Make Me An Island

This is the first in a short series of Make Me An Island episodes chronicling the best new music released worldwide in 2022. In this opening chapter there's an ode to fresh electronic sounds in the shape of debut releases from Naty Seres from Berlin, Surusinghe from London and Deekapz out of São Paolo. There's proof of why Shygirl has been one of the year's stand-out artists and more essential sounds from her American peers, 070 Shake and Ela Minus. We discover why Pusha T is a contender for best US rap album of 2022  and how Digga D is a shoo-in for the UK crown. There's room for some experimental noise from the new frontier courtesy of Dutch duo Ambassade and a very modern and brilliant take on the Fra Fra sound of Northern Ghana from Linda Ayupuka.   ///

On this third Fresh Éire installment, Dónal goes digging for fire among a plethora of new Irish releases. There's a written response to Anna Mieke's magnificent sophomore album Theatre and a tribute to the independent Dublin label Where The Time Goes with a couple of examples of dynamic recent releases from them in the shape of Jennifer Moore and Seán Being.  There's also the return of Meltybrains? to celebrate, a glorious Captain Beefheart cover from Niamh Regan to marvel over and fresh sounds to enjoy from young producers Kobina, Gaptoof and Brién. The last word goes to Ian Lynch whose debut solo album as One Leg, One Eye is one for the ages.   Support the Artists on Bandcamp:    Kobina - https://gaptoof.bandcamp.com/track/kobina-bb7   Brién - https://gaptoof.bandcamp.com/track/bri-n-island-boys-sample   Seán Being - https://wherethetimegoes.bandcamp.com/track/everything   Meltybrains? - https://meltybrains.bandcamp.com/album/you -    narolane - https://narolane.bandcamp.com/track/chikondi-feat-ailbhe-reddy   Jennifer Moore - https://wherethetimegoes.bandcamp.com/album/channels-of-time   Diamond Dagger - https://remotetown.bandcamp.com/album/being-jolene   Niamh Regan - https://niamhregan.bandcamp.com/track/her-eyes-are-a-blue-million-miles   Anna Mieke - https://annamieke.bandcamp.com/album/theatre   One Leg One Eye - https://nyahhrecords.bandcamp.com/album/and-take-the-black-worm-with-me   ///

On this episode, Dónal trawls through a significant bunch of homegrown releases in search of gold. Indicative of just how healthy a state Irish music is in 2022, he finds it aplenty. There's a wide range of styles to admire and enjoy from Lisa O'Neill's glorious return with Old Note to Eoghan O Ceannabháin's singular sound on his stunning solo debut to fresh and invigorating releases from a slew of artists whose careers are in their embryonic stage like CoEx, Trick Mist, LOSHH and Oliveyolive. There's also time to marvel at the latest instrumental offerings from Jape and Natalia Byelis as well as some lyrical magic from Elaine Howley and Aoife Nessa Frances.   Support the artists on Bandcamp:    Elaine Howley https://touchsensitiverecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-distance-between-heart-and-mouth   Lisa O'Neill https://lisa-oneill.bandcamp.com/album/all-of-this-is-chance   Aoife Nessa Frances https://aoifenessafrances.bandcamp.com/album/protector   Jape https://jape.bandcamp.com/album/9k-hi-vol-i   LOSHH https://dontsleep.bandcamp.com/track/k-feat-obongjayar   Oliveyolive https://soundcloud.com/oliveyolive/sets/life-of-colour-hyper-colour-pr?si=545717c351354716a5348d87ccdc1064&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing   Natalia Beylis https://nataliabeylis.bandcamp.com/album/love-in-a-mist-edible   Trick Mist https://trickmist.bandcamp.com/album/the-hedge-maze-and-the-spade   ///

Diving in at the deep end after a summer hiatus, Dónal Dineen presents a guide to the most essential new music and re-issues from around the world.   He strikes gold twice upon encounters with the enchanting song-world of Japanese artist Hatis Noit and the glorious amalgamation of sounds that comprises the compelling solo work of Californian violinist and vocalist Brittney Denis Parks who records as Sudan Archives.   There’s dispatches from the wild sonic frontier in the shape of the explosive vocalisations of They Hate Change from Florida as well as an example of why the high energy sound of Nigerian-born Obongjayar has been such a hit on the most discerning dance floors in 2022.   Further evidence of how fertile the American underground is right now comes in the shape of the meticulous electronic compositions of Altrice from Arizona and the strangely beguiling atmospherics of Baltimore’s Infinity Knives.   There’s time to hail a modern choral classic from the Emilia region of Italy by Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker as well as pay homage to two lost classics from South African keyboard pioneer Rex Rabanye and Ukranian violinist and sonic innovator Valentina Goncharova.   Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:    Sudan Archives https://sudanarchives.bandcamp.com/track/wake-up   Altrice https://altrice.bandcamp.com/track/places-faces   They Hate Change https://theyhatechange.bandcamp.com/track/x-ray-spex   Obongjayar https://obongjayar.bandcamp.com/track/message-in-a-hammer   Drymbago https://mrscruff.bandcamp.com/track/chupacabra   Rax Rabanye https://africanclassics.bandcamp.com/track/o-nketsang   Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals https://phantomlimblabel.bandcamp.com/album/king-cobra   Hatis Noit https://hatisnoit.bandcamp.com/album/aura   Silvia Tarozzi & Deborah Walker https://silviatarozzideborahwalker.bandcamp.com/album/canti-di-guerra-di-lavoro-e-d-amore   Valentina Goncharova https://hidden-harmony.bandcamp.com/album/ocean-symphony-for-electric-violin-and-other-instruments-in-10-parts     ///

