Greg is away on his holidays this week. So here’s a picture of a sassy kitten.

An increasing number of Theatre Industry Professionals have highlighted the dangers of too many professional actors coming out of Private School. The most recent figure stressing this is Dominic Dromgoole (above), Artistic Director of The Globe Theatre in London; who discussed how “a thinning of the social spectrum is a real concern and a real worry.” This came as he announced The Globe’s formation of a theatre group for 12-16 year olds in an attempt to combat this: “Hopefully we can look across as broad a social spectrum as possible” he says. “We thought: ‘We can get in a group of boys from Eton or Dulwich or whatever … that just felt wrong somehow.”

Criticism of too many actors having public school backgrounds doesn’t just stem from a fear that Downton Abbey will become overpopulated; or even a danger of returning to former methods of Actor Training which forced students with regional accents to speak only RP (Received Pronunciation aka Standard English aka BBC English) both in and out of class, which was standard until only a few years ago … part of the reason why you’d need to look at Kenneth Brannagh’s passport to know he’s from Belfast.

The real danger is that only excessively wealthy people will be able to afford to go to Drama School, if the British government allows further rise in fees which can be up to £10,000 per year (I would like to point out that the old ‘private school’ thing is a bit of a generalisation – I went to private school and certainly could not afford something like that. The argument focuses on institution like Eton, whose former pupils include Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, and Damian Lewis.) As Lyn Gardner [1] of The Guardian says:  “in order to succeed in this business it helps to have money behind you. A lot of it, preferably. Considering the financial sacrifices that a creative career brings, this is hardly a revelation; when you take into account training fees and the lowly paid “break-in” years, which usually involve doing work for nothing, it can seem a foolish path to tread considering there is no guarantee of return.”

There’s no doubt that studying full time gives you the tools you need to work in theatre and film, and the experience that casting directors want … Some of it may be common sense, but there is a big part that really does need training; after all you wouldn’t expect dancers to just pick it up as they go along; this should be true of actors as well.

There is an unfortunate truth which is particularly true when it comes to Acting: It is very difficult to get work without some sort of foot in the door, and a magical ability to be in the right place at the right time – of course, not everyone goes through formal training to get there, and it might not be for everyone. Particularly with Film, what you learn on the job can be as important as what you learn in College. But as well as giving you the skills, Drama School (particularly the most prestigious ones) introduces graduating actors to the biggest Agents, Casting Directors, and Producers in the Industry. A scary amount of opportunity comes from recognition and who you know, so having this platform to launch your career can be invaluable.

So what will the effect be on the Theatre and Film Industry, if the actors coming out of these institutions are only those who could afford it? Well firstly, it means that there may be far less diversity of actors available for different roles: too many people auditioning for some roles, and not enough people to play others with any kind of understanding. It could also challenge the quality of performers produced by Drama Schools: If the first entry requirement is not how good you are, but how rich you are, then schools may necessarily miss out on the people with most promise.

There is also a danger that if there is little interest taken in introducing young people to Theatre and Acting at an early age, they already have a major hurdle to get over if they want to become professional actors, drama school or not. If the only play you’ve ever read by the time you leave school is Romeo and Juliet, which has been rammed down your throat and read aloud in a monotonous voice; the thought of joining the RSC or The Globe isn’t exactly going to make your heart sing. Personally speaking, I partly recognise/blame a wonderful teacher I had in school for inspiring me to become an actor. He taught us Theatre Studies, directed surprisingly good school plays, and took us on many a Theatre trip; which meant that a load of us began to spend every available moment in the theatre, and some have continued to do this professionally. In the same way, an incredible amount of people pinpoint their time in Youth Theatre or Drama Classes as the starting point for their interest, including Michael Fassbender, IFTA winner Charlie Murphy, everyone in ‘Theatre Club’, and anyone I’ve interviewed so far. So if fees for Actor Training continue to rise and the funding and support for Youth Theatre and Drama Groups continues to suffer, where will the next generation of Actors appear from?

Although Acting is in no way a ‘sensible’ career choice, that doesn’t mean it’s not the right one for some people to pursue; and everyone should be given the opportunity to do so (and then of course decide against it to give the rest of us already in the game a fighting chance!) In both Ireland and the UK, our actors (and writers, directors, producers etc.) are an incredibly important part of the culture, and a big draw for visitors to the country; so though a lot of professional actors spend periods of time being absolutely skint, that doesn’t mean that they’re not worth supporting, educating, and encouraging. People like Dominic Dromgoole and Claire Higgins [2] are fighting back, but there’s a long way to go. After all, where would we be without Billy Elliot, and Michael Caine?!

- Emily

[1] Posh performing arts: is theatre becoming a club for upper-class actors?
[2] Top actors plan drama school for poorer students

We featured some of Josh Cole’s work a number of weeks ago on the blog. His latest work, Physical Graffiti, is currently on display at Black Rat Projects in Soho.

Much like a lot of Cole’s previous work, the central theme uses physical performance art to bring life to decaying urban areas. Shot in locations across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Physical Graffiti is inspired by hiphop culture and traditional graffiti in inner city areas.

“I’m Jenna Foxton. I’m primarily a freelance photographer and illustrator but also a music addict, crafts novice, design devotee, wildlife enthusiast, bad joke agent, liberal and a redhead.”

www.jennafoxton.com
jennafoxtondaily.tumblr.com

Tasty old skool hiphop party mix we’ve had on repeat the past few days from talented young Dubliner (and member of the Greedy Pig family) Nathan Simmons. File the name away as one to watch or just keep watching here as we’ll have more from the young lad on TGP very soon.

“As an in-house designer of Penguin Books, Coralie Bickford-Smith creates incredible designs for popular book series that have attracted worldwide attention. Working with sumptuous materials and Victorian binding, she has infused classic book covers with modern inspiration. Her works—introduced in Gestalten’s Fully Booked: Ink on Paper—recall the golden age of bookmakers’ craft.”

In this Gestalten.tv interview, Coralie Bickford-Smith talks about the process of book design and the significant role of research, developing her passion from a very early age, and why the future of book design looks bright.

Thundercat feat Flying Lotus – Oh Sheit It’s X

The first in a rumored series of collaborations between the talented duo of Thundercat and Flying Lotus.

Sinead Harnett – Got Me

You may recognise Sinead’s voice from Rudimental’s track Baby. She’s moved onwards and upwards and now she has her own track courtesy of producers Lukas and Eats Everything. It’s a straight forward production that allows Harnett’s sweet vocal to take centre stage.

Close – My Way feat Joe Dukie

Another slow, soulful, shuffling production from Close (aka Will Saul) complimented perfectly by Joe Dixie’s incredible voice. Label K7 drop My Way on June the 10th.

James Blake on Letterman

I’ve said all I need to say about James Blake plenty of times before. Another beautiful live performance, this time on Letterman. Give it five minutes. I must have watched it ten times already.

Much to the disappointment of many a parent, our generation seem to have an open-mindedness about careers that generations before us didn’t. I’d like to blame the careers test we did in school which recommended I become a cabinet maker or an actor – I’m not sure a 9-5 job was even on the list! A need to diversify comes partly out of necessity: if there’s a very real chance of not getting work in the area you trained in, you better be ready to formulate a back-up plan. On the other hand, this open-mindedness may give an enormous sense of freedom: If you don’t like the career you’ve gone into, you can find another one; and something that may start out as an interest can turn into what you actually do for a living. So it’s exciting to see those who take the risk – try things out, make them work, then maybe try something new!

