Month: November 2020

Get Well Soon remix of ‘Mirror On The Front Seat’ is the second release taken from Columbia Mills upcoming remixed EP.

 The ‘Remixed EP’ is due out Friday, 20th November 2020.  

 Commenting on the remix track, Get Well Soon’s Konstantin said:

“I guess, I was going for a Julee Cruise / Twin Peaks vibe here. But to be completely honest: changing the lead vocals like that was a lucky accident.“

Get Well Soon’s remix of ‘Mirror on The Front Seat’ is out now

This follows the release of Jape’s remix of Columbia Mills track ‘The Greatest Love’, which garnered huge support across national radio within Ireland and the UK.  DJ John Kennedy crowned Jape’s remix as “X-Posure Hot One” on his show X-Posure on Radio X.

Columbia Mills teams up with some of their favourite artists Jape, Girl Band, Ryan Vail and Get Well Soon, for their ‘Remixed EP’. This EP allowed the artists to create their own interpretation of tracks from ‘CCTV’ and put their creative spin on the songs. The second release from the remixed EP is Get Well Soon remix of their song ‘Mirror in the Front Seat’ is out today.

Columbia Mills will be releasing a track a week throughout the month of November.

The full release dates for the EP are:
Jape remix ‘The Greatest Love‘ – Out Now
Get Well Soon ‘Mirror On The Front Seat’ – Out Now
Ryan Vail ‘Car Crash TV’- 13th November 2020
Daniel Fox of Girl Band ‘Understand’ – 20th November 2020

Commenting on the release from ‘Get Well Soon’, Columbia Mills drummer Paul Kenny said:  “It was a great honour to have Konstantin remix one of our tracks. I’ve been playing music with Konstantin for almost 15 years and he never ceases to amaze me with his musical intuition. He’s done albums under the name Get Well Soon, produced many more, written movie soundtracks, Netflix series (check out his soundtrack to “How to Sell Drugs Online Fast”), classical arrangements and so much more.

Konstantin gave me my first real professional gig and took a chance on me when I was still far from the finished product. I owe a huge amount to him for my development as a musician. He’s also one of the most loyal, thoughtful and intelligent friends I have. It’s an honour and a pleasure that he’s remixed this song for Columbia Mills and we’re all delighted with the results. Think they speak for themselves if you have a listen yourself. Much love my brother.”

‘Wild Thang’ is the latest single from the expressive and inspirational afro-Irish singer Tolü Makay. Originally from Nigeria and raised in the Irish midlands, Tolü has created a compelling R&B Anthem of Self Love that lyrically rejects the societal norms and standards, she as a black woman, is expected to conduct herself in. ‘Wild Thang’ is the second single from her EP, ’Being’, released at the beginning of October, which created a musical narrative of a pilgrimage towards self-acceptance.

Tolü takes ownership of the word ‘wild’ as something to embrace in oneself rather than something to fear or to hide, inspired by the novel ‘Women Who Run With Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. The blend of grooving piano, offbeat strings and sprightly synths is reminiscent of some of the best purveyors of mid-noughties hip and R&B. The Roots, Erykah Badu, and more recently Solange certainly spring to mind, but Tolü Makay is expressing a very personal journey on ‘Wild Thang’, and she succeeds in presenting herself as a singular artist.

Following a string of impressive singles ‘Let Me In’ and ‘Don’t Let Go’ that firmly announced the rising star in 2020, Tolü recently unveiled her much-anticipated debut EP ‘Being’ earlier this month via the Berlin-based label Welcome to the New World.

Having used her music for many years as a medium to speak her truth, ‘Being’ hallmarks a significant chapter for Tolü. Presenting her deepest thoughts succinctly in 7 tracks, she drives home the importance of self-love, self-assurance and self-confidence, using her own experiences as a backdrop to this musical journey.

The songstress has continued to blossom since emerging with her 2018 single ‘Goodbye’ – now with over 800k streams on Spotify alone. A seasoned vocalist with influences that span the likes of Erykah Badu and Nina Simone to Amy Winehouse and Asa, Tolü’s trajectory into music seemed already pre-destined.