Recorded live on the All Curious Minds stage at the All Together Now festival in Waterford on July 31st, Dónal takes a deep dive into the music of Columbia with regular islander and all-round fount of knowledge, Brian Cross AKA B+.  

Dónal’s search for the perfect summer dancing soundtrack takes him to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe where he takes a deep-dive into the ancient Gwo Ka sound. The journey begins and ends in land-locked Zimbabwe however where we tune into the emotional sound of The Movers who are just about to have a comprehensive retrospective released by the ever-brilliant Analog Africa label.    We stop-over for another blast of Cape Verdean magic from Manuel Gomes before making land on Guadeloupe and immersing ourselves in the percussive trance-like sound of Gaoulé Mizig. We bed in to hear a raft of other examples of what is essentially participatory music born out of a spirit of resistance to French colonial rule from renowned exponents like Michel Laurent, Béloka and Jocelyn Virapin.     There’s also a couple of crossover classics to contend with from local heroes Les Vikings de Guadeloupe and Ti Céleste who brought their take on the Gwo Ka sound to a wider audience across the Caribbean.    This episode signs off with a quick trip to the mainland of Columbia for a taste of more summer heat to come from the regal Toto la Momposina.      Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:     The Movers https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/the-movers-vol-1-1970-1976-analog-africa-nr-35   Manuel Gomes https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/jelivr-bo-situa-on   Eric Virgal https://disques-debs-international-strut.bandcamp.com/track/stanislas   Les Vikings de Guadeloupe https://antillesseries.bandcamp.com/album/best-of-enko-on-ti-tou   Gaoulé Mizig  https://beautyandthebeat1.bandcamp.com/album/excursions-in-gwoka-vol-1-batb-005   Michel Laurent https://beautyandthebeat1.bandcamp.com/album/excursions-in-gwoka-vol-1-batb-005   Toto la Momposina https://totolamomposina.bandcamp.com/track/la-verdolaga   ///  

  To compensate for the lack of actual sunshine, Dónal Dineen takes a trip closer to the equator in this episode to visit the Cape Verde islands and Haiti in search of the perfect summer soundtrack.   The journey starts off in land-locked Mexico where we hear an example of the Rebajada sound -  where the sonideros (sound-system operators) were fond of slowing down the Cumbia beat to make it more tangible music to dance to.   The temperature rises and tempo increases as we skip to the Sao Nicolau island on Cape Verde to hear the first of two dynamic masterpieces from Abel Lima. The island's strategic position in the mid-Atlantic meant that all kinds of influences seeped into the musical melting pot. We hear a couple of examples of raw Funaná dance music which comes across like a trans-Atlantic sibling of Columbian Cumbia. The Cape Verdean diaspora in Lisbon added layers of electronic sounds to the already hybrid sound to create a kind of proto-house sound personified by the Conjunto Jovens Africanos tune Nhu Djon which still rips up the dance-floors forty years later.   Before leaving the islands we listen to a piece of contemporary acoustic magic from The Ano Nobo Quartet.   Another island where the Cumbia beat dominated was Haiti and we hear a couple of examples of how that influence added an extra layer of heat to the Haitian dance floor sound exemplified by Coupé Cloué and Nemours Jean Baptiste.   Our journey ends on Sudan’s Red Sea Coast where we hear some extraordinary new sounds from Noori & His Dorpa Band.     Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:   Conjunto Tipico Contreras - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/capricho-egipcio   João Cirilo - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/po-dterra   Abel Lima - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/corre-riba-corre-baxo   Conjunto Jovens Africanos - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/nhu-djon   Peps Love - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/pom-um-grogu   The Ano Nobo Quartet - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/tio-bernar   Nemours Jean Baptiste - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/haiti-cumbia   Noori and his Dorpa Band - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/beja-power-electric-soul-brass-from-sudans-red-sea-coast     ///