A shining example of this, is Writer/Producer/Actor (amongst other things) Stefanie Preissner, who’s second (professional) show ‘Solpadeine is my Boyfriend’ is currently touring, following its success in the Dublin Fringe, where it was nominated for the Bewley’s Little Gem Award, and Fishamble New Writing Award. Born in Germany, Stefanie grew up in Cork, and gained a degree in Drama and Theatre studies from University College Cork, before studying at The Gaiety School of Acting, from which she graduated in 2010 (with me!) I caught up with Stef over a cup of coffee, to chat about how it’s going so far, and what she’s plotting next.

Emily: Had you always thought about writing, or did it start out more as a way to get acting work?

Stefanie: I wrote a play when I was seventeen, and it was really bad – like really aggressively bad! Then I stopped writing, and decided I wanted to be an actor. Then when I graduated from the Gaiety I didn’t have much work, so I started writing ‘Our Father’, then I got some people to read it and they said it was actually quite good so I did a rehearsed reading with (director) Tom Creed, Arthur Riordan, and Niamh Shaw. Then because I got those names involved people started to take it seriously … I think I do prefer writing at the moment. I like Acting, but at the moment I’m not really a fan of acting other people’s words.

E: And did you always know that ‘Solpadeine…’ and ‘Our Father’ were going to be in Verse?

S: Yeah. Having them in verse stops the over-sentimentality that was a huge flaw in the first play I wrote. Obviously because it’s in rhyme, you never really know what way it’s going to take you, because something that rhymes might open a door … When you’re doing autobiographical work, or work that’s very close to you; I find having structures in place whereby you can distance yourself from the material really helps. So rhyme is what I use; but I’m now starting to look outside that and write things that aren’t in rhyme. Because it’s just a mechanism. And also because I can, you know?

E: Do some people think all of it is true if they hear your plays are semi-autobiographical?

S: Not so much with Solpadeine, because actually Solpadeine is kind of all true; but with ‘Our Father’ people were like: ‘Sorry about the death of your mother’; and I’m like: ‘Actually, she’s not dead; she’s sitting there behind you.’

E: You did Solpadeine as a Radio Play recently. How did that happen?!

S: Lorelei Harris from the RTE Radio Centre saw the play in the Fringe, and said she wanted to do it as a radio play, but I said I’d have to ask the director. Because RTE sometimes provide you with a director; but I knew that to adapt it for Radio I’d want Gina (Moxley) as well to make those decisions with me. In the play it’s a one woman show with just me doing all the voices, but on radio that doesn’t really read, so we got some other actors in to play the different characters. It was a really cool experience, really different, but yeah – I enjoyed it.

E: So in a way it’s a different creature to the stage version.

S: Yeah it’s completely different really I think. It’s RTE’s most downloaded podcast apparently, which is a huge thing; but people who hear the play also come to see it … The set that Gina has directed, and the way Gina directed it: you can’t get that in a radio play. So I don’t think the fact that it’s a radio play has taken away from the stage play, they’re two different things really.

E: And now you’re going on tour: do you have a team going with you, or are you lugging around a punch-bag by yourself?!

S: No I have an amazing producer: Kate Ferris, so there are always two of us that go. And because I’m technically trained as well, I can help setting up lights and all that. It’s a lot of work, but, it really helps. Like when we go to Edinburgh now, we’ll take a technician with us just for the start to help set up; then I’ll be there with the production manager for the month. So it’s generally just me and one other person. It’s a pretty simple show.

E: And going to Bucharest now, are you aware of Irish references etc?

S: Well, I’ve been working with a guy called Dan Sociu who’s a translator there, so the play has been translated into Romanian, and will be surtitled, and projected while I’m performing in English … he’s being really thorough because there’s quite a lot of Dublin references and Cork References, but I think it’s pretty clear – you don’t need to know where the Mater (Hospital) is, you just need to know it’s a place you don’t wanna be. That’s all you need!

E: Are there any writers in particular or shows in particular, that you admire?

S: Arthur Riordan, he’s my favourite, I always say this … I rhyme because he rhymes! So I really admire Arthur Riordan, Raymond Scanell, Enda Walsh, … all these folk that have influences from Cork. I realise there’s no women in there, but, yeah I guess that’s just the way it is.

E: So, do you think of yourself more as a writer than an actor at the moment, or does it depend?

S: It kind of depends on the day … there’s a lot of time that goes into applying for things – so I spend maybe four days a week writing creatively, and then two days writing applications etc. So the acting happens for an hour, maybe three nights a week if I’m lucky. But certainly the work involved, I see myself as a writer/producer/actor … it’s pretty intense! But I think in Edinburgh I’ll see myself more as an actor because I’ll be performing every day, you know?

But it’s always in flux. I’m writing lyrics for Rebecca Storm as well at the moment, so I have different deadlines for that as well – I write lyrics for her, then she’ll put music to them, lay down a track, and then they’ll send me the track and I’ll edit the lyrics, then I’ll go down there and listen to it, so …

E: And does she give you an idea of what (she wants)?

S: Well she says: ‘I’d like to sing a song about …’ and I’ll say ‘Ok, well how do you feel about that?’ Because I have to realise that I’m writing for someone who’s older than me, so it’s not like: (singing) ‘You don’t follow me on Twitter anymore …’ It’s about getting into her head, so I can represent her properly rather than just her singing my words. You know? So I’m doing that, and another play, and a short film … I did a short play in Theatre Machine that I made with Jose Miguel Jimenez called ‘Germans Don’t Get Bosco’ that’s now a short film in German and in English, that I’m hoping will be a co-production between Germany and Ireland, about moving over here, and not speaking any English, and identity; the same stuff all my plays deal with really. I’m now with Lisa Richards, who represent me as a writer, and they are really helping me to look into the screenwriting sort of thing.

E: So do you think you’d like to do a feature film one day as well?

S: Yeah I think I could write a feature film, I just have to have more support: I could definitely sit down and write a play, and know ‘this is what I want’ because I know what works in theatre. But I don’t know, films are really, what’s the word … formulaic? Like ‘We need the protagonist to meet the antagonist by 15 minutes in’, you know? I don’t know those things yet. And I’m kind of scared of it – being this involved in theatre, you stop enjoying it because you notice all the technicality of the staging. So I’m worried that I’d ruin films (for myself). So I’d love to write a film, but I don’t know how yet. That’s the basic answer! Also, I’m really used to a fast turnaround; and apparently film doesn’t work like that … that’s something I’ll have to learn: how to keep motivation, even if I’m waiting to hear something for two weeks. Or two months!

E: That’s it I think … Anything wise you’d like to tell your adoring fans?!

S: Ah my adoring public. Err … My favourite triangles are equilateral triangles. I like the symmetry.

Solpadeine is My Boyfriend is currently on tour. More details are available on solpadeineismyboyfriend.com, and the Radio Play is available on here. And of course, you can follow Stefanie (@stefpreissner) and her company @ItsWithanF on Twitter … it’s worth it. She’s a funny kinda gal!

- Emily

Carlos Nunez takes photos that remind me of summers when I really didn’t care what was going to happen from one day to the next. At this time of year it’s nice to be reminded that summer is sort of around the corner if she’d just stop being so damn flirtatious. He regularly updates his blog with a mix of his editorial and personal work. Expect the kind of sunshine we get once a year, pretty ladies, metal gigs and the occasional vintage car.

www.carlosnunezphotography.com
www.ohsnapscarlos.blogspot.de

This month we’re going to keep the words to a minimum and let the music do the talking, so bang it on in the office or wherever you find yourself and let your ears get some

Enjoy

Partizan Brewing and Alec Doherty have given everything I could want from a beer. An incredible product packaged in excellent design. Harass your local drinking establishment to acquire the full Partizan range (their Saisons and IPAs a particular treat) and take some enjoy the full portfolio of the talented Mr. Doherty.

www.alecdoherty.com

Xosar – The Calling

This is the first I’ve heard of Dutch based American producer, Xosar. But I’m told she’s slowly been making a name for herself over the past 18 months with a string of collaborations with Legowelt. The Calling marks her third release on Dutch label Rush Hour, and it has that classic Chicago house sound, with a sweet vocal that seems to hover just above the beat, dipping in and out of the tune. Oh and look out for Legowelt playing a poor man’s Carl Sagan in the video.

