Review: Digitalism at The Academy

This year’s Halloween has been particularly frustrating for me, not just caused by the general annoyance that is the holiday falling on a Sunday. But for me it was even worse; my day job requires my attendance at 8am on Sunday mornings, so Saturday is off-limits too. This left Friday as my only viable Halloween party night, the night no one bloody else decided to go out. But clutched in my hand remained my beacon of hope, my last remaining light, my savior. Clasped in my sweaty hand was a ticket to something better than a fancy dress party or any other ghoulish themed nights. The key to my weekend was my ticket to Digitalism.

Not having released any new material since Idealism in 2007, (Kitsune Tabloid was a remix album, so it doesn’t count) and with the news of a new EP in the coming weeks, I was anxiously looking forward to some fresh new beats from the German outfit. With the likes of Magnets, Pogo and Digitalism in Cairo to live up to and improve on, this gig could be the voice that says ‘Fuck off Dubstep you blow-in, the real deal is back’.

Doors were at 11pm and I was there bang on time, not knowing when Digitalism would take the stage but firmly cementing the fact that I won’t miss a second. So I waited, and drank, and waited, and drank some more, occasionally going for a cigarette just to kill some time. At 00:45 the guys took the stage and immediately kicked into Magnets. Yes! The place exploded into a frenzy of sweaty dancing and strobe lights. They continued to bust out hits for a while and the crowd was lapping it up, but I was still waiting for the new stuff – something to completely blow the roof off the place. What I got was something quite a bit different, and altogether disappointing.

The gig seemed to slowly devolve into a DJ set expected from a resident at any mid-level, free entry venue. The guys on stage seemed to simply press play on every cliché standard dance track imaginable, with such unimaginative music culminating in an unchanged airing of Soulwax’s remix of The Gossip – Standing in the Way of Control. Would you ever expect this track to be the most memorable moment of a Digitalism gig? It was certainly the straw that broke the camels back for me, and capped off a truly forgettable night.

I am sure there were many unaffected guests who were basking in the Halloween festivities, enjoying a dress up and a dance, but I am also positive that I was not the only one there expecting a great show and was found wanting. If this gig is any indication of the direction they will take with new material, I will expect nothing more than a lethargic attempt at following the great Idealism. For me, the word that sums up Digitalism’s performance is lazy. Okay, I was guilty of having a bit of a dance while in attendance but for 25 clams I could have just gone up the road to The Oak and had 5 extra drinks. I leave you with a question I will continue to ask Digitalism until they live up to expectations; what the hell happened???

Dublin Clubbing Guide: Digitalism

Digitalism @ The Academy, Friday 29th October

This weekend is All Hallows Eve, and due to the real date being on a poxy Sunday, most of you will plan to hit the decadent Dublin dance-floors on Friday or Saturday, all decked out in the latest ghoulish garments. While most promotions are offering the simple Fancy Dress parties complete with DJ and banging tunes, I noticed that nothing specific was jumping out at me (not a ghost pun I swear) as the best choice of the weekend. Where can one completely lose ones self in some Jersey Shore-esq fist pumping to the best Dance/Electro music available this weekend?

To those who genuinely read this for tips on where to go each week (you know who you both are), I can only apologize. This week’s feature is no more than a respectful fist in the air to not only the music, but to the fans that got their tickets before the gig sold out. I salute you! For all who did not get a ticket, prepare to boil with jealousy and direct your anger at the attendees of Digitalism at the Academy.

Digitalism have been one of the most coveted electro acts of the last 5 years, with their album Idealism constantly in comparison with the likes of Vitalic, Justice and even Daft Punk. The debate is endless over who are better (except when Daft Punk is involved, obviously) but many regard their debut album as superior to that of OK Cowboy or Cross+. They followed up with remix album Kitsune Tabloid, containing mixes of tracks from artists like Zombie Nation, Calvin Harris, Hot Chip and The Human League to name but a few. They are truly one of the pioneers of the most recent wave of electro love, and Digitalism will no doubt carry the flag of electro well into the future.