With every release, she continues to get more support, with ‘Don’t Let Go’ reaching #1 on Ireland’s RTE Radio 1’s airplay charts and ‘You Are Enough’ spotlighted by BBC’s Across The Line as “The Best Song In The World” and RTE 2FM’s Tracks of The Week.

Tolü shows no sign of slowing down and now as she finally delivers her debut project, ‘Being’ serves a beautiful milestone in what will be long and fruitful career ahead so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open as she ascends to greater heights.

Stream/buy the EP here: https://cdbaby.lnk.to/BeingTM

Spotify – Tolü Makay
Instagram – Tolü Makay
Facebook – Tolü Makay
YouTube – Tolü Makay

Cork City based singer songwriter Hank Wedel has spent his 2020 lockdown time collecting and compiling his back catalog of recorded work of over 30 years for what he calls ‘The Bandcamp Exclusives’.

The idea has been to make songs previously unavailable online available only on his Bandcamp page, sales of which have been very encouraging.

The November edition features the work he recorded with the band Princes Street, all of of which was recorded at Sulan Studios Ballyvourney during 1988-89.

This link will take you to that compilation, and more, on Hank Wedel’s Bandcamp page https://hankwedel.bandcamp.com/album/the-night-john-lynch-lost-his-glasses-a-2020-vision

Irish Pop Singer/Songwriter Taylor Mas enters the music scene with her emotional and heart wrenching debut single ‘Bad News’. This atmospheric, modern pop ballad shows her dynamic as a pop writer while filling the lyrics with meaning and imagery. Out Friday 6th November 2020. 

‘Bad News’ is a personal, heartfelt pop ballad about the struggle of things going constantly wrong in life while waiting for what ‘Bad News’ was to come next in a string of unlucky events. Although a ballad, this pop song is packed with modern, atmospheric sounds as well as a solid and strong drum beat to carry the strength and emotion of the song. This is the perfect song to represent what many people are feeling during this uncertain and scary time we are living in. 

Produced by John Doherty (Little Hours) and Tully Gun.

Mixed by Stuart Gray (Jealoustown Studios) Mastered by Billy Farrell (Grammy nominated)

“‘Bad News’ was written at a time in my life where I felt absolutely everything was going wrong for me. My career, my health, my relationships were all treading on thin ice and I was simply waiting for what would happen next to push me over the edge. I saw hope in nothing and felt like everyone was fine except me. I believe there are moments and times like this in every person’s life. I hope many people will relate to the song’s lyrics, especially now with how uncertain the world is. This song really highlights the importance of mental health and I hope people will listen and realise they are not alone in how they feel.” – Taylor Mas

Despite ‘Bad News’ being Taylor Mas’s debut single as a solo artist, she has had many years of experience in the music scene in Ireland. Having completed a level 8 Degree in Songwriting at BIMM Dublin she has performed vocals for many different artists and bands across Dublin in multiple different recording studios as well as performing at Electric Picnic, Longitude, Knocken Stocken and many more Irish music events and gigs. Taylor Mas is a pop singer and writer at heart with a talent for writing gripping catchy melodies that will get stuck in your head. She believes there is a gap in the Irish music scene for pop female artists and plans to make a name for herself within the pop songwriter scene.

‘Bad News’ is the first of many pop songs Taylor Mas will be releasing in the near future. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylormasmusic/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaylorMasMusic
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TaylorMasMusic/

Set for release November 6th, Jafaris returns with his highly anticipated EP ‘I Love You But I’m in A Bad…Mood’. 

The six-track EP is a unique blend of visuals and audio designed to take the listener on a journey through the mind of the heavy-hearted artist. Directed by long-term collaborator Nathan Barlow, videos for tracks such as ‘Glue’ and ‘Frustrated’ are effigies to the loneliness, uncertainty and frustration that comes with the end of a romantic relationship. Speaking about ‘Glue’ in particular, Jafaris noted that it, “represents the connection she and I have always shared and, to some degree, still share now”. 

