Hip hop is growing up. Never mind rappers being born after the golden age; New York's latest hope Joey Bada$$ wasn't even born when Illmatic came out. There's been at least one thing holding the strands together from the start, however, and that's the inexorable march of Kool Keith. Born in the Bronx, he saw hip hop moulded from the very beginning, and as the spiritual leader and most talented rapper in Ultramagnetic MCs, he contributed to the late 80s glut of talent - Eric B & Rakim, Pu...read more
David Bowie
The Next Day
[Columbia/Sony]
David Bowie’s choice for his first release in 10 years, the introspective Where Are We Now? relocated him, in its first line, instantly back in Berlin where he made the albums whose blend of artistic experimentation, synthetic textures and pop and non-pop songwriting feel most relevant to the contemporary musical landscape. Then came the leaked artwork, a brutal, almost clumsy appropriation of the Heroes cover and a worrying comment from producer T...read more
The idea that live music will somehow save musicians livelihoods has probably been worn the whole way through at this stage. How many people believe it now? Certainly few musicians do, as they see crowds get stretched too thin and their wallets stretched even thinner. Costs go up, guarantees go down, unless you're already a well established act. Even big-name indie acts can struggle. They have to spend more time on the road, along with every other band in the world, always carving out another fe...read more
Taking their cues from hardcore, noise-rock and Beefheart at his weirdest, Leipzig's three headed noiz juggernaut Don Vito return to these shores for a free midnight show upstairs in Whelans on Thursday the 18th of April, along with Daikiri from France, and our own Turning Down Sex.
We caught up with them during their current European jaunt for a few words ahead of their Dublin gig.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3rCvVzZd04
Unlike a lot of noise-rock bands, you guys seem less concerne...read more
Language is power. The idea is a well worn truism at this stage but there are times when it is important to remember it. Language can be used to dominate and to undermine, to keep something or someone in their place. The words we use and don't use have connotations beyond their apparently essential “meaning”. In any fight for equal rights, from civil rights to feminism to the LGBT movement, one of the first things to be confronted is language. It's also often one of the reasons for splits wi...read more
The Irish are a nation of emigrants. After a brief respite, we're back to boats and planes as vehicles for careers and lives. But Dublin's still a great place to live, regardless of how small it m...read more