Month: October 2020

Following an action-packed 2019 full of individual releases alongside collaborative releases the Louth based alt hip hop duo RÓGAN x ØMEGA are back with a finely tuned conceptual project titled ‘Don’t Forget To Remember Radio: Episode 1’. Hosted by RTE’s DJ Beta Da Silva the project revolves around 3 tracks with intermissions of comic relief and relatable discussions tieing the project together and giving the listener the full radio experience. With hidden gems and surprises like an appearance from Sky Sports Presenters and Football Sensation Adebayo Akinfenwa.

Produced by CXDY, CHAZ, WHSPR & PalmTreePrince the project is inspired by Japan and Japanese culture. The duo shared, “It feels like an urban metropolitan. I picture people driving through downtown Tokyo at night tuning in to listen ‘Don’t Forget To Remember Radio’ as well as Dublin City.” The intricate production on the project is a combination of modern hip hop blended with trap influences and glitch production. The energetic beats create an open field for their razor-sharp lyricism and ear-catching hooks.  ØMEGA commented “We have this infectious energy as well as the ability to create in pockets at speed. We don’t have defined sound as we find ourselves comfortable jumping on any type of production. We cover all the bases as a duo.”

Repping Ireland, the Recording Artist/Production duo of RÓGAN and ØMEGA are looking to rapidly takeover with their lyrics and unique sound. Having individually released music in 2019, they look to be more aggressive with it by teaming up. Having released tracks like ‘Different With It’ and ‘Run It Down’ to critical acclaim. Receiving support from Spotify editorial playlists, BBC Introducing, Kerrang FM, Nialler9, Hotpress, District Magazine, RTÉ 2FM, Pulse, Spin 103.8 and many more. The pair debut visuals for single ‘Murder She Wrote’ last came January came from International director Ovie Etseyatse who’s worked with the likes Kizz Daniel, Davido, Yemi Alade.

Taking inspiration from Rappers like Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco, RÓGAN and ØMEGA found themselves moving from just fans of the music, to officially being Producers and Recording Artists in 2015 and 2018 respectively. RÓGAN released his debut EP ‘Arrogant’ in 2017, and found himself being featured in Stackd Magazine, and being booked in various parts of Ireland. In 2019, he competed in the annual “Beat Club” competition where he emerged the Beat Club Champion. As for ØMEGA, he released his debut single ‘RAMPAGE’ in 2018 and followed that up with the acclaimed ‘The Metropolitan Project’, and has found himself performing at Electric Picnic, the Dublin Fringe Festival, and getting his music on the popular “NEW MUSIC FRIDAY UK” & “THE NEW EIRE” Spotify Playlist. 

Keep up with ROGAN x ØMEGA via: 

Facebook 
RÓGAN – https://www.facebook.com/ROGANHQ
ØMEGA – https://www.facebook.com/ProjectOmegaHQ

Twitter 
RÓGAN – https://twitter.com/ROGANHQ
ØMEGA – https://twitter.com/ProjectOmegaHQ

Instagram 
RÓGAN – https://www.instagram.com/roganhq_/?hl=en
ØMEGA – https://www.instagram.com/projectomegahq/?hl=en

SoundCloud 
https://soundcloud.com/user-320951562

Spotify 
RÓGAN – https://open.spotify.com/artist/4j2vzHFtcOnS0YjnEbRDFG?si=0SAsfG0BSwGA8Fuxf5HdBw
ØMEGA – https://open.spotify.com/artist/549aAP6LStrfUlDVQPXEe1?si=EbrjOJTGT3mnUQC6G2ZUUQ

Youtube 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChybB9tz-llazBkdrV2UxEw/videos?view_as=subscriber

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Maija Sofia’s show in Workman’s show scheduled for 22nd October 2020 will no longer take place. Maija will now instead perform at The Workman’s Club on 13th May 2021. Limited tickets are available to purchase here. Tickets purchased for her intimate shows will remain valid for this show.

Tickets €13.00 available at Tickets.ie 

Never a band to do anything by halves, Chasing Abbey have been relentless in their work throughout their career so far. Today, their latest move comes in the form of a self-directed new video for their recent viral hit ‘Lately’, featuring top Irish influencers Niamh Cullen, James Kavanagh and Bonnie Ryan, who collectively boast over 350k Instagram followers.

