It’s the breadth of what Dublin Digital Radio stands for that makes it so much more than just a go-to digital destination to discover the latest electronic music. Zara Hedderman checks out some highlights from the station.
Hosted by Dublin-based musician Ian Lamont, The Nightfly – named in honour of the 1982 debut solo album from Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen – dedicates an hour to the very finest ambient-pop arrangements. Here, your ears will be treated to gorgeously calming sounds from all decades.
Listeners can expect the unexpected, a broad range of contemporary artists and sunken treasures such as Atlas Sound, Meltybrains and “Blue” Gene Tyranny become unlikely bedfellows in Lamont’s perfectly crafted playlisted universe.
A reliably enjoyable go-to, The Nightfly is the ideal companion for still, dusky evenings either with an ice-cold pint in the company of friends or alone batch-cooking in your kitchen.
Occasional guests, such as Totally Dublin’s music editor Danny Wilson, make for a consistent source of surprise and tremendous tunes. The Nightfly airs on a monthly basis.
Every Thursday evening, a member of revered independent online music site, The Thin Air takes the wheel and steers listeners through a spooky soundscape of experimental tracks. From 8pm until 10pm, venture through the darker side of music.
To keep things interesting, there are occasional specials where songs are threaded together by a unifying theme. In the capable hands of Loreana Rushe, Eoin Murray and Brian Coney, audiences are presented with ample servings of Krautrock, infectious blasts of post-rock, intense industrial melodies and everything in between.
An eclectic mix of songs allows listeners to get familiar with the personalities and particular tonal penchants of each host.
For mellow moments, sit back and stick on Getting Away With It, hosted by Cathy Flynn. On this show, you can enjoy the crackle of vinyl adding texture to smooth tunes from days gone á la The Moody Blues mixed with fresh songs from underground Irish artists like Fears. On a regular basis, Flynn delivers a perfectly balanced combination of soothing dream-pop and shoegaze with sporadic bursts of trance and acid-house, over a sixty-minute period.
You could say that there’s definitely a mischievous edge to this resident which lives up to its title as you never know when a gloriously rogue tune will fill your ears, such as ‘Forgiven Not Forgotten’ from Dundalk’s finest, The Corrs.
Elsewhere, there are treats for listeners with shows celebrating a particular artist with George Michael and Sugababes been granted this honour.
A film show in which, by the hosts – Ricardo Deakin and Orla McNelis – own admission, is guaranteed to contain “spoilers and bad impressions.” The premise of the show sees one of the hosts suggesting a film the other hasn’t seen and then they discuss and review it together for an hour. Thus, bringing forth an excellent and highly entertaining interaction between the pair, regardless of whether the listener has seen the movie in question or not.
Previous episodes have featured analysis and trivia on Sean Durkin’s 2012 thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene and Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night, released in 1934.
For film buffs looking to expand their cinema knowledge or anyone looking for a good movie recommendation, be sure to check out The Recommendation Game.
Words: Zara Hedderman
Check out our interview with the folks behind the dial here.