Matias Aguayo – El Sucu Tucu

Chilean techno is apparently alive and well. Since 2009 Matias Aguayo has been making vocal laden techno, and his new album Comeme is set to drop on June 24th. El Sucu Tucu is taken from that album.

Tom Moulton talks to RBMA

Who has two hours to spare anymore? I certainly don’t. But if you do, check out Disco Pioneer Tom Moulton talking to Red Bull Music Academy. He was only the inventor of the 12″ single, the remix, and the extended breakbeat. Click below for the full lecture.

Shit Robot – Feels Real (Feat JENR)/White Out sessions

Mr Lambkin, aka Shit Robot, returns with Feels Real. A really sweet disco jam with that classic DFA sound. The tune drops next Tuesday on the DFA label. Until then, pig out on it right here. Oh, keep your eyes peeled for a Shit Robot x Greedy Pig collab coming soon!

Both parties involved have experienced their own brand of success, although Kowton’s rise has been a tad less meteoric than his collaborator however, there are few producers that have received the unwavering levels of support and admiration that he has received over the past two years, especially from fellow DJs, producers and tastemakers in music press. A steady stream of releases on his own label Idle Hands as well as Naked Lunch, Teal and most recently with Peverelist on the rubber stamp that is Hessle Audio, have gradually realised this low key and unassuming bedroom producer as a notable and established figure in the U.K. music scene. In contrast, Julio Bashmore’s success is more obviously charted. Notice was first taken upon release of his Chazm / Footsteppin’ EP in 2010, following this up with the massive Batty Knee Dance and Everyone Needs a Theme Tune in 2011, Julio was soon appearing on multiple radars; his reward was a much sought after spot as an “In New Music We Trust” host for BBC Radio One. 2012 also saw the release of Au Seve on his own label Broadwalk, which was arguably the most instantly recognised club track of the past twelve months and as if that wasn’t enough, Bashmore gained further notoriety with the U.K. chart mainstay Jessie Ware, producing three of her album tracks including breakout single Running to great critical and commercial acclaim.

Together, this Bristolian pair has created something that perfectly captures the ground both have so far covered and at this creative intersection we’re reminded of the infinite directions that either may still choose to take. Their talent and taste is notable without vacillating. Unfalteringly, Mirror Song is a pure representation of the space that both producers currently inhabit. It is a harmonic representation of two musical minds creating at their best; with little to be lost both have sought new opportunities, challenged the other and benefitted from a fresh perspective. One can only hope that more is to come as this release shows that there is plenty of scope for further collaboration.

Mirror Song will be released via Broadwalk on May 5^th.
juliobashmore.com
@kowton

www.mabarnes.co.uk

With a shocking disregard for geography, Meteor have again brought the Camden Crawl music festival to Dublin this weekend, May 3rd-5th 2013. Nestled into a rather sexy line up is a band called Ships, who make equally sexy electro pop sounds for your ears. They also happen to be our mates and Sorcha McGrath, one half of the group (opposite Simon Cullen) has pulled together a lovely ‘Happy House‘ mix for our mixtape series, which also happens to be for your ears. I know we’re a bit biased but Russell listened to it this morning over his all bran muffin and said it was deadly. Listen above, download below and enjoy.

With Camden Crawl Dublin taking over a multitude of city centre venues, you’ll have two opportunities to see Ships, first on Saturday, sharing the Button Factory stage with Echo & The Bunnymen, then playing upstairs in Sweeney’s alongside Amateur Best, Come On Live Long, Liza Flume, Slow Skies & HUNK!, as part of Sunday’s Nialler9 curated shenanigans. Ticket prices start at €35 for a day pass and you can have a gander at the full weekend line up here or join their Facebook event page for a full timetable and updates.

+ Download Ships ‘Happy Hose’ Mixtape

Tracklist
1 – Luke Abbott – Brazil (2011)
2 – Shuggie Ottis – Happy House (1974)
3 – Etta James – Leave Your Hat On (1974)
4 – Rayko/Em Vee – Broadway (2011)
5 – Joakim – Nothing Gold (Tod Terje Remix) (2012)
6 – Komiko – Feel Alright (1982)
7 – Salsoul Orchestra – Ooh I love It (Love break) (1983)
8 – John Forde – Stardance (1977)

Focusing on the people that populate the city rather than the skyline that defines it, Wissame Cherfi’s short documentary, We Are Dublin, won the ‘Special Prize’ award at this year’s Eat My Shorts St. Patricks Day film festival. But how does a 24 year old French man end up making a film about the Irish capital and the people that breath life into it? Bertille de Lestrade caught up with the first time director to discuss all things Dublin.

“Dublin is the most populous city in Ireland, with almost 1.5 million inhabitants. I am one of them since 2009. Dublin is my city, the place where I live, the place where I work. A city is usually defined by its buildings, economy or tourist attractions. Imagine Dublin as a city without people : no need for buildings, pubs, public transports or schools… We, people, are the ones who make the city. We make Dublin. We are Dublin.”

These are the words opening the 20mn documentary We Are Dublin, directed by French young talent Wissame Cherfi. Wissame has been an  adopted Dubliner for four years now, but his passion was born much earlier; even though he initially gave acting a thought, he’s been dreaming of being a film-maker since he was 16. “But you think it’s too hard, you postpone it, there’s always something…”. On that we agree, fear and procrastination are creativity’s worst enemies. Still, I tell him, it’s so inspiring and encouraging to see someone finally going for it, especially when they don’t have the holy relevant background, qualifications, technical training and all that. Because Mr Cherfi, 24 years old, only bought and used his first video camera last year. With it he made We Are Dublin, a promising little gem already praised, awarded, and leading to a bunch of exciting new things. But I’m getting ahead of myself… Let’s see how it all started.

“I got to the airport early for a flight, in June last year, so I sat and just watched people walk by, as you do”, Wissame remembers. “I had been scribbling stuff on a notepad I always have with me, but I put it away as nothing really good was coming from it. Watching people more closely then, I noticed an old man being pushed in one of those airport wheelchairs, and this thought came to my mind : if this man had not been there, needing to be pushed, the one pushing him wouldn’t have a job. That logical, simple thought applied to everything and everyone as I was looking around. If no one was traveling, there would be no airport, if no one was here at all… there would be no city. We, people, make the city.” Simple indeed, but very true. Wissame pulled his notepad out of his pocket again and wrote it down. He boarded his plane and let that seed of an idea grow bigger, stronger, clearer in his mind during his holidays. That’s when he bought his first camera and started playing around with it, he tells me, shrugging, like it’s really no big deal. That’s the way he seems to be in general, taking it easy, but with a sharp, calm focus. “I just don’t stress about things!” he smiles.

“I had thought of moving to London after the holidays, but something kept me here. I could feel 2013 was gonna be good to me”. Ah yes, Dublin a.k.a The Magnet, we’ve all heard that story before, from so many people who came from all around the world and just couldn’t bring themselves to leave, and for some who did, well… they came back. “How weird is that ?” Wissame asks me, and we just laugh together knowingly. These Dublin people, he knew, had to be the core of his documentary. He wanted to show who they were, what they looked and sounded like, how they felt about Dublin, how they were Dublin. “So I posted about it on Facebook, just to tease and make people curious, see who would be interested in participating.” And it worked. Friends, friends of friends, acquaintances started asking about it enthusiastically. Some of them were a bit concerned about being filmed. “That’s when I decided to use voice-overs, so people could speak freely without being too self-conscious.”