Niamh Cullen: “The Chasing Abbey boys made the shoot an absolute dream! I always wanted to be in a music video and this is my first one so I’m so excited and absolutely love the boys and the track!“

James Kavanagh: “The video was gas craic, I basically had to pretend to be Ro’ all day and dance around a Ferrari, of course, I wasn’t saying no to that!“

Bonnie Ryan: “I think it was extra special because there was no production company involved, it was just the guys and that made it much more laid back and a lot more fun.“

The concept for the video, which was filmed in Chasing Abbey’s hometown of Tullamore, Co. Offaly by Usman Akhtar, was developed by Big & Bright and Chasing Abbey together, with the narrative entirely created by the band. 

“It was a really special and important step in our careers taking on this video ourselves,” says Chasing Abbey’s Teddy C. “It was always something we knew we would eventually end up doing but we knew we had to gain the experience and knowledge first.” 

“In terms of the video itself, we are really pleased with it. We captured the vibe we were going for and that’s the most important thing, creatively speaking. It will be the first of many!“

Explaining the concept behind the video, Big & Bright director Shane Gillen says; “The influencers are playing the part of Chasing Abbey, while Ro, Bee and Ted feature as a shopkeeper, a pizza delivery guy and a reporter. 

Along the way, “Chasing Abbey” have annoyed the three characters who then team up to find them and get revenge. However, the video culminates with all six joining forces to perform the viral TikTok dance for the track that the Chasing Abbey boys came up with.“

‘Lately’ has garnered near-unprecedented success since its release a little over a month ago. Debuting at No.1 in the Irish Homegrown Charts (where it’s still holding on at No.2) and at No.26 in the Official Irish Charts , ‘Lately’ has gone on to amass almost 500k streams, and reached No.23 on the Spotify Viral Chart thanks to features on popular editorial playlists such as New Music Friday UK, Dance Rising, New Dance Revolution, Friday Cratediggers & Hands In The Éire.

It’s TikTok, however, where the song has been most successful, entering its New Music chart at No.7 and its Dance Music chart at No.6, thanks in no small part to viral videos from influencers such as Tadhg Fleming (2.2m followers) and magician Joel (5.5m followers). To date, the song has been used over 7,500 times on the platform.

There has been huge support for ‘Lately’ from Irish radio too, with the song amassing over six million impacts. It reached No.2 on the Irish Radio Breakers Chart and No.7 in the All Irish Radio chart, while it recently hit the top of the Irish Shazam charts . Perhaps most impressively, was when ‘Lately’ was played on J Wave 81FM, one of Japan’s biggest radio stations. It’s clear that Chasing Abbey are going global!

Irish rapper JYellowL announces a brand-new single ‘Tunnel Vision’, due for release Friday 23rd October 2020. This will be the last single to be released before his debut album ‘2020 D|Vision’ set for release, Friday 20th November 2020 via JYellowL Records LTD produced by Chris Kabs. 

‘Tunnel Vision’ follows hit singles ‘Jewels, Doesn’t Feel Like’, Mademoiselle’ taken from ‘2020 D|vision’. All tracks garnered massive success across radio and streaming platforms, gaining multiple slots for ‘Tracks of The Week’ on RTE 2FM’s shows and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Spotify and Apple Music have also supported the tracks on multiple playlists such as ‘New Music Friday’, ‘We Move’, ‘Breathe of Fresh Eire’ and ‘New Eire’.

Speaking about ‘Tunnel Vision’, JYellowL’s explains “This is a track highlighting personal vices and choosing to overcome them and avoiding distractions for the sake of achieving my goals. I was also feeling myself when I wrote it, I’m sure you can hear that too. It’s the final piece in the album jigsaw, it’ll all add up once you hear the full project.”

Earlier this month, JYellowL appeared on BBC 3’s documentary ‘The Rap Game UK’. The show displayed rappers across areas within the UK and Ireland giving MC’s the exposure they deserve. 

‘Tunnel Vision’ out Friday, 23rd October 2020 

‘2020 D|Vision’ debut album release: Friday 20th November 2020 via JYellowL Records Ltd. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ailbhe Reddy’s Workman’s show scheduled for November 20th can no longer take place.

Ailbhe Reddy is pleased to announce a headline show at The Button Factory, 15th May 2021 to celebrate her debut album release ‘Personal History’.  Tickets purchased for Reddy’s intimate shows due to take place in The Workman’s Club will remain valid for The Button Factory show on 15th May 2021. There are some limited tickets available to purchase via Tickets.ie through here.

