and evolution as some of his foremost tenets, Daly has expanded his sound alongside his audience in the knowledge that their comprehension of music in its different forms goes way past any preconceived and pigeonhole notions of staying within a particular genre.

Daly has also worked with a large number of labels, both Irish and international, during a diverse career to date. Francois K’s Wave Music, All City, Drumpoet Community, Craigie Knowes and Secretsundaze are just some while he has also contributed tracks to the likes of Plak, Mule Musiq, and Further Records, as well as his own cult label Feel Music, the first record label of its generation to represent Ireland on the international stage.

Even as a producer foremost associated with electronics, Daly maintains that it is organic influences and natural surroundings that he draws his biggest inspiration from. “I think the environment helps create the conditions for inspiration to be found,” he says. “It could come from anywhere but you have to be receptive to it, and I think the environment plays a huge part in that. And for sure an artist’s environment can be a direct influence as well, but generally I believe it plays a part in a bigger overall scheme. I suppose it also depends on what an artist wants to achieve, we are all different and that’s what makes it interesting.”

Of the title track ‘Freedom’ and a rare use of vocals for Daly, he says, “In this case it was a really uplifting instrumental so I’m not surprised I came out with ‘Freedom’. We need more positive uplifting music. All this agro in the world is just not doing us any good. Peace and love is a much better option. I was fooling around with the vocal synth putting acapellas through it. The results were great, but when I started experimenting with my own vocals I was blown away by how expressive I could be with the technology. I’d been threatening to sing for years, but didn’t have the guts. Now I can hide behind the vocal synth, it’s perfect.”

The name of the game is authentic creative expression, real feelings and emotions. The result is his most personal and complete work to date. Low slung, haunting electronic vignettes with high aspirations and hope on the horizon.

‘Freedom’ EP is out 7th September.

Live music will finally make a welcome, but restrained, return to West Cork this month when Masters of Tradition takes place in Bantry from Wednesday 19^th – Sunday 23^rd August.

The 2020 Masters include Donovan, Christy Moore, Steve Cooney, Cormac Begley, Ye Vagabonds, Dónal McCague, Tommy Fitzharris, Caitlín Nic Gabhann, Ciarán O Maonaigh, Róisín Chambers, Eimear Coughlan and Francis Cunningham.

Artistic Director, Martin Hayes, usually features throughout the festival. Due to travel restrictions he will not be able to attend in person this year, but will be present virtually on screen.

With indoor gatherings currently restricted to a maximum of 50 people, there will be limited tickets available for each of the three live concerts in the Maritime Hotel. Covid regulations will be meticulously observed and ticket-holders will receive detailed guidance on the latest safety procedures. Each concert will also be filmed and made available for streaming.

The musicians will also revive the secret concert series and will create a series of films in favourite locations such as Bantry House, Whiddy and Garnish Islands, and Future Forests that will be streamed during the Festival. More details of these streamed concerts will be announced nearer the time.

West Cork Music would like to thank the Arts Council, Cork County Council and Failte Ireland for the generous funding which has enabled Masters of Tradition to take place this year.

If you would like to book any of the live concerts at this year’s Masters of Tradition, you can ring the Festival office from Monday 10th August at +353 (0) 27 52788. You can book a maximum of 4 tickets for each live concert. Online booking is not available for the 2020 Masters of Tradition. 

Please note, the online concerts can only be booked through the festival’s Vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mastersoftradition2020 and not through the office. Concerts will only become available for booking after the concert has been uploaded to Vimeo.  If you would prefer to book your ticket in advance, please ring the Festival office on +353 (0) 27 52788 

For more information on all Masters of Tradition concerts visit www.westcorkmusic.ie/masters-of-tradition

Dublin based, electronic music producer BENJAMYN is making waves with his newly coined genre of surf-house. He has previously performed live sets at Body & Soul and The Lighthouse, drawing comparisons to artists such as Chet Faker, Milky Chance and Tom Misch.

BENJAMYN is working with engineers including Sean Corcoran (Le Galaxie, Kormac, CYNEMA) and Peter Montgomery (State Lights, Damien Dempsey) for his latest release ‘Sea Of Uncertainty’. 