Wissame definitely wanted to show how diverse Dublin is in terms of nationalities. He gathered people from Italy, Germany, Sweden, France, Finland, etc, but featuring Irish people was also essential. “They were a little harder to convince somehow. I could sense that some didn’t really understand my concept. They asked : ‘How can you make a documentary about Dublin when you’re not even Irish yourself ?’ But that’s exactly my point. I’m French and always will be, not pretending to be Irish for a second. I just wanted to show how so many people from other countries come to feel at home in this particular city, and why.”

Wissame had gathered quite a lot of people for what was going to be the first part of his film: a beautiful series of shots showing people in different Dublin spots, talking about themselves, their stories, what they were doing here, how, why… anything they felt like sharing really, and it was done with great, touching simplicity. “People like you and me, that’s what I wanted. It had to speak to the watchers, whether they knew Dublin or not. I didn’t want people to say ‘Look, that’s Trinity College!’ but just to see it behind the person who was speaking. The people needed to be the main thing, the ones that make the building live, not the contrary.”

For the other half of his film, Wissame wanted to focus more closely on a few people and what they do in and for Dublin. Creatives were responding to his project in a very positive way, so he first reached out to Morgan, a Dublin-based artist who had posted his work on Facebook. Morgan was in, and he mentioned that another artist, the self-described documentarian Aidan Kelly, might be interested as well. Word of mouth finally led Wissame to french entrepreneur Anne Bedos, founder of the bike recycle and repair company Rothar. For the interviews and the writing, Wissame naturally turned to his sister Saurya, a freelance journalist also settled in Dublin. They shot Aidan and Morgan’s sequences in Morgan’s workshop and Anne’s in one of her Rothar shops. “The atmosphere was great, very relaxed. We talked a lot and I got hours of footage. I watched them with such pleasure I knew I had something good there.”

Like the first part of the film, these interviews are highly entertaining, funny and soulful. I tell Wissame that also they reveal a lot about Dublin’s creative energy, and its incredible community spirit which never ceases to amaze me. “Anne is a fantastic example of that, yes” he agrees. “Not only did she find her own place here and completely fitted in, but she’s contributing a great deal to the community. Her activity gives a space to people who need it and has a great environment impact. She’s a French girl who built her own thing here in Dublin, and now she’s creating jobs, participating to the city’s energy. It’s really inspiring. The three of them are, actually. They’re people like you and me who went all the way with their ideas and passion, trying to make a living out of it. Whether they paint, take pictures or repair bikes, they really bring something to the table, to Dublin, and that’s why they were so interesting to me.”

Well, Mr Cherfi, it looks like you’re one of them now! Along with some great short films including Just Sayin’ (dir. Dave Tynan) and Rhinos (dir. Shimmy Marcus), We Are Dublin was first screened at the Eat My Shorts showcase as part of the St Patrick’s Day Festival 2013. It won the Festival Special Prize that night, much to Wissame’s surprise and delight. “It was an amazing moment, seeing people watch what I’ve created and react to it, even though I could only focus on the flaws.” he laughs.

I was there too that night, and I wrote about the event for the Dublin cinema blog Film Jam. I had loved Wissame’s film, only I accidentally misspelled his last name. He wrote me a very nice message to let me know about it and we got to talking… As you can see, we haven’t stopped, and that’s the great, great thing about putting your stuff out there, whatever it is. We Are Dublin celebrates that too, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The film has been online for a couple of weeks and Wissame is getting great feedback as well as press coverage and many new contacts. “Whatever people have to say about it, I’m taking it. Getting people to talk, debate, question things, that’s an achievement I’m really proud of. I got an e-mail from a girl asking me if she could use the concept and make We Are Budapest. I said ‘Sure. Why the hell not ?’.”

- Bertille de Lestrade

www.tidsweetprod.com
@WissameCherfi

With 70 hours left (at time of posting) on their Kickstarter page and having smashed their target of $75,00, it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing Wanderlust Camera’s Travelwide 4×5 camera go into production. Designed to be lighter than a DSLR but not much larger, it’s tough enough to toss in a side bag or cram into an overloaded backpack. I’m always a fan of designers making analogue mediums more accessible and current plus it’s great to see Wanderlust working with a format that might traditionally be considered more studio based. You can get a full spec run down of the camera on their Kickstarter page and with a retail price of $99 I’m sure this beauty will make plenty of Christmas lists.

In last year’s Dublin Fringe Festival, one stir causing show sold out before the first performance; frustrating a lot of people with less foresight, or organisation than others. It was a highlight of the festival; picked up nearly immediately by the Project Arts Centre for inclusion in their 2013 programme. And now, the moment of its return is finally here, and Broadening is ready to take to the stage once more!

Set in the 1970s during a psychological experiment (inspired partly by the infamous Stanford Prison experiments), Broadening takes a look at what we do when power and control are given, or taken away. I caught up with writer Peter Dunne, to talk about the show, and about his experiences of being a writer.

Emily: So, are you all ready for the return of Broadening?

Peter: Yeah, super excited! The majority of my work is done, so it’s nice to be able to sit back and just watch, you know? I think with the Fringe it was still a ‘work in progress’ nearly up to the first week; but this time now that I’m not so panicky, I can enjoy what other people are doing. Ronan (Phelan, the director) is … I think if I was an actor he’d be a dream to work with, because he’s incredible to watch: the way his mind works and the way he directs people, it’s really just: Wow! And then seeing what other people do, you go ‘Oh that’s what it’s meant to be, you know?

E: When you were writing, did you have an idea of what it would look like, and exactly what the characters would be like?

P: No, it actually started off because one of the actors in it: Michelle McMahon (who plays Agnes), when she was starting out as an actress, was hoping she could get a really good piece, or something that could be kind of tailor-made for her. And it actually started off as a lonely hearts columnist! Then it just evolved and evolved and evolved so … you just see what happens as you’re writing.
That was one of the difficult things about writing it, because it’s oddly structured: it jumps from the past to the future. You’re not really sure where you are in it, and that’s the way I wrote it. When I finished I had to look back and go: ‘If I break it down chronologically, does it make sense? And have I told you something here that you shouldn’t know yet? That was the most difficult part of it; and the fun part was not really knowing where it’s going! Anything I’ve written, I never try and have: ‘This is the point I need to hit’ because it kind of curtails you, you almost write to spec as if somebody else told you ‘Ok this is what you have to do.’ You don’t want to do that just in case. So half the fun is just seeing where is goes.

E: So how, and when, did the whole Stanford Prison experiment thing come into it then?

P: Well it started off about a columnist, and then Michelle was talking about reality TV and stuff like that, and I was thinking: What’s new about reality TV, you know? What can be said? When people go into reality TV shows now, it’s an experiment; but they come in with certain ideas: That they’re probably going to have a TV career out of it, that they’re going to be in the tabloids etc. So I wanted a more innocent version of that – Big Brother would consider that a social experiment, but what if you brought it back to complete innocence, you know? That these people really didn’t know; that these people had nothing to gain from their experience. Some people were doing it for science, some of them were doing it for fun; but put the innocence back in and that means the people in charge have more power and have more responsibility for these people. Because with Big Brother and stuff, people can say: ‘Well you knew what you were doing, you brought it on yourself’ … but back then you didn’t know what you were getting into …

E: If it’s literally a poster saying ‘Do you want to do this thing …?’

P: Yeah, you don’t know what’s going to happen, and there’s a kind of freedom. That’s technically terrifying, but there’s a real freedom in it as well; and some of the characters in the play are chasing that little bit of freedom. As well, I wanted to have it at a time of great change: The Seventies had the Women’s movement, and Civil Rights stuff, and there was just such a period of change; and that’s when all these experiments were happening. And it felt like … the world wanted things to change, so everyone just wanted to be involved. And that’s how people naively ended up getting themselves into big messes: Thinking they were part of big social change, and just ending up being used for something.