Ailbhe Reddy 
Live at The Button Factory 
15th May 2021 
[Tickets for her two intimate shows at The Workman’s Club in November 2020 still remain valid for new venue and date]
Limited tickets are available to purchase through Tickets.ie at €21.00 

Mayo singer songwriter, Faraway Martin, has a voice that according to Hot Press Magazine ‘leaves an instant mark on the listener’. He is releasing a live version of his most recent single ‘The Lights Turn On’.

Since the release of ‘The Lights Turn On’ last April, the track was playlisted on RTE Radio 1, 2FM, iRadio as well as across local radio also. The track reached No.5 in QBS Radio’s Top 40, the largest station in Qatar, Faraway Martin’s adopted home. He was the only unsigned act in the Top 40. Faraway Martin’s presence in the music scene has grown substantially. He has established himself both at home and abroad, with regular appearances as a live act in Qatar, where he supported Boyce Avenue and Bazzi. In Ireland he has also opened for Aslan, Mick Flannery, Mundy and Hermitage Green.

In this live rendition recorded in Ballinrobe Library, a 200 year old church full of character and outstanding acoustics, Faraway Martin is joined by his bandmates; James Conway (Guitar), Luke O’Malley (Keys) and Gerry Heneghan (Drums) as well as the new addition of strings, a first for the songwriter. Dervilla Hynes (Cello) and Eibhlin Gallagher (Violin) “I was very fortunate to come across Dervilla and Eibhlin online in the Mayo Musicians group. The girls are fantastic, they’ve played everywhere from the Olympia to Broadway in New York. I feel they really brought a new lease of life to the song.”

The song represents the different stages of a couples life together, with a poignant ending from the penultimate line ‘the lights turn off’. Martin reminisces “I love playing this song live. It’s the type of song that really engages the listener. When I look up after singing the last line of the song, there’s often a few tears in the room. I love making that connection with the people.”

‘The Lights Turn On’ is the first single from Faraway Martin’s debut EP, which is scheduled for release later this year. Once the pandemic passes he will celebrate the release with live performance, continuing on from his previous appearances on the main stage in Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club and a sold out gig in the Róisín Dubh for his first headline show.

Faraway Martin has a voice that is the perfect vehicle for a pop song yet carries depth and maturity throughout which really connects with the listener. ‘The Lights Turn On’ is a deeply relatable song that disseminates a lifetime full of memories in under 4 minutes. Listing influences such as Damien Rice, Paolo Nutini and Coldplay, it appears that Faraway Martin has found his own sound through his latest release.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JE2o9VwC4KQYkftLSsjx8
www.instagram.com/farawaymartin 
https://www.breakingtunes.com/farawaymartin
www.facebook.com/farawaymartin
www.twitter.com/farawaymartin
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3dkNiAJehx54H7i-3BUxA

Since the release of her stunning debut EP, ‘Glitter Skies’, Sara Ryan has gone from being one of Irish folk music’s hidden gems, to its ‘New Artist of the Year’ at the 2017 Irish Folk Awards. 

Extensive touring in Germany and Switzerland attracted growing audiences with each visit, and her veritable songwriting and storytelling talents have been lauded by fellow homegrown artists including Christy Moore. 

‘Breathe’ is the final single from Sara Ryan’s 2019 album of the same name. This latest offering takes the listener on a journey of conscience, examining the power of social media and how detrimental it can be; detrimental to our connections with other humans and our perception of ourselves. ‘Breathe’ embraces the struggle between feeling powerless over the injustices of the world and the injustices within the self. But the message of ‘Breathe’ is hope. Sara asks the listener to go through the darkness, face it, and see the light through the cracks and follow your dreams. ‘Breathe’ is available to stream from today, Thursday 22nd October.

In the summer of 2019, Cork family trio Greenshine released their third album, the critically acclaimed ‘Family’. The world was their oyster as praise flooded in. It was made Record of the Week by Eve Blair on BBC Radio Ulster, and Album of the Week by Martin Bridgeman of KCLRFM. Greenshine were invited to perform on RTÉ’s Today with Miriam O Callaghan and track after track reached the top of the RTÉ Radio1 Airplay chart. 

The first single taken from the album, ‘Dandelion Seed’ emulated it’s critically acclaimed predecessor ‘The Girl In The Lavender Dress’ by reaching No1. Subsequent singles ‘The Good Is Gone’ and ‘Brother’ reached No2. 

With a string of sold out shows in concert spaces the length and breadth of Ireland all through the summer and autumn of 2019, the stage was set and the diary was full for 2020. It was to be Greenshine’s year! 