With a new EP set for release in the next few weeks, Digitalism descend on The Academy this Friday and, as previously stated, the gig is sold out. There is always the chance of purchasing at the door, but don’t believe the hype as I am simply speculating.

Tickets were/are Eur25.50 and doors are at 11pm. For more detail visit www.theacademydublin.com.

I must apologize again for featuring a gig which is now sold out, but this also means that many of you predicted that I would feature it in the Guide this week and took my advice by snapping up those tickets. I may still attempt to go myself (height of fence permitting) as I would like nothing more than watch all the confused faces staring at a rave addicted, beat encapsulated, 6 foot 2 Jesus…. It’s me…. I’m dressing up as Jesus.

Dublin Clubbing Guide: Beatyard Weekender

beatyard Weekender @ The Bernard Shaw/The Twisted Pepper Wed-Sun

The bank holiday is upon us, and it’s only a week or so until Halloween, which means there is a potential 2 week party frenzy on the horizon. While you continue you mull over your latest fancy dress invention you may as well wander into the many venues offering sweet bank holiday parties and leave the dress up until next week.

Remember when all the Power Rangers connected their entire range of giant robot Dinosaurs to make one mega Godzilla sized robot? Well, that kind of metaphor springs to mind when thinking about this week’s clubbing opportunities, because the best of the best all seem to reside under the same roof(s).

Flying the bank holiday banner this week is The Beatyard Weekender, courtesy of Bodytonic Music.

Bodytonic ran a trial version of The Beatyard last year, and due to popular demand they brought it back for its first official run. From Wednesday until Sunday across a number of venues, The Beatyard Weekender is offering the best in live music, media and culture. With top local and International music from both bands and DJs, galleries, installations and AV shows, there is surely something for everyone at The Beatyard this week.

So tonight why not visit The Bernard Shaw at 8pm and catch some live music From Bull Munro, Chantylace, Bently Jnr and other guests. Or maybe head to the Twisted Pepper for the same time to catch a Banter talk hosted by Jim Carroll on the stage, Comedy act Milk & Cookies in The Mezz or the Beatyard Cinema in The Basement. I know it’s a bank holiday, but sure it’s only Wednesday!

Thursday offers more treats from 8pm with a Theatre, Film, AV and DJ showcase in The Bernard Shaw, while the Twisted Pepper plays host to more comedy, and a Screening of Banksy Documentary “Exit Through The Gift Shop”. Clubbing Guide regulars MR. Jones close off the night with the Magda and Marc Houle Album Tour.

On to Friday with an 8pm kick off once more, The Bernard Shaw will be hosting the All City Records & Radio Show. At the same time in The Twisted Pepper, Scribble present the internationally acclaimed DJ Yoda, performing an AV show titled “Stop, Look & Listen” with support from DJ Kormac. Later in the night is MUD, headlined by nu-disco king Aeroplane, with Mu-ziq and Meljoann stopping by. Absys Records will also be partying due to their latest release.

Saturday afternoon welcomes the Mini-Mall at The Bernard Shaw with all your favorite stalls and, Oh yes; the big Blue Bus is back with its awesome pizza! The Twisted Pepper will run a Fashion Stage from 12-6pm, and later POGO will welcome Jazznova for a DJ set, while Barry Redsettaz will run a 4 hour Pogo showcase on the Stage.

The Bernard Shaw looks to have an ‘All Day-er’ on Sunday with more than 12 DJs set to appear. The Twisted Pepper will close off the Weekender with Moodyman and Optimo Espacio running the show until the wee hours.

The Twisted Pepper will have the Basement and Mezz running as the cinema and Comedy lounge respectively all weekend for that extra touch of diversity.

Above is just a taste of what each venue has in store for the next 4 days, so check out www.bodytonicmusic.com/events for all the detailed info and ticket sales.