His previous releases have amassed significant coverage from the likes of GoldenPlec, Hot Press, Nialler9, IndieBuddie and Joe.ie amongst many others. He has also received widespread airplay from 98FM, Spin 1038 and RTÉ 2FM.

The 25 year old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been performing since childhood. Over the years, he has been experimenting with a wide range of musical styles from indie rock to acoustic folk, eventually synthesising into his surf-house electronic style that he is currently producing.

‘Sea Of Uncertainty’ is a track that should not be missed out on this summer. The lyrics of the song are about that universal fear of uncertainty, a theme heavily inspired  by COVID-19. This feeling of ‘uncertainty’ has been experienced by many people during the lockdown, a sentiment adroitly expressed in the lyrics. It’s not a feeling exclusive to recent events either, it is one that everyone experiences at different points throughout life. In his own words: “At some stage or other, we all swim in our own sea of uncertainty.”

BENJAMYN states that, “I want listeners not only to feel understood in this complex emotional state – but also to feel inspired to let go and live free from that fear.” ‘Sea of Uncertainty’ was released on July 24th across all streaming platforms.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BENJAMYNmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamyn_music/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/71DqxduSdgUVp6OYOda5bB?si=iP9GDHZlT–kCavxM5Fyqw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BENJAMYNmusic 

MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E  is the second release from chamber folk group, Sun Collective, since their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2017. Produced and mixed by Ross Turner (Lisa Hannigan, Villagers), recorded by Ber Quinn (John Grant, Divine Comedy), with two accompanying video’s and visuals by Myles O’Reilly and Donal Dineen (This Ain’t no Disco).

MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E  video collaborator Myles O’Reilly (Arbutus Yarns) on Sun Collective:

“It’s rarely the case that out-of-nowhere I get an email from an artist I’ve never heard, asking me to collaborate on a video, and I press play on their tune, and my mind gets absolutely blown to pieces. That was my first reaction to Sun Collective when we became digitally acquainted in 2015. Since then I have been lucky to collaborate on numerous visual projects with Caimin Gilmore and Co. They touch on a sound that leads the way. A sound that touches on nothing else. Trailblazing into the future with effortless ingenuity, integrity and unfaltering musicianship.”

Songwriter Caimin Gilmore on MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E:

“This release is a release in the physical and mental sense of the word. Writing music, for me, has always been a cathartic experience. Performing it feels like the most honest way of communicating and being understood.

I am releasing MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E  on the day of a new year for me, my 32nd birthday, and in a sense trying to renew myself and reconcile with the past after a year of long reflection.”

‘MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E ‘, deals with a number of personal issues and themes– Identity, Trauma, Memory, and Healing. It is being released on the songwriter, Caimin Gilmore’s 32^nd Birthday, in a cathartic attempt to reconcile with past trauma and usher in a sense of renewal and beginning.

The EP features four songs and two segue way improvisatory pieces from composer, Sam Perkin. The segue ways, ‘Reflection On Movement’ and ‘Transition And Removal’, are further illuminations of the therapeutic nature of the release and deeply personal expressions contained within the songwriting. Three of the EP’s tracks feature contributions from contemporary classical composers, Nick Roth, Sam Perkin, and David Six, and specifically commissioned visuals/videos from Myles O’Reilly for ‘Swallow’ and it’s lead track, ‘Roots’.

‘Roots’ has over a 145k streams and is playlisted on Spotify’s popular Stress Buster playlist.

Sun Collective’s densely orchestrated chamber-folk draws on pop, folk and contemporary classical music. The five piece include Caimin Gilmore (Lisa Hannigan), Patrick O’Laoghaire (I Have a Tribe), Kevin Corcoran (Villagers), Dominic Mullan (Mary Coughlan) and Oisín Peelo Walsh (Hudson Taylor).

In 2019, Sun Collective toured Australia, with the support of Culture Ireland and Woodford Folk Festival. They subsequently performed alongside I Have a Tribe on an intimate Homebeat tour throughout Ireland. In 2018, they performed and collaborated at the P-E-O-P-L-E Festival, alongside Stargaze, Lisa Hannigan, Big Red Machine, Adam Cohen, Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and Zach Condon (Beirut).

