In the first of a series of interviews focused on Irish record labels, Zara Hedderman brings us an in-depth chat with Willie Stewart of Nyahh Records.
Based in County Leitrim, Willie Stewart started Nyahh Records in 2021 and it’s described as a “home for sound collectors, noise makers and music builders”. A musician and member of Woven Skull, a filmmaker and no stranger to working within the realm of record labels having operated the Hypnagogic Tapes label, Stewart has been connected to and steeped in Ireland’s underground scene for several years and has become an leading figure in illuminating and spreading the tremendous music being made by artists working within this immersive world via Nyahh.
Wille spoke to Zara about what led to the label’s inception and explored some of the fascinating releases that have come out such as Ian Lynch’s debut solo album as One Leg One Eye, which is a truly captivating body of work that completely transports you right from the moment you step into it. And that transportative quality is omnipresent across the various releases and is something that connects them. Whether it’s the compilations covering Sean Nos singing or experimental music in Ireland between the ‘60s and ‘90s taking audiences to different eras or the wonderful collaborations between Natalia Beylis & Eimear Reidy inviting you to wander through vast and intricately detailed sonic settings, Nyahh’s releases are not only enjoyable to listen to, but they feel essential in what they open the audience to.
In this episode, we hear about the continued interest in Ireland’s underground artists – past, present and future, and consider the elements that have ignited a curiosity amongst audiences. Willie speaks about the passion and process involved in creating the brilliant compilations that the label have put out and the debut album from Mohammad Syfkhan called I Am Kurdish, which has been critically acclaimed both in Ireland and in international music press and a lot more in between. “
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