E: I was reading about the original Stanford Experiments, and it was the sort of thing, just dipping into one paragraph, saying ‘What?!’ and going on and on … it sounds horrendous!

Peter: It’s crazy! As soon as someone has a little bit of power, and tells you to do something, the majority of us do it. You know, there was also the experiment where a guy wearing a lab coat had people in front of this buzzer: He said ‘OK. We’re going to ask a person in the other room questions, and if they get it wrong you have to press this buzzer, but that button will give them an electric shock; and each time you press it, the shock will get bigger, giving them bigger and bigger shocks.’ They didn’t know that there was no one in the other room (being electrocuted), but that’s what they were lead to believe: And it got to a certain point where something like 90% or 95% of people kept pressing the buzzer until the shock was actually big enough to kill the person behind the wall. Just because there was someone in the lab coat saying okay, they were afraid to say no … People just go along with stuff.

E: Just ‘I’m just pressing this button because I was told to?’

P: Yeah ‘It’s not my fault, because I was told to do this.’

E: Have you made many changes to the play since the first run of it in the Fringe?

P: Not really, this time around. Because Cian (O’Brien, Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre) came to see it the first time, and in the Information Toolbox (a sort of ‘speed dating’ during the Fringe for theatre makers to meet people in the industry) he said ‘Oh you’re Broadening aren’t you; I want it for the Project next year.’ It’s kinda ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ with that. But because we have two new cast members this time, of course they’ll add a lot to it. It’s great for the actors who are returning, because you don’t want to feel like you’re just repeating yourself: New actors make them up their game a bit, and give them different ways of looking at their characters. So even though the script hasn’t changed, the way it’ll be done has changed; so that’s kind of fun to watch as well!

E: How did you get into writing originally?

P: Well my family would all be, well, I wouldn’t say Storytellers so much as, Jokers; like: ‘Who can tell the most elaborate joke?!’ If something funny happens, if someone does something stupid; you turn it into a ten minute story, you know? If you really want to tell a good joke, pad it out!! So anything funny that happens, you go: ‘I must tell somebody this!’ Then you’re looking at everything: small things, conversations you have, or, if you see something funny; the automatic impulse is ‘I have to tell somebody!’ That’s the way I would look at stuff, and that led into: ‘How can you tell more people?!’ That also frees you from the autobiographical stuff. Because if something happens to you in real life you have to tell the truth, but if you want to tell a great story you can really just pick it from any part of your mind and get it down (on paper).

Then I was in Dublin Youth Theatre and I wrote a couple of one-acts; but once I left, you know, life gets in the way and everything fell by the wayside. Then at a party, Georgina Mckevitt (part of Wicked Angels, who did ‘Waiting for IKEA’ etc.) was going: ‘Why don’t you write anymore? I used to love the stuff you wrote.’ (But) I need a deadline, you know? I need something to write for. And, the two of us drunk, she said ‘Ok you’re going to write my Fringe show next year!’ When I wrote it, it reminded me: ‘Oh my God I love this! And I forgot!’ I needed that pressure to get it done.

 E: And do you think Broadening might go on in future?

P: I hope so! I think what happened last time, because we sold out before we opened in the Fringe, even though it was fantastic, there was no way for momentum to build: even if people heard ‘that’s great’ they couldn’t go see it. But I think now with the Project run, because we’ll have longer, it will have time to build a little bit. And it’s just such a nice show to work on: even though it’s a really dark show. There’s a great team: all the actors, and Aoife (Moroney-Ward) and Donncha (O’Dea) producing it, and Ronan directing it; it was just such a good team that everyone enjoyed working on it, and it was a real laugh. I suppose when it’s a really dark play you kind of have to laugh! But I think everyone enjoyed it so much that they’re all happy to do it again; so they’d probably be happy to do it again again. Hopefully!

Broadening is running from April 30th – May 11th, in the Project Arts Centre.
Tickets are available from projectartscentre.ie or +353 (0)1 881 9613

photos: Oliver Smith

When we heard about Irish artist Fiona Hallinan’s new project, Heterodyne, we were intrigued. The work looks to invite composers and musicians to create a ‘score’ for roads, creating site-specific compositions for driving in Ireland and ultimately internationally. Five Scores for the Military Road is the first iteration of Heterodyne and five composers have accepted the task of scoring the Military Road, a nineteenth century route that passes through the Wicklow mountains. Currently in the process of crowd-sourcing funding for this first installment, we invited Fiona to explain more about her work and the history of Heterodynes’s conception.

Heterodyne is a project I devised where composers ‘score’ roads, creating site-specific audio compositions for sections of public infrastructure. My work most often takes the form of collaborative, experience-based work. I’m really interested in how subjective experience of place can be altered by sound, or how sound affects our memory.

I just learned to drive relatively recently, and found it amazing that more audio work hadn’t been made specifically for the experience of it. A car seems to me an ideal machine for listening; on one level you are engaged with the task of driving, but in spite of this-maybe even because of it- you’re open to listening and thinking, that kind of drifting, imaginative reverie that is only possible when you don’t strive for it. I’ve had some of my best conversations with people as a driver or a passenger partly, I believe, for this reason. As well as that the windscreen of a car is, quite literally, a screen. It’s an animated visual plane that music can complement really powerfully. It struck me as strange then that motorway art, a form developed in response to the Percent for Art scheme model, where one percent of all funds spent on infrastructure must be spent on art, had developed in the visual form. This usually manifests itself in the sculptures we see on the side of motorways. I wondered how these physical entities could be expected to affect an audience that was passing them at an average speed of 100 kilometres an hour. If the time of driving could be considered a time to be an audience to art, why not immerse the audience as they drove, using a temporal form, one which the machine they are in is already equipped to transmit? Most cars have pretty good sound systems now, and the machine itself seals its audience within it, creating an unlikely but ideal space for listening.

Heterodyne then began initially as a PhD proposal, to create an app that would allow motorists to access a network of site-specific compositions for the roads they were driving on. Through developing the concept I realised I wanted to develop it in a more collaborative and open-ended way, and that it might be best to initiate it independently. I was fortunate to be invited in 2010 by the curator Dr. Ian Russell to Brown University for a research residency and exhibition surrounding a section of the I-95 highway in Providence, Rhode Island, that was scheduled to be demolished that year to make way for a by-pass. There I worked with students of his Designing Heritages class to create an archive of the road. I interviewed and recorded local people affected by its construction or demolition, and responded to this process in the form of an installation. I had been interested in roads before as somewhat invisible but massively important and telling sites. For me, perhaps the most prevailing feature of the economic boom in Ireland was the construction of mega-motorways, particularly the M3 and its contentious circumstances. I remember the protests surrounding the hill of Tara around 2004 quite clearly as a signifier of the conflicted values of our society. This project, about the I-95 highway, really consolidated that interest as I got to meet a myriad of people affected by this one tract of highway. There was the archaeologist who excavated the area prior to construction, the road planners and engineers who plotted its construction, local business owners destined to profit or lose as a result of the diversion, bikers, lovers and pedestrians who used the closed-off highway as a forbidden route and residents of a community formerly displaced by the road. Recording the narratives of their diverse perspectives on this piece of infrastructure made me more interested still in roads as strangely non-visible sites of change, conflict and power.

The Heterodyne fund-it campaign then is not just an initiative to fund the project, but to draw people’s attention to the idea and perhaps invite future collaborations and commissions. This iteration of the project, Five Scores for the Military Road, involves inviting five composers whose work I greatly admire to score the Military Road, a route with epic views that goes from Collins Barracks out to Aghavannagh in County Wicklow, through the Sally Gap. It was built in the nineteenth century to guard against rebels who took shelter in the Wicklow mountains after the Battle of Vinegar Hill. The composers are Cian Nugent, Chequerboard, Brendan William Jenkinson, ARROW SHOWER and Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh. They have each been asked to score a section of video of a section of the road, and the resulting compilation will make up a 39 minute long piece of audio. Their individual pieces will be contextualized with field recordings by sound designer Tadhg O’Sullivan, another collaborator on the project.