The EP is available to buy on a limited run of CD’s and download only from August 10^th on Bandcamp. CD’s include accompanying postcard artwork by Martin O’Brien, and his twins Tadge and Luke (age 5), with QR barcode to outtakes from the studio sessions on a private Soundcloud page. The release will be available to stream on all platforms from August 25^th.

‘MOVE \\ R E  M   O    V     E’  EP is available now on Bandcamp: https://suncollective.bandcamp.com/album/move-r-e-m-o-v-e

‘Roots’ Video:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDX_vtJQLCY
‘Swallow‘ Video :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv0EhxYIfTg

Website :: https://www.suncollective.ie
Instagram :: https://www.instagram.com/suncollectiveband/
Facebook :: https://www.facebook.com/suncollectiveensemble/
Twitter :: https://twitter.com/suncollective_

Wexford artist-Hallie has just released her debut single ‘Familiar Place’ online, on the back of winning the Golden Discs first ever “Golden Busker” competition last year! 

The song is accompanied by a stunning music video shot on Mount Leinster with just an iPhone and has racked up over 79K views on Facebook in it’s first few weeks. 

Hallie hopes the song can reach out and help others dealing with depression and anxiety, which she has struggled with her whole life. This song is the first single off her upcoming EP ‘Waves’ and is available to stream and download from all major platforms.

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Tobtok, one of the most talented artists leading the new wave of Swedish electronic music DJs and Producers, lends his skills to create a pulsing remix of Aimée’s Top 20 Single ‘Naked’. Managing to maintain the delicacy and sentiment of the original track, Tobtok today delivers a reimagined version of ‘Naked’, which is set to become a dancefloor favourite.

Tobtok first came to serious attention with a remix of Years & Years ‘Real’ and continues to be called upon to deliver floor-filling remixes for some of the biggest names in music, including, The Magician, Blonde, Ella Henderson, Icona Pop, John Legend, Wretch-32, Christina Aguilera ft Nile Rodgers, Take That, and many more.

He currently enjoys over a million listeners a month on Spotify and is a regular name in key playlists such as New Music Friday, Friday Cratediggers, Dance Rising, and Mint. His productions have been streamed over 7 million times on Apple Music and are regularly featured in playlists including DanceXL, Breaking Dance, and Summer House.

Tobtok tracks have been played over 30 million times on Soundcloud, over 25 million times on YouTube – the list goes on. As a producer his skills feature on other tracks such as Karen Harding’s hit, ‘Picture’(7.5 million streams), Alex Ross ‘Dreams’ (23.5 million streams) and Alex Ross ‘Close Enough’.

‘Naked’, which was released Friday 24^th July, shot straight into the Irish Top 20 ending its first chart week at #19 on the Official Irish Homegrown Chart. The stunning video, filmed entirely at home and featuring the Dublin singer’s family, friends, followers and fans, has received an incredible 35K views in its first week of release.

Watch HERE

‘Naked’ is the final single to be taken from Aimée’s debut EP ‘Confession’ which jumped to the #1 spot in the iTunes Pop Album Chart while also reaching #1 in the overall iTunes Album Chart. ‘Confession’ featured pop bangers such as ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’, beautiful ballads like ‘I’m OK’ as well as the top 30 Irish radio hit, ‘Don’t Call Me Pretty’, a pop anthem that received global radio support with numerous stations including The Dominican Republic, Italy, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Nambia, Spain, Switzerland, and 125 stations across the UK.

LIVE

Today, Aimée is also thrilled to announce she will be embarking on a February 2021 Irish tour:

February 5^th     Roísín Dubh, Galway            Tickets HERE
February 6^th     Dolan’s, Limerick                   Tickets HERE
February 7^th     Winthrop Avenue, Cork       Tickets HERE
February 11^th   Voodoo, Belfast                     Tickets HERE
February 12^th   Whelan’s, Dublin*                 Tickets HERE

Tickets on sale 10am, Monday 10^th August.

*tickets purchased for postponed 27^th March 2020 date remain valid for February 12^th Whelan’s, Dublin*

Get ‘CONFESSION’ HERE!

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