The band managed to squeeze in two sold out shows at The Triskel Arts Centre for The 41st Cork Folk Festival in between lockdowns and were interviewed and asked to perform three songs on TG4’s Current TV Series “CORK FOLK FESTIVAL 40th ANNIVERSARY”  –https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3255864787846230

Now, with the ups and downs we all face on the rollercoaster that is 2020, Greenshine wanted to revisit ‘Family’, take care of what felt like unfinished business by bringing the album back into the light and giving it the chance that circumstances took away. What better way than to release the happiest and most upbeat song on the album – ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’. Here is a song that speaks to the longing we all have for close human contact, happy-go-lucky times and love. ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ is a little bit country, a little bit rock and everything you might like to say to a potential soul mate.

‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ is released 28th October.

http://greenshinemusic.com/
www.facebook.com/greenshinepeople 
www.twitter.com/greenshinemusic 
www.greenshine.bandcamp.com

Two years after making his musical comeback, Robert O’Connor is ready to go up a gear with the release of his new EP, ‘Transcendence’, released on November 20.

The Dublin-born artist went on hiatus in 2013 following the release of his well-received EP ‘Resistance’, and it’s fair to say he’d built up some life experience by the time he returned– working as a journalist, social media manager, security guard, and estate agent. “I considered calling my comeback record ‘Identity Crisis’,” he jokes, “but everything I did during those five years made me who I am today. I see everything I do as a performance, for those five years I felt like an actor being booked for different roles.”

Originally emerging in 2006, Robert knew he wanted to sing, but he didn’t know what he wanted to sing. It was a recording session during which producer Billy Farrell advised him to try song-writing that changed the game for him: “I was a teenager, and I had no hesitation, I just went home that day and started song-writing – the lyrics and melodies flowed as if they were in my brain already and had been merely waiting to be called upon.”

In 2008, his self-written debut album ‘Distance’, distributed by Universal, was hailed “Top honours song-writing” by HotPress magazine, but Robert wasn’t in a rush to follow-up the release, returning to college for three years to study journalism. He eventually released ‘Resistance’ in 2012, which became another critical success. One review, by music blog Indie Music Digest, said: “Robert possesses enough musical talent and song-writing prowess to be extremely dangerous.”

Fast-forward to 2018, Robert returned once more, claiming, “I only write singles,” whenever asked about a new record. He emerged confident with world-class country tracks ‘You Found Me’, ‘No Second Chances’ and his arresting cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’, each produced by Stuart Gray, and each receiving rave reviews and their fair share of airtime, especially considering Robert remains a one-man-operation: “I’m the songwriter, the singer, the manager, the radio plugger, the publicist, the booker…but that’s how it is these days, it’s the norm for an independent artist!“

‘Transcendence’ gathers together his four collaborative singles with Peruvian EDM producer Skynem GT, presenting them as a “listening experience.” Robert explains: “I didn’t want to leave these songs floating around the streaming stratosphere as singles – it felt right to bring them together, re-polish them, and add some context in the form of an intro, interlude and outro.” The 20-minute record is succinct, but hits hard – from the cinematic intro into lead single ‘Destination Anywhere’, a glistening late-night electro track with ‘70s-style percussion that Robert says is inspired by the “dark, sexy afterhours disco by Jessie Ware and The Weeknd.”

Elsewhere, singles ‘Older ‘20’ and ‘Over (Before It’s Begun)’ feel ready-made for Ibiza sunsets at Café Del Mar, while the pair’s first collaboration on ‘Real Good Fight’ is a motivational anthem up there with the best of them. “But I know for better or for worse, God’s got a bigger plan for me/I gotta have faith, I’ve got to believe,” Robert sings, and as the track segues into a tropical-infused outro complete with a bass-line that would sound at home on any ‘80s PWL album, there’s a sense of optimism and hope – and you realise that Robert’s faith, and his self-belief, are the traits that have carried him from strength-to-strength to this day.

‘Destination Anywhere’ is released November 13, with ‘Transcendence’ following on November 20.

Website: http://www.iamrobertoconnor.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/robertoconnor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamrobertoconnor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamrobertoconnor
Tik Tok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSxaeVBb/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/robertoconnormusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3cGgPditxbsHzV6v6jRAXC?si=jUuMwo-GQH2R_WzMX-FA4w
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/robert-oconnor/68165886
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamrobertoconnor
Bandcamp: https://robertoconnor.bandcamp.com