An important part of the project is the potential it offers to evolve into a new commissioning platform for composers and musicians. It seems that in response to downloading the opportunities for composers and musicians to earn a living without performing live have dwindled in the past years. Perhaps optimistically, I do believe that audiences want to support artists, but the old model of buying music straight doesn’t fit how we experience culture any more.

The entire project is being presented with a visual identity by design studio Distinctive Repetition. The photographer Sean Breithaupt has created a unique image of the Military Road, which will be printed as a limited edition poster and CD case to be awarded to funders of a certain amount. Funders of over €50 will receive an invitation to a unique launch at the Aghavannagh Barracks on the Military Road itself on June 8th 2013. For over €75 a mini bus will deliver funders from Dublin city to this launch, playing the site-specific composition along the route. It should be a beautiful evening, and a unique way to see the road and the barracks, which, interestingly, was the former hunting lodge of Charles Stewart Parnell. From the beginning Heterodyne is conceived as an open and collaborative platform, and it’s so exciting to be working with all these extremely talented practitioners.

Years ago, I learned the word ‘heterodyne’ on a bat-detecting walk along the canal in Offaly. I went out on a walk with volunteers who measure the numbers of bats along waterways across the country using a device called a ‘heterodyne bat detector’, which picks up and converts the sound the bats make into an audible frequency. The volunteers listen out with these devices, note how many bats they hear each evening and add their numbers to a collective database. That’s how we measure the number of bats in Ireland, I love it! The term itself, ‘heterodyne’, means to combine two waves of different frequency in order to produce a new frequency equal to the sum or difference of the two. It means a type of synergy through combination and overlay, creating something new from putting two things together, and that’s essentially how I perceive this project.

- Fiona

The fund it campaign is live here: www.fundit.ie/project/heterodyne
Follow progress on @heterodyne_

All contributions to the campaign are of course hugely welcome, and there will be further updates as the project progresses so please check back and share the campaign widely.

photo: Sean Breithaupt

Buff Diss

The Federal is an Ottawa-based design service consultancy. It was born around the idea and desire to explore alternative sides of design and branch out creatively. It was the above maple wood knife that first drew me into their interesting portfolio that includes square espresso cups and iPhone alarm apps. The knives are still just a prototype so you’ll have to sign up to The Federal newsletter to find out if they’ll hit the market.

In Winter’s Arms // Tom Lowe

A Beautifully shot video of Cornwall’s Tom Lowe surfing some incredible waves off Ireland’s coast

De La Soul // Get Away

I’d heard De La Soul were coming back with a new album, and i was naturally a little concerned being a big De La fan. It’s a slightly new turn for the trio, but i needn’t have worried. ‘Get Away’ is a tip of the cap to Wu Tang’s spacey beats, hence the “spirit of Wu” in the title. It’s good to have them back.

Yours Truly x Solars Bears

Yours Truly visited Dublin in late 2012 to check out the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival, and they took time out to put together this sweet film of Solar Bears performing their track Rainbow Collison from their new album Supermigration.

Much like his Swamp 81 label-mates Loefah, Addison Groove and Kryptic Minds, there are no punches pulled when it comes to getting the job done. This in my opinion, makes the label and their output all the more refreshing. Paleman produces music that grabs the listener’s attention, pinning them by the throat whilst turning out their pockets for change. It is confrontational, percussive and unapologetic. With haunting pads, strident percussion and a low end that rarely deviates from immersing, each track is a workout guaranteed to challenge and invite. Due care is taken so that each production has a certain hint of their creator’s hand, but his work never sounds samey or formulaic. As time progresses, it will be interesting to hear how his sound and his label (Fulcrum) evolve, as bass music continues to meander from post to post in search of a permanent residence.

His latest offering, Furrball / Boiler, a two track EP produced with bass music maestro Zed Bias, a.k.a. Maddslinky, is certain to grab much attention. Furrball itself is the standout track, instantly recognisable in the same way that The Giver – Duke Dumont or Trace – Midland cut through the noise and speak to a crowd. With sell out pre-order first pressing, this latest Swamp release is set to be one of their biggest successes, and one that many DJs will feel the need to have in their bag. Paleman’s music career is still in its infancy, but with endorsements from players such as Loefah and Zed Bias there would appear to be much more in store from this young Manchester based producer.

Furrball / Boiler released now on Swamp 81.
Paleman plays The Underground in Dublin 4th May 2013. Tickets here.

The music world is filled with stories of people who, for one reason or another, never made it. Luck often plays a major role, and despite being in the right place at the right time, Virgo Four earned the mantel as the forgotten men of Chicago house. A variety of reasons, including a dubious label owner, saw their progress become stunted. So, despite churning out precociously brilliant, ethereal house music, Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders decided to pursue other things: theatre and public education, respectively. While their records had a cult following with ‘in the know’ DJs and producers in Europe, the fact their releases were solely on vinyl kept their reputation relatively obscure.

This is where the standard ‘never quite made it’ story took a heartwarming turn. In 2010, after almost 20 years, Amsterdam’s Rush Hour records contacted the guys out of the blue to enquire about re-releasing their self-titled album. Fast forward three years, and their moody and rich sounds have reached the wider audience they always deserved. Their influence on house music is plain to see. Aside from the initial re-release, house music fans have been indulged with an unmissable collection of 30 unreleased gems. Quality long-players are a rare thing in electronic music, but based on Resurrection and Virgo Four, Eric and Merwyn had a plentiful well to draw from. Listening to their tracks will always conjure a feeling of ‘what could have been’, but just be thankful we get to hear their music at all. Ahead of their gig in The Grand Social on April 20^th, Eric was kind enough to answer some questions from our own Patrick O’Mahoney.

Miss this gig at your own peril, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. Interview after the jump.

TGP: Could you tell me about how you came to find house music? Were you musically inclined growing up?

V4: We discovered House music in high school. I went to Mendel Catholic school, where we had parties most weekends. Here local, now legendary, DJs would come to play for 1000 or so students. This is where learned to appreciate House. Yes we were musically inclined when we were younger. I played the guitar, bass and keyboards.

TGP: What was your initial reaction when Rush Hour got in contact about re-releasing your music? Were you surprised at a call for it after all those years?

V4: The initial reaction was that of surprise and appreciation, and the sentiment continues. I/we are very grateful for the outpouring of love we get for our music.

TGP: You’ve got the chance to travel the world and play music in the last few years. I know your album got a U.K release in 89’, but did you ever get the chance to tour back then?

No, we did not have booking agents like Boye T’lam and Derek Van Beelen.

TGP: With hindsight, what was the main factor in you guys deciding music wasn’t going to be a full time thing anymore?

V4: Well, I felt that the House music thing had run its course. It wasn’t popular anymore in Chicago, so I continued my studies.

TGP: Were you going out a lot when you were releasing records the first time around? There’s been a lot written about places like the Power Plant and The Music Box, what was a night-out like in Chicago during that era?

V4: Oh, we would go out all the time. Close to every weekend, sometimes twice. When we were in high school Mendel, Sauers, the Playground, the Mars Bar and others. The dance music scene here was superfluous. Such great memories… Once we were old enough we went to the Box and were introduced to Ron Hardy, nice guy. I have never been to the Plant. We tried to go once with a group of friends. We were driving in a bright red car and the police stopped us. We had had enough excitement for the evening and decided to go home. But we always heard it was fantastic.

TGP: Do you still keep up with what’s going on in house now? A lot of people are making music that kind of apes the Chicago sound, what do you think of that?