The lead single and music video from the project, ‘Haunted’ was inspired by a short documentary about actor Jim Carrey called ‘I Needed Colour’. It visualises the idea that creativity can be found in anything you do, allowing you to get lost in yourself, which, in turn, helps you to re-discover who you are. Director Nathan Barlow said of ‘Haunted’ that the video can be interpreted in many different ways. “Everything that happens with the projector and the white room is all just in Jafaris’ head, seemingly. He’s in his day job, just painting walls, yet he can still find some sort of creative outlet through that”, he explains of the video’s premise, before adding “it’s ambiguous as to whether that’s actually happening or not.” 

With previously released songs ‘Glue’ and ‘Haunted’ acting as the opening tracks of the EP, the project continues in that form, with thumping production, rhythmic complexity and Jafaris’ renowned lyrical dexterity to the fore throughout. Tracks such as ‘Beggar’ and ‘Mood’ detail the feelings of confusion, uncertainty and anger that the artist feels following a long goodbye, having the strength to let go even if that’s the last thing he wants to do. Speaking about the inspiration behind some of the EP’s tracks, he says; “This EP is my closure to the end of my first relationship. The songs are the pieces and emotions that remained.”

‘Frustrated’ and ‘Mood’, the final two tracks, are the most visual pieces of the project and will act as the listener’s introduction to the EP prior to its release. Steeped in dark imagery and based in a largely colourless world, they set the tone for the project through its examination of the depths of despair and confusion.

The two tracks released so far ‘Glue’ and ‘Haunted’ have been met with acclaim, with press coverage in Notion Magazine, District, Nialler9, EARMILK, Hot Press, The Official Charts and Entertainment.ie. As well as receiving amazing support on Irish radio (7 million impacts) and further support in the UK on BBC Radio 1’s headline shows, Annie Mac’s Future Sounds, Jack Saunders’s Future Artists and Phil Taggart’s The Chillest Show. 

Both tracks have also seen huge support across a number of different streaming platforms and were featured prominently in a number of leading editorial playlists such as Deezer’s Trending Ireland playlist, Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, The Pop List, Radar:First Listen, New Pop Revolution, All New All Now, Essential Ireland & A Breath of Fresh Éire, which hold a combined 2 million followers. Jafaris was also featured on the cover of Spotify’s New Pop UK playlist and was included in Apple Music’s New Music Daily & New Fire playlists. 

As a project, ‘I Love You But I’m in a Bad…Mood’ is the accumulation of over a year’s work for Jafaris, and marks another boundary-pushing project from the Diffusion Lab team. This is Jafaris taking his music further than ever before in the visual medium. As a statement, it’s an artist letting go of pain, doubt and frustration in the best way he knows how. 

Dear You,

Words don’t always quite encapsulate the enchantment of touch… “I Love You” May always remain just a phrase until it’s felt.

“But I’m In A Bad…. Mood”

So if you’re looking for someone to save you, make you feel better, special, loved. Start with the person you see upon reflection. 

You are allowed to be a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously. 

Love Jafaris.

‘I Love You But I’m In A Bad…Mood’ will be available to stream on Friday 6th November. 
Pre-save/stream: https://jafaris.ffm.to/iloveyoubutiminabadmood

Dublin-based with Clare and Connemara connections, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien have been playing together for many years in various bands, including contemporary Irish folk band Skipper’s Alley. Their involvement with Manx singer Ruth Keggin and the international Gaelic project ‘Aon Teanga (One Tongue)’ took them to Highland Scotland, where they carefully crafted their debut album at Watercolour Music, in Lochaber. And so ‘Solas an Lae’ (The Light of Day) was born.

The human voice and the fiddle are often thought of as musical cousins. ‘Solas an Lae’, Eoghan and Ultan’s debut offering, is a compelling exploration of that relationship, creating a unique dialogue that blends raw, rugged earth with the ethereal otherworld.

Bouncing songs and strings off one another, Eoghan on voice and flute, and Ultan on fiddle and viola, have created a duo album that emerges viscerally from the sean-nós roots of upbringing to blossom into two of the most articulate Irish musical voices on the scene today.

Speaking about the release, Eoghan / Ultan say:

“We finished recording this album in October 2019 in Watercolour Music studio, a magical place nestled at the foot of Glen Scaddle and Cona Glen in the Scottish Highlands. We are delighted to be able to release this, digitally, during the lockdown. The weight of everything has grown heavier for many people, for many different reasons. We hope this bit of music can help fling off a bit of the weight and help people breathe a little bit easier.

