Make Me An Island

Some more examples of electronic experimentation from the wild frontier open this 8th instalment of our guide to new music. Firstly ELLES from Lisbon then Lyra Pramuk from Berlin and Okou & Casey MQ from Paris set the twilight reeling. 

The intriguing rapping style of South London Vietnamese artist Triad God is just one of the things that set him apart. He also invents sound worlds all of his own as do the South African band John Wizards, London producer Apiento and New York sonic adventurer Ana Roxanne.

Following on from our last episode we tune into Nicolas Jaar’s 2021 release from his collaborative project DARKSIDE and marvel at the skilful way Mala blended field recordings from his Peruvian travels into his electronic compositions.

To mark the welcome reopening of our dance floors the episode closes with four examples of tunes that have wrecked the gaff in recent weeks from KH, Overmono, Two Shell and Pangaea.

Support the music-makers on Bandcamp: 

ELLES

https://naivetytrax.bandcamp.com/track/elles-zero-hour-contrac

Triad God

https://prestorecords.bandcamp.com/album/triad

lyra Pramuk

https://lyrapramuk.bandcamp.com/track/tendril

Okou and Casey MQ

https://permalnk.bandcamp.com/album/for-the-beasts

DARKSIDE

https://darkside.bandcamp.com/album/spiral

John Wizards

https://johnwizards.bandcamp.com/album/john-wizards

Mala

https://mala-music.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors

Apiento

https://apiento.bandcamp.com/

Ana Roxanne

https://anaroxanne.bandcamp.com/album/-

Two Shell

https://twoshell.bandcamp.com/album/home-3

Overmono

https://overmono.bandcamp.com/

Pangaea

https://pangaeauk.bandcamp.com/album/like-this

The DIY bedroom-producer stars of this episode are Joseph Kamaru from Nairobi recording in Berlin under the name KMRU, Tristan Arp from Mexico City and CARM out of New York.

We celebrate the release of the wonderful new record from Inni-K which fashions a new sonic cloak for the ancient sean-nós form and re-visit the music of Nicolas Jaar and his deepest work yet, Cenizas.

In between, there’s time to marvel at the powerful sounds of resistance coming from the alto-saxophone of Matana Roberts and at the fruits of a unique collaboration between two uncrowned kings of the wild frontier, Pavel Milyakov and Bendik Giske.

Episode Six starts off with some DIY magic from Budapest courtesy of Goshaven before relocating to the Parisian suburb of Montreuil to hear the freshest of Moroccan-Egyptian hybrid rap from TripleGo.

Homage is paid to the all-powerful street-fired Kinshasa collective Kasai Allstars and to the electronic pioneer and unique musical spirit Beverly Glenn Copeland.

Hats are tipped to perennial kings of the wild frontier The Bonk and introductions made to new sounds from Welsh electronic adventurer Kellie Lee Owens and Californian harpist extraordinaire Mary Lattimore.

Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:

The Bonk 

In another singular twelve months for new sounds Dónal charts the year in tunes.

The stated criterion is that it's new names only but some diversions are taken to include essential releases from familiar artists like Shirley Collins, Dean Blunt and Oneohtrix Point Never.

Otherwise it's a voyage of discovery all the way from the frozen north in Norway to the beating heart of Niger. 

An entirely incomprehensive review of another certifiably brilliant year for Irish music. Dónal guides us through a selection of this year's loves showcasing the extraordinary range of great sounds emerging from this island in 2021. 

https://countersunk.bandcamp.com/album/superstrate

https://strangeboytheweirdo.bandcamp.com/

https://bitflowerbb.bandcamp.com/album/dinnseanchas

https://hilarywoodsmusic.bandcamp.com/

https://thisshipargo.bandcamp.com/album/hum

https://ergodos.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-echo-field-recordings-from-earlsfort-terrace

https://fixity.bandcamp.com/album/fixity-7

https://scintillarecordings.bandcamp.com/album/field-work

https://poxyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bread-butter-2

https://a92music.bandcamp.com/

https://telefis.bandcamp.com/track/we-need-jape-remix

https://daithi.bandcamp.com/

https://t-woc.bandcamp.com/album/pantangle

https://eomac.bandcamp.com/album/cracks

https://ellll.bandcamp.com/album/housebreaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGv4Mcy6Y4g&list=RDDGv4Mcy6Y4g&start_radio=1

https://aoifenessafrances.bandcamp.com/track/watching-the-willows-burn

In association with the National Concert Hall, a Make Me An Island Live special edition with Martin Hayes.

To mark the release of his autobiography, Shared Notes, Martin gives Dónal an illustrated guide to the many twists and turns that have marked his singular journey into sound.

From his first steps with the Tulla Céilí Band in East Clare through his ground-breaking collaboration with Dennis Cahill to giant leaps undertaken on the world’s greatest concert stages with The Gloaming and all points in between and beyond, these fascinating stories from the voyage so far are brought to life with customary humour and peerless musical skill. 

http://www.martinhayes.com/

www.nch.ie

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