V4: No, I do not keep up with what’s going on in House music, I never have. We were always to ourselves in that regard. In regards to mimicking the “Chicago Sound”, I think it is nice, flattery. But it would be very expensive since the equipment is considered vintage. Even still, it is hard for me to duplicate and I have the equipment. The reason being, you can’t capture the time and the feel of that era. I know there are good electronic replicas of the vintage boards and drum machines but it’s not the same.

TGP: A lot of respect is paid to guys like Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles, but who were some of the unheralded guys you used to like to go and see?

V4: That is interesting. I have never heard Frankie Knuckles deejay. And there isn’t anyone we would go to hear deejay. In those days, to us, who was deejaying did not matter. So we never went anywhere just to hear the DJ. Our interest was, “Are there going to be a lot of girls at this party?”

TGP: What’s Chicago’s relationship with house music now?

V4: House is a like a fine wine here. It is hard to find. Plus, only older people, House heads, really appreciate it.

TGP: I read somewhere that you’re a school principal. Do you think many of your pupils know about your past in music? Do you keep it quiet that you fly around the world at the weekend and do gigs?

V4: Haha… No, I am an assistant principal and only a very few know my alter ego. Yes, I do keep it very quiet. This is why I do not perform in Chicago. Though it is difficult to explain why I am soooo tired on Monday mornings. Teachers can sometimes tell that I have gone to Europe the past weekend by the fact that I’m depleted and in a choleric mood by the end of the week.

TGP: Would you agree that the Internet played a huge role in your resurgence? It’s so much easier for people anywhere to find out about so many different kinds of music.

V4: Yeah I would agree. It is amazing that we can touch so many people so easily.

TGP: Aside from the occasional track, many people, myself included, had no idea about the depth of your catalogue. There is such amazing variety in your music, but nothing seems forced in the slightest. What’s next for you guys from a release or re-release standpoint?

V4: The reason it does not seemed forced, is because the music is made from a place of calm. There is plenty more music on a couple hundred tapes to be explored. Some good and some bad. Next? Well, I think you will see an explosion of V4 in the near future. I have a number of projects I’m working on now. If you or you readers are interested in listening to unreleased V4 music, you can listen for free at virgofour.com, any time you want. Leave a message if you’d like, or just look us up on Facebook.

Virgo Four play The Grand Social Saturday 20th April 2013. Admission €12/10 available here.
Listen to a live set over at theboilerroom.tv

www.joshcole.co.uk

Deservedly or not, playwright Samuel Beckett has reached God-like status for many of a theatrical persuasion. Beckett may well be the first name that springs to mind for many when naming Irish playwrights (closely followed by Oscar Wilde), and his Complete Works are amongst the collection of ‘If you don’t have these don’t call yourself an Actor’ books that are put sacredly on the shelf and not necessarily read very often.

I am usually one to encourage as many people as possible to go to the theatre – it’s really not that expensive (unless you go for The Gate at a weekend, or the fancy seats in The Abbey), and it can be real good … honest Guv’! But this isn’t to say that everyone should be forced to go to every sort of play. Going to the theatre because it seems educational sounds like a terrible idea, and will put people off as quickly as you were no doubt put off ANY book you were forced to study in school.

Going to the theatre ‘because you saw that actor in that film you liked’ may also have mixed results. I recently saw The Gate’s production of ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ starring John Hurt; and couldn’t quite shake the feeling that half the audience didn’t know what they were doing there – I could happily watch John Hurt read the phone book (actually, if he could read me a bedtime story every night that would be fantastic); but if you’re not a fan of the play as well as the man, you may struggle to sit still for an hour in a theatre with notoriously squeaky seats.

Much of Beckett’s fame is well deserved. Due to incredibly specific notes of how his plays should be performed, they are beautiful to read as well as to watch. His Estate has famously strict regulations about who they allow to perform his works … on the plus side, this means that his plays can’t be butchered to the extent that a writer like Shakespeare is (every time a Shakespeare Play is destroyed, a Royal Shakespeare Company actor dies … like the fairies in Peter Pan). But there is the downside that productions may not have the freedom to bring the same level of individual vision to a show. For example, they famously tried (and failed) to prevent an all-female ‘Waiting for Godot’ by issuing an injunction against the theatre producing it!

However good Beckett’s work is, does everyone really need to experience it? Like him or loath him, Beckett is all over the shop this year. Next up we have Pan Pan’s production of ‘All That Fall’ (above) which is previewing (appropriately) in the Samuel Beckett Theatre from 11-13th and 15th-20th April before making its way to Edinburgh International Festival, which this year is running a strand of Beckett on Stage and Screen. I’m pretty darn excited about this; but I am (as you may become increasingly aware) a theatre geek. I want to sit with all the other geeks who really will turn their phones off, and who think that selling coke and popcorn in theatres is vaguely sacrilegious. Many of Beckett’s plays are quiet sort of affairs – you need concentration. You need to be interested in watching Krapp eat a banana, watching Winnie neck deep in sand, or watching Estragon and Vladimir wait for Godot. If you do have an interest in the minute details of this, then they are incredible moments … the sort where you don’t want to breathe in case you disturb the actors. But if you don’t have an interest, then it may feel more like the scene from A Clockwork Orange in which Alex’s eyes are clamped open. And if you shuffle, cough, or have left your phone on vibrate, everyone will know. And they will judge you and your Beckett hating ways.

- Emily

With the impending release of Baz Lurhman’s extravagant adaption of F. Scott Fitzgearld’s The Great Gatsby (not holding my breath on that one) and marking 88 years since its first publication, 10th April 1925, The New York Times collected some fantastic incarnations of the book’s cover design for your viewing pleasure. Taking a peek into the expansive collection of the late Fitzgerald biographer and English professor Matthew J. Bruccoli, it is fascinating to get a look at how designers have interpreted the book since the iconic disembodied eyes design by Francis Coradal-Cugat for its original release. From foreign editions to the bizarre pulpish enticements, the collection is now housed at the University of South Carolina.

View the full gallery at the equally well designed NY Times Magazine site.

James Blake // Overgrown

Another James Blake tune and another slot in the Friday post. He worked with Bon Iver and Bjork when making his latest album, and you can really hear it. Every time I play a James Blake video it captures my whole attention. No one element ever seems to let it down. This is another stunning video, he chooses his collaborations incredibly well.

Marina Munn // Portfolio

Another week and another incredible illustrator that shows up on the radar. Check out Marina Munn’s work here

Theophilus London // Rio

New track just dropped, inspired by his recent trip to Rio. We don’t have much to go on yet regarding his upcoming album, but it’s one to look out for. (Although I did hear a mention of Drake & Kayne which has left me a tad spooked!)

Johnny Aux might not be a name of which you’ve heard; no shame, with just thirty-two followers on Soundcloud, it would appear not many people have. Chance and a surreptitious necessity to half listen to everything I come across in hope that the next clip will be the defining song of that day, week or month happened me across his musical stylings. His Voltage EP is in its final trimester (ready to drop anytime soon) and will be released via Sheffield outfit and proprietors of sublime sounds, More About Music. With a proven track record that includes Roman Rauch, Donnie Tempo and Deep Space Orchestra, More About Music really do pride themselves on quality over quantity. A label with its finger on the pulse, it is sure to win over more than a few fans with this next installment.

