A day after publicly announcing their festival’s support for the Yes vote, Longitude have added 33 acts and the Red Bull Woodlands Line Up to the sold out festival in Marlay Park in Dublin from July 13th to 15th.
Sunday tickets are now on sale too at €69.50 plus fees.
Day by dat Breakdown
Friday 13th July:
J. Cole Migos Post Malone Khalid Joey Badass 6Lack Alma A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Princess Nokia Bas Jafaris Day_S Laoise Flynn Jyellowl Stevie G Krystal Klear Eve Cailin Sarah Mooney
Saturday 14th July: Travis Scott Diplo Tyer, The Creator Giggs Sigrid Lil Pump Rejjie Snow Playboi Carti Big Shaq Mabel Kojaque Soulé Jesse James Solomon Mango X Mathman Sequence Erica Cody Dj Deece Boots & Kats Jack Thompson Long Island Sound Staxx Lyrical
Sunday 15th July:
Solange SZA Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals Sampha J Hus The Internet Kali Uchis Ibeyi Jacob Banks Iamddb Belly Naaz Durand Jones & The Indications Le Boom Lilla Vargen Sorcha Richardson Solardo Ghostboy Kettama Ciara Brady Justyna Koss
‘The Truth About Irish Hip Hop’ is a new documentary directed by Gavin FitzGerald. The 20-minute feature details the rise and evolution of Irish hip-hop since the turn of the decade.
The documentary centres itself around multiple interviews with various players on the hip