We’ve been sitting on this for a year – we hoped to get it out in early 2020 but put it off in the hope of being able to play the music live. At this point, we don’t know when that might happen, so it’s time to get it out there!

There are certain tracks on this like Máirseáil na Síóg and Spikey Flynn that are just itching to be played in the real world. For now, we hope they get some people dancing around in the kitchen!”

‘Solas an Lae’ (The Light of the Day), the debut album from Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien is out now (November 5th 2020), via Watercolour Music. Order your copy of the digital album or vinyl on Bandcamp: https://eoghanultan.bandcamp.com/releases

In celebration of their album launch, join Eoghan and Ultan online TONIGHT, Thursday 5th November, 8.30pm-10pm, for “Solas an Lae – a Digital Folk Opera”. For full details, visit:  https://www.facebook.com/events/2796352953934649/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EoghanUltan
Twitter: Eoghan https://twitter.com/Ceannabhain Ultan https://twitter.com/Ultan_Music
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eoghan_ultan_music/

Small Circles and Flora Maye have just released a collaboration entitled ‘Low’.

The track is a collaboration between Conor Harkin (Small Circles) and his partner Stacey Gilroy (Flora Maye). It was written and recorded in a small room in Killala, Co Mayo, with a very stripped down setup. A departure from Small Circles normal work, this release incorporates the beautiful vocals of Flora Maye and a vibrant topline melody on violin.

The single has been mixed by Sean Corcoran at Bikini Island Studios, Dublin, and mastered by Peter Montgomery. It is a very unique blend of instrumentation and beats, and displays another interesting direction traditional Irish music can be taken. Taking inspiration from Bonobo, Bicep and George Fitzgerald, the duo can’t help but also draw comparisons to Daithí’s fusion of electronic music and violin who is also modernising traditional Irish music.

Flora Maye’s ethereal vocals lend a sense of the mythical and folklore ambience to the track. The dichotomy between the traditional instruments and modern beats is beautifully merged into this avant-garde track.

To date Small Circles has performed in McGowans Bar Easkey, JJ Harlows Live Venue Roscommon and Crowbar Dublin, and hopes to return to the stage as soon as possible. Currently Small Circles is working on his debut album with the hopes of completing it before the end of 2020.

‘Low’ was released on October 29th across all streaming platforms and you can learn more on http://smallcirclesmusic.com/.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vFmALOenLmc0ubCsnsKOP
https://soundcloud.com/smallcirclesmusic
https://www.instagram.com/small_circles_music/
https://www.facebook.com/smallcirclesmusic
https://twitter.com/circlessmall

‘Luzhny’s Layer ‘is the debut release from composer Kilian O’Kelly, recent PhD in Composition graduate from Maynooth University and most widely known as songwriter in Silverbacks.

The 19-track cassette comprises meditations by O’Kelly on the world around him, from childhood memories of memorising the coloured keys on his piano to an overarching theme of isolation and disconnect.

“My goal was to play with the listener’s perception of time, as music has always been about escapism for me,” explains O’Kelly. “The simplicity and bareness of the arrangements in ‘Luzhny’s Layer’ allow the listener to find the spaces between the sounds and contribute to the experience of letting go in their own way.”

Alternating between his more recognisable guitar workouts (think Sonic Youth/Glenn Branca) and a wider, classical instrument palette, O’Kelly weaves his own inimitable sonic world, at times plaintive, others caustic. Motifs in pieces like ‘New Programming’ unravel and decay as it unfolds, mantra-like in it’s execution. Others like ‘Harm Would Come To He Who Harmed You’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a lo-fi country record, all menacing licks and ambient hiss. It’s a testament to O’Kelly that he can unite these seemingly disparate musical tributaries into a steady, melodic flow.

Available from Friday November 6 2020 from https://kilianokelly.bandcamp.com

Hometime’s new single, ‘Gratitude’, drops on Friday 13^th November across all digital platforms. The second of four singles from the forthcoming album, this moody little banger’s runway House strut has gathered fans in all the right places.

