LowerState

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Cian Ó Ciobhain releases An Taobh Tuathail Vol IV, the latest in the series as a free download from the RnaG website for 3 months only. The tracklist and a commentary from Cian (who thankfully tags the MP3 through the Lyrics ID3 tag!) is given below. Highly recommended - grab it now while you can.

Tracklist

1. Hildur Guðnadóttir - Unveiled
2. Alex Smoke - Ikos
3. Emika - Cooling Room
4. Actress - Maze
5. Lali Puna - Safe Tomorrow
6. Natalie Beridze / tba - The Face We Choose To Miss
7. Dau Cefn - Hey Baby!
8. Rene Hell - Razor. P+
9. Daedelus - Fin De Siécle
10. Tape - Parade
11. Valgeir Sigurðsson – Grýlukvæði (feat Sam Amidon)
12. Patrick Kelleher - Wonder
13. St. Catherines Home For Lazy Infants - It’s OK
14. The Gentleman Losers - Spider Lily
15. Phantom Dog Beneath The Moon - Two Hours After Dusk
16. alva noto - Anthem Berlin (For The Kingdom Of Elgaland-Vargaland)

Commentary:

01  Hildur Guðnadóttir - Unveiled

If this were a CD, I wouldn’t have put this as first track.  Rule no. 1 if you’re trying to sell a disc: put your catchiest song first.  But this is a free podcast and the Icelandic cellist’s quixotic ode to flight and movement is as good a place as any to start this trip (and it is a trip).

02  Alex Smoke – Ikos

I believe that this Glasweigan producer is possibly one of the finest producers making music on this planet right now.  Normally, he makes moody melancholic techno, but peel the emphasis off the shuddering kick drums and you reveal a thing of bucolic beauty. This is the opening track on his most recent LP ‘Lux’ on his own Hum + Haw label.  What a deliciously apt name for his label.

03  Emika - Cooling Room

Young British producer Emika moved to Berlin earlier last year and was immediately drawn to Berghain/Panoramabar, the epicentre of Europe’s techno/house scenes.  Her recent project, the ‘Fünf’ compilaton, on the club’s record label Ostgut Ton, inspired her to record the sounds of the immense venue when emptied of revellers, then passing on the field recordings to the club’s DJs and producers to mould new tracks out of.  In her own words: “I was in Panorama Bar on Sunday afternoon, and Nick Hoppner who runs the Ostgut Ton label was DJing, and there was like a long breakdown in the track, or he was doing some kind of quiet mix between two records, and I could hear all the metal panels in the building resonating, and I could hear all the motors and the lights above me. Like turning the strobes and stuff like that, and yeah, I carried on drinking and started thinking about all these millions of sounds that must be in the huge space when there’s no party.”  She recorded the light rigging, the fridges, people working, the infamous sex swings.  This is her own contribution.  Her début LP is due (possibly on Ninja Tune) sometime this year.

Full Emika interview on:
http://www.dummymag.com/features/2010/11/12/emika-captures-bergorama/

04  Actress – Maze

Modern electronic music, haunted by the pioneering sound of Kraftwerk, from the Londoner’s ‘Splaszh’ LP which deserves repeated listens.

05  Lali Puna - Safe Tomorrow

And finally a vocal!  The highlight of the band from Wilheim, Germany’s fourth LP ‘Our Inventions’ on Morr Music.

06  Natalie Beridze / tba - The Face We Choose To Miss

Natalie is a prolific artist from Tbilisi in Georgia who has released five LPs as tba.  Last summer, this 80s-flavoured pop song saw the light of day on her ‘What About Things Like Bullets’ EP.  Her new LP ‘Forgetfulness’ will be available on Monika Enterprise in March.

07  Dau Cefn - Hey Baby!

Welsh surrealists Dau Cefn occasionally tune into ATT on wet Monday nights and began sending some of their songs my way last summer.  I’ve pretty much listened to this ska-tinged ode to joy at least once a week ever since it came my way.

08  Rene Hell - Razor. P+

Provocative synth music that brings to mind early Tortoise, 70’s Kosmiche and ambient techno - this mind-blower is the opening track on the American producer’s recent ‘Porcelain Opera’ LP on Type.

09  Daedelus - Fin De Siécle

This romantic instrumental wouldn’t sound out of place in an old Disney movie.  From the LA producer’s 2010 EP ‘Righteous Fists Of Harmony’.

10  Tape - Parade

The musical approximation of sunbeams unexpectingly shining through a slate-grey sky.  All the way from Sweden.  Check out the ‘Luminarium’ LP on Häpna.

11  Valgeir Sigurðsson – Grýlukvæði (feat Sam Amidon)

Valgeir is something of a renaissance man in his native Iceland: founder of the Bedroom Community label; producer and engineer; composer of music for TV, film & theatre; he has also collaborated with Björk, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Kronos Quartet and CocoRosie.  This collaboration with American folk singer Sam Amidon is from the ‘Draumalandið’  (Dreamland) soundtrack.

12  Patrick Kelleher - Wonder

Based in Dublin, though orginally from Rugby in the UK, Patrick perfectly merges lo-fi electronica with phantasmal folk on his ‘You Look Cold’ LP on the wonderful Osaka label.  Check him out should he visit your neck of the woods with his band Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands.

13  St. Catherines Home For Lazy Infants - It’s OK

Shimmering hazy guitar plucking from the ‘Old Ghosts’ LP from the prodigious Alex Synge, on Dublin’s distinguished Slow Loris label.

14  The Gentleman Losers - Spider Lily

This Finnish duo’s woozy dreamlike productions recall a vintage of music that predates the use of ProTools & modern digital recording.  From their second and most recent LP ‘Dustland’ on City Centre Offices.

15  Phantom Dog Beneath The Moon - Two Hours After Dusk

I used to jostle for space on the dancefloor (i.e. stare at the ground in a fey, sensitive manner, whilst gently rocking back and forth on the one spot, wondering if any cute indie chicks would be impressed by my limited edition Joy Divison t-shirt) at a clubnight called ‘Psychedelia’ in The Castle, Galway in the early to mid-90s, with the two members of PDBTM, who are now based in Nottingham.  Their spectral folk LP, ‘The Trees, The Sea, In A Lunar Stream’ on Galway’s dedicated Rusted Rail imprint sounds nothing like The Breeders’ ‘Cannonball’ - which was played incessantly at ‘Psychedelia’ - but instead brings to mind Talk Talk and their luminous ‘Spirit Of Eden’ LP.

16  alva noto - Anthem Berlin (For The Kingdom Of Elgaland-Vargaland)

Hugely influential artist whose installations have been included in the Guggenheim, New York, the Tate Modern and Venice Biennale, Italy.  From his second LP of dedications ‘For 2’ on the Line label.

An Taobh Tuathail ag craoladh  ó Luan go h-Aoine @ Anocht FM (RTE RnaG): 11pm - 1am GMT.  Éist ar an raidió (92-94FM & 102.6FM) agus ar DAB.  Ar fáil ar an idirlíon http://www.rte.ie/rnag/antaobhtuathail.html, ar Sky (Channel 0166) & ar NTL Cable (Channel 905).  Ríomphost: att@rte.ie