Deviating slightly from their releases to date, Voltage is described on Clone.nl as “Strobe light house music with all the raw energy of early Chicago” followed by “HOT!” which is fair assessment, albeit a very concise one. The A-side, eponymously named Voltage, is a straightforward house track built for the small hours. Ferocious claps and a stuttering vocal line that never fully reveals itself, join a laconic bass melody in an intoxicating but unassuming mix. Hot on its heels is Sci Fi Fingers, a track born from the same gene pool as its antecedent. More robust rhythmically, its acid hinting bass line is firmly backed by a weighty kick and an offbeat hi hat that stirs the listener, grabbing their attention. Rounding things off, Sensation Sequence conjures images of spirited warehouse parties in the mid ‘80s. Another classic sounding house track, it book ends the EP and completes the trifecta of raw, unashamed house tracks begat of an era when dance music meant much
more than any three letter acronym.

Johnny Aux is seemingly a name to be on the rise and with releases like Voltage, there’s little wonder as to why. With fingers in a number of music production pies, his talents are certain to be recognized by a wider audience and there’s no doubt that the Soundcloud followers will increase accordingly too.

Voltage EP on More About Music will be released later this month.

Offset // 2013

If you don’t already know, Offset is an event in the Irish calendar that we can be truly proud of. Offset brings together 24 world renowned creatives in one space this weekend. Expect interviews, debates and discussions with the likes of Kate Moross, Ji Lee and Gavin O’Sullivan among others. If it’s inspiration you’re after, pop down to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre this weekend. www.iloveoffset.com

Atu // Way I Feel

Way I Feel has a nice neo soul vibe, with a really sweet vocal sample. This Canadian based young Malawian producer is one to watch I reckon.

Janine Rewell // Portfolio

I’m loving the work of Finnish illustrator Janine Rewell. Really intense colours coupled with a wild imagination. Check out her work here.

Flying Lotus // Adventure Time

Flying Lotus created a track called About that time//A glitch is a glitch to be used in a future episode of Cartoon Networks incredibly popular Adventure Time. The Internet broke.

After the disastrous events at Bloc London 2012 many thought that the Bloc name and franchise was dead and gone.  Fans of the festival’s previous guises at Minehead wept while those that attended the bungled festival last summer rejoiced as the catastrophically executed event endangered lives and parted fans with their hard earned cash for little or nothing in return. After a wishy-washy admission for a portion of the blame along with some refunds, everyone was surprised to see Bloc re-launch in early 2013 with the announcement of a series of London events. In the same way that opinions were split over the festival’s demise, the public stood back, said their piece and awaited word of insult to be added to their injury.

This is NOT that word…

Its fair to say that Bloc 2012 was an unmitigated disaster and its perfectly just that people left without the festival they paid for or their money in return should feel aggrieved. For whatever reason, whether it was greed, lack of proper management, security issues or fake tickets, Bloc London 2012 was events-quake, a total bomb and something for which the organisers, by definition, should take responsibility. However, vilifying them, what they do and how they do it is not the way to move things forward. Mistakes were made and some people will always bear a grudge, but the Bloc team are trying to move on and in their attempts they have booked some of the most sought after names in dance music today. Adding to this a perfect new venue and the ground support gained from the pre disaster era, BlocLondon has a fair chance of wiping the slate clean.

On March 9^th, Model 500 got the ball rolling and I’m told that, with a tentative crowd of near capacity the first in the nine-part string of events was deemed a success. Last Saturday saw the inimitable Omar S take centre stage with support from Claro Intelecto, followed on Sunday by the L.I.E.S. (Long Island Electrical Systems) record label from New York making their much-anticipated U.K. debut. Steve Summers, Svengalisghost (Live) and label head Ron Morelli gave an awe-inspiring display in raw, unabashed techno, ghetto and house. The coarse aesthetic of the label’s celebrated back catalogue was prominent as the aforementioned talent plied their wares with little fan fare or fuss, allowing the music to say it all. Much complimented by a receptive crowd, the perfect setting and a sound system that adequately catered to their engrossing performances, the L.I.E.S. crew must have been mighty pleased by their first British show. The highlight of the night was an unrelenting and seamless DJ set from emerging talent, Delroy Edwards. His track selection wholly suited the mood and an unforgiving TR-909 kick sang through the entirety of his set. This constant gave Edwards the perfect foundation to rove through his favourite selections and open himself up to his already captive audience. After two hours of Delroy rinsing it hard, Ron Morelli retook the controls and played a more expansive set, highlighting his eclectic electronic tastes, which gave the crowd an opportunity to draw breath and take stock of everything they had previously heard.

With six more events on the horizon and line ups including Egyptian Lover, Shackleton, Cosmin TRG and Green Velvet to name but a few, everything is now setup for the Bloc team to build upon the apparent success of their “first” three events and use the momentum gained to help dispel some of the negativity attached to their name. It’s not certain if this will completely repair customer confidence but if pace continues at its current rate its imaginable that Bloc 2012 will be chalked up to experience and we may well see a return to the festival format for which the organisers originally gained recognition. In the meantime, if you’re in need of a Minehead experience, a trip to east London should certainly see you right.

We decided to pull some tunes together for a new monthly playlist which we’ll post on the first Monday of every month. For April’s playlist the theme is simple: tracks we’ve had on heavy rotation for the last weeks. Each of us pigs threw four tracks into the mix and it’s made for some nice eclectic listening. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we do.

You can see who picked what and why after the jump.

+ Phil

The Heavy – Short Change Hero
From time to time I create soundtracks for films I haven’t made yet. This was the starting point from my latest incredibly lame creation/hobby.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Let The Day Begin
I went to see them recently in Glasgow. They played an incredible two hour set covering material new and old.

Groove Armada – Hands of Time
I just whacked this on the playlist in work and it always goes down a treat.

Ify Gerry Crusade – Everybody Likes Something Good
I’ve been listening to a lot of afrobeat and afro-funk records over the last few weeks. This track is on the Strut Records records compilation Nigeria 70 “Lagos Jump” which is a must. And yeah…I’m always banging on about Strut Records.

+ Russell

Sandrow M. – Gonna Make It
Sandrow’s slick synth driven house track kills me every time I hear it.

DJ Koze – Royal Asher Cut
Stand out cut on the new DJ Koze album Amygdala. Koze is one of the few house/electronic producers today that has his own sound and keeps you guessing.

Darondo – Didn’t I
Timeless music that I’d totally forgotten about till it featured on Breaking Bad. On daily rotation now.

+ JJ

Kraftwerk – Radioactivity
Currently reading Kraftwerk Publikation, absolute classic slice of future electronics, still way ahead of its time.

Major Lazer – Get Free
When the snow is chucking it down, this little slice of sun reminds you that the summer will come again, a guilty pleasure.

Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson – We Almost Lost Detroit
Feel it!

Frank Ocean – Thinkin’ About You
Was lucky enough to visit LA last year and bumped this album continually in the rental, sounds just as good at home as it did on the freeway

+ Greg

Ann Peebles – Trouble, Heartache & Sadness
Mobb Deep - Survival of the Fittest
Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing
Digable Planets – Dog It

Siggi Odds // Portfolio

I recently stumbled across Icelandic artist/designer Siggi Odds. Each piece seems to have a style all of its own. Really love his work.

Jay Shells // Rap Quotes

This is a really sweet idea. Artist Jay Sheils visits some iconic corners in NYC that were mentioned in some of hip hop’s most recognizable tracks, and hangs lyrics from the spots that inspired them.

The GTW // Chigeria

Chicago x Nigeria = Chigeria. Two places that have influenced Chicago based artist GTW. In this mix he brings “a blend of sounds from all over Chicago’s progressive scene” as he puts it. Check it out, there are some nice tracks in there.

De La Soul // The Bizness (Remix)

This certainly isn’t new, but I rediscovered it the other day and if you haven’t heard it before then I’d advise treating yourself. The Bizness remixed, its perfect to kick off the weekend…

We’re setting sail with the Airbound crew this weekend. They’ve asked to play at the closing party on Sunday in the Horse & Groom in Shoreditch along with some pretty killer acts including Chateau Flight.

If you’ve never been here’s a taster……..get involved.

Full event details here