Currently at No. 5 on the Canadian gay chart, The Q32, it has already enjoyed radio play in Ireland (big thanks to KCLR’s Martin Bridgeman and Shannonside’s Mike Mulvihill), as well as spins in the UK, Canada, USA, Israel, and Switzerland – where it hit No. 12 on the LRdR listeners’ Top 50.

New York dance maestro/label executive, Vinny Vero, and British pop icon, Alison Moyet, have both lavished praise on ‘Gratitude’. On the strength of the track, Vinny Vero even invited Hometime to remix a track by a name act for an imminent big-label album release.

Hometime – Dubliner, Tony Kavanagh – created a buzz this summer with the single, ‘The Sound Of Heartbreak’. It reached No.7 on the Irish iTunes pop singles chart, and gained terrific radio support in Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Israel. It spent four weeks at No.3 of Canada’s Q32 chart for LGBTQ artists and, in the UK, reached No.9 on the LGBTQ Music Chart. In Switzerland, it hit No.1 on the LRdR listeners’ Top 50. Last month, Ireland’s beloved queer platform, GCN, devoted a feature to Hometime’s “glorious pop.”

Hometime is a versatile pop artist. From the writing and the vocals, to the design and the funding, the entire project is entirely self-managed. Busy writing songs for himself and others, five co-writes featured on recent RTE Radio 1 Album of the Week, ’45RPM’ by Gavin Murphy. Four of them were singles.

The pandemic has slightly delayed Hometime’s début album, ‘Past Imperfect’: it’s now expected in early 2021.

Website: www.hometimemusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hometime.PastImperfect
Twitter: @hometime_music
Instagram: @hometime_music

Jack Lukeman has just released a new live album ‘Streamed – The Best of the Lockdown Sessions – Vol 1’ available now from www.Jacklukeman.com, featuring the single ‘Somewhere In My Heart’, a unique cover of the Aztec Camera classic – alongside announcing a series of live stream Facebook events to celebrate. This Saturday, the 7th November at 8pm will see him perform a mix of songs from the album for an online album launch, followed by a Leonard Cohen special on Saturday the 14th November at 8pm.

After his spring UK tour was cancelled, Jack Lukeman began live-streaming weekly shows. The gigs featured sets of his songs and a variety of songbook specials of legendary artists like Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and even an 80s night! The shows reached over 250,000 people during the first five months of broadcast. Audience figures that went some way to make up for the over 100 live dates cancelled in 2020.

‘Streamed – The Best of the Lockdown Sessions – Vol 1’ is a fan voted set of favourite tracks selected from 160 songs performed by Jack Lukeman during this spring lockdown Facebook Saturday Nights Live broadcasts. The album features 15 songs selected by Jack Lukeman’s fans for inclusion on the album. The album also features the debut album recording by his father, 81 year old Sean Loughman Snr. Currently recovering from a stroke, prior to his illness Sean Loughman Snr had been recording with his son and he steals the show with a inspirational rendition of the classic ‘Young At Heart’.

Speaking of the album Jack Lukeman says: “This album and the live streams shows went some way to keeping me busy and sane throughout the initial lockdown period. Learning hundreds of songs and having to have a new set and show at the end of every week to perform in front of a couple of thousand people live was quite the task to kill the time. Thankfully thousands tuned in from all over the planet. Essentially it’s fabulous that an album was forged out of the madness that is 2020 and I was delighted to include my father singing on it as he has such a natural and passionate voice and inspired my love for music. Making his recording debut at 81 is priceless.”

Tune in to Jack every Saturday Night at 8pm (BST) running up to Christmas for the most heartwarming live stream show on the planet. ‘Streamed – The Best of the Lockdown Sessions – Vol 1’ the brand new album from Jack Lukeman is out now from www.Jacklukeman.com.

Track Listing
So Long Marianne 
Here Comes The Sun 
House Of The Rising
Wild Is The Wind
Somewhere In My Heart
Masters Of War 
Raglan Road 
Wicked Game
Smoke Stack Lightning
Forever Young
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
That’s Life (Feat Sean Loughman Snr)
Young At Heart (feat Sean Loughman Snr)
Deeper Down The Rabbit Hole
Moon River