Once it’s all said and done, take a short breather than figure out your costume for next week. Me, I’ll be returning from the g-rave! I’m sorry…..

Dublin Clubbing Guide: Hot Pink Delorean & The Cuban Brothers

Transmission@ The Button Factory, Saturday October 16th

With all the quality rock shows in Dublin recently, and with no end in sight, I have been getting my ear chewed off about the latest offerings of rock music about town. Now, I enjoy planning my next gig caper as much as the next guy, but what happened to all pre-planned mental party sessions? What happened to the Rave?

In my ever-increasing desperate attempt to ‘keep it lit’ I have decided to declare that winter now be known as Rave Season. Why go to endless repetitive rock concerts when there is a dirty fidget house session down the road? Especially when the session will no doubt continue well into the early hours, regardless of your non-functioning eyelids? Nothing says ‘party’ better than a mass of depressing colorless glow-sticks surrounding you at 5am, and with that in mind here’s what’s in store this week for all you clubbers out there.

Transmission welcomes you to The Button Factory this Saturday as they play host to a sweet double-header of Hot Pink Delorean and The Cuban Brothers.

Hot Pink Delorean are a side project of drum & bass group Terravita, and have been creating quality remixes of mainstream tunes since 2007, most notably Pixie Lott’s Boys and Girls. Other mixes include artists such as Britney Spears and Beyonce, along with more obscure choices like Van Halen’s Hot for teacher. But don’t let these collaborations fool you. Hot Pink Delorean, who are currently signed to dance mogul Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak records, are fresh off a busy festival season and are looking to continue dishing out their banging electro to Dublin ears.

If that’s not enough to entice you, Transmission have also got The Cuban Brothers! For those out of the loop, The Cubes’ fantastic integration of dance music and comedy earned them high acclaim at festivals like Edinburgh, Bestival and the big kahuna, Glasto. They have held the main stage at Manumission and even hosted the NME awards. Their style and attitude are indescribable, so it may be best to just check out their site before you undoubtedly mark this night on your calendar.

Transmission have promised a whole heap of guests in the coming months, and judging by this Saturday’s double whammy it’s clear they are true to their word.

So for the most entertaining night of the week, and your only choice for a soulful Havana vibe mixed with some quality electro, there is no better place than Transmission at the Button Factory. Except for maybe Cuba, but I heard they have no McDonalds…

The Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time!

If I were to pick a favorite film genre, I'd go Sci-Fi every time. But there are so many crossovers and sub categories in film these days that i find myself asking "Does Sci-fi even exist anymore?"

Science Fiction is supposed to do exactly what it says on the tin - mix science with fiction. The great thing about this, yet the same point which blurs its very definition, is the range it covers; everything from Time travel, Space and The Future to Dinosaurs, Aliens and the paranormal. once the primary ingredients are present you can slap on a layer of comedy, horror or good old fashioned fantasy and still come out with a pretty good concoction.

with This in mind i began compiling a list of what I think is the top 50 Sci-Fi films out there today. but before gazing upon my choices with those judgmental eyes, please be aware of the following:
This list does not include any megabucks flicks from the last 12/24 months i.e. inception or Avatar, nor does it include any superhero/comic book adaptations (at least not intentionally!). Finally, please note that I tried really hard not to include too many David Lynch or David Cronenberg titles for fear of the list turning into a top 100. When looking into these Directors, I was very conscious of what Sci-fi represents to the public and therefore could not include many of the films you may feel warrant a place on the list.
But the whole point is to get those opinions flowing so please, comment below and let the debate begin!

50. Primer
49. Mars Attacks!
48. Metropolis
47. Logan's Run
46. The Omega man
45. Serenity
44. inner Space
43. Pitch Black
42. Planet of the Apes (original)
41. Cocoon
40. Batteries Not Included
39. Sunshine
38. Twelve monkeys
37. Dune
36. Minority Report
35. Short Circuit
34. Signs
33. They Live!
32. Demolition Man
31. Tron
30. Labyrinth
29. Akira
28. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
27. Equilibrium
26. Alien 3
25. Escape from New York
24. Starship Troopers
23. The Fly
22. The Abyss
21. Ghostbusters
20. Back to the Future
19. Robocop
18. Armageddon
17. independence Day
16. The Fifth Element
15. Total Recall
14. The Terminator
13. The Thing
12. Jurassic Park
11. Alien
10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
9. E.T.
8. Back to the Future part 2
7. Blade Runner
6. The Matrix
5. Predator
4. Aliens
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1. Star Wars Trilogy

Dublin Clubbing Guide: Strangeways, Here We Come

Strangeways Here We Come, Wednesdays @ Crawdaddy

First off, apologies for the delay in this weeks guide and the short notice regarding this weeks feature -the party lifestyle does catch up on one every now and then doesn’t it? Either that or I’m going ‘Murtagh’ on this whoile scene by ‘getting too old for this sh**’.

This week we bring to you a new night on the Dublin scene, for all you jobless freaks and college bums, and judging by the calibre of its creators it looks set to blow up.

Goldenplec buddies GAFF PARTY along with Dubstep Dublin have launched a new night in Crawdaddy on Wednesday nights called STRANGEWAYS, Here We Come, and are set to offer a more alternative take on the midweek rave, with a host of interesting additions to their repertoire for this new venture. Tonight will be the second installment of Strangeways, and for a taste of how the launch night went follow the link below.

Now obviously the Gaff party lads will be doing what they do best with some quality house mash ups, but they are now offering a plethora of genres which they will span/spin for your listening pleasure. Everything from Indie and 80′s Electro to Dubstep and Ambient will be covered and if that still does not persuade thee, maybe the addition of visuals, performance art and and exhibitions will sway your vote.

Doors are at 11pm and it’s free in before 11:30, and €5 admission with cheap list/flyer afterward.

With promises of big international DJ guests in the coming months, Strangeways, Here We Come is set to be the only place to be on a Wednesday night. You just need to ask yourself, are you a Stranger?

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163302370346975

Album Review: O Emperor - Hither Thither

I am always weary of checking out debut albums of Irish bands, reason being there is normally no middle ground. They are either amazing or awful.
I think the best I can say about O Emperor is that they have finally found that purgatory of Irish music which has eluded us for so long.

The opening track of Hither Thither is a song called Don Quixote, and as an introductory track it gave me high hopes for their album. It captures every instrument – including a sometimes dominant piano, yet keeps the tempo at a pace which could find you dancing. Not dancing in the uncontrollable limbs kind of way, more of a head bob, but dancing nonetheless. Unfortunately as the album played through I found myself disappointed. No doubt their songs are fantastically structured and the band have immense talent, with an album that can honestly be described as beautiful. All that aside the bottom line for me was that it was painfully boring. Tracks like Heisenberg and Catch 22 made me want to fall asleep. While others may feel it is emotionally powerful, my problem was that I am NOT clinically depressed or getting over a terrible break up. Beautiful, yes, but even with lyrically positive songs like All Worked Out, this album is for teenage heartbreak or a birthday present for mum.

There is something I cannot quite put my finger on regarding the sound of O Emperor. They do not class themselves with any other genre than simply ‘indie’ which leaves a lot to the imagination of the listener. Even to draw comparatives is difficult on a general scale, as each song has a different direction while still collectively bringing each instrument to the table as equals. The piano, which is present throughout, is intelligently utilized to create a dept to the melodies, while the guitar plucking provides the listener with that modern sound. There are also similarities to Arcade Fire when analysing the drum beats captured throughout the album. There is no doubt the band have quality, and if there were more tracks like Don Quixote on the album I would be giving this album a lot more praise. Coldplay fans may enjoy this album a whole lot more, and I genuinely think this could be a marmite album for many, but it just aint my cup of tea.