  This week’s trawl through the megahertz begins at home with Dónal reviewing two new standout Irish releases.   There’s a radiant new single from Aoife Nessa Frances and the long-awaited sophomore record from Caoímhín O’Raghallaigh and Dan Trueman, The Fate of Bones.   We skip to northern Mali to marvel at the latest offering from desert blues royalty Terakaft and while we’re there we jump back in time to introduce a timeless dance floor anthem played on the Balafon by Neba Solo.   There are other incendiary dance-floor tunes of a more contemporary kind from the master Four Tet under his KH pseudonym and a remix for the ages by Ross From Friends for Jeshi’s 3210.   Our love affair with bedroom production wizardry continues this episode with offerings from Arupu operating out of Bucharest, Romania and Emma Kirby in London who is making extraordinary electronic music under the Elkka monikor.   Correction: Maeve Mc Kenna plays harp on Emptiness Follows by Aoife Nessa Frances   Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:    raHHH https://rahhhh.bandcamp.com/album/tetris-people-ep   Caoímhín O' Raghallaigh & Dan Trueman https://thefateofbones.com/   Aoife Nessa Frances https://aoifenessafrances.bandcamp.com/   Terakaft https://secousse.bandcamp.com/album/jagwar   Neba Solo https://secousse.bandcamp.com/album/can-2002   Arapu https://dbh-music.bandcamp.com/album/rwx016   Tom VR https://tomvr.bandcamp.com/track/soared-straight-through-me-kareem-ali-remix   Elkka https://elkka.bandcamp.com/   KH https://fourtet.bandcamp.com/track/looking-at-your-pager   Jeshi https://jeshi.bandcamp.com/album/3210-ross-from-friends-remix     ///

This week’s trawl through the megahertz throws up some sizzling summer dance floor heat from Ireland, Germany and New Zealand.  First up is the collaboration between Icelandic queen Mr Silla and uncrowned Irish electronica king New Jackson. Five years in the making, Holding On was worth the wait. DJ Koze’s sound-clash with Sophia Kennedy is equally intoxicating as is the latest release from Eden Burns who has been making banging boom tunes from his bedroom on the South Island of New Zealand for the past few years.  There’s further evidence of why London remains a hotspot of musical endeavour and adventure via some captivating new electronic sounds from GAIKA and Ivy Lab as well as a pair of deeply soulful releases from new jazz pioneers Sons of Kemet and Sarathy Korwar. The simplicity and beautiful mysteries at the heart of Kareem Ali’s productions from Phoenix, Arizona are another topic of discussion. We also visit Belfast for a listen to the freshest offerings yet from prolific producer Cbakl and the Glass Craic label.   SUPPORT THE MUSIC-MAKERS ON BANDCAMP:   cbakl https://classcraic.bandcamp.com/album/cbakl-please-thank-u   Chino Amobi https://chinoamobi.bandcamp.com/album/paradiso   Sarathy Korwar https://sarathykorwar.bandcamp.com/track/birthright-feat-zia-ahmed-mirande-swadesi   Sons of Kemet https://sonsofkemetmusic.bandcamp.com/   New Jackson/Mr Silla https://newjackson.bandcamp.com/album/holding-on-reach-for-me   DJ Koze/Sophia Kennedy https://pamparecords.bandcamp.com/album/knock-knock-remixes-1-2   Eden Burns https://edenburns.bandcamp.com/track/invercargill   Kareem Ali https://kareemali19.bandcamp.com/track/lesser-speeds-2   GAIKA https://warprecords.bandcamp.com/album/basic-volume   Ivy Lab https://ivylab.bandcamp.com/album/novv-nasdaq   Lingua Ignota https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/track/the-solitary-brethren-of-ephrata     ///  

The long-awaited sophomore solo concertina album “B” from Cormac Begley is our album of the week/month/year and in this latest instalment of our series on new musical discoveries, Dónal explains why. We also get to marvel at some more instrumental virtuosity from saxophonists Alabaster dePlume and Patrick Shiroishi. There’s a pair of exciting dispatches from the new frontier of sound by Irish producers Kean Kavanagh and Lullahush as well as a reminder of why the name of London-based Nigerian artist Tony Njoku is one to watch. The return of Kelly Lee Owens is celebrated and due praise given to the production mastery of boundary-pushing electronic pioneers Floating Points and Maya Jane Coles.   Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:   Invisible Temple https://perm-vac.bandcamp.com/album/self-hypnosis   Kelly Lee Owens https://kellyleeowens.bandcamp.com/album/lp-8   Tony Njoku https://tonynjoku.bandcamp.com/track/the-reset   Lullahush https://lullahush.bandcamp.com/album/a-city-made-of-water-and-small-love   Alabaster dePlume https://alabasterdeplume.bandcamp.com/album/gold-go-forward-in-the-courage-of-your-love   Patrick Shiroishi https://patrickshiroishi.bandcamp.com/album/hidemi   Cormac Begley https://cormacbegley.bandcamp.com/   Mason Lindahl https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/track/sky-breaking-clouds-falling   Floating Points https://floatingpoints.bandcamp.com/album/vocoder   Nocturnal Sunshine https://www.beatport.com/track/ume/11863478   Whistling Arrow https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/whistling-arrow   Kean Kavanagh https://keankavanagh.bandcamp.com/track/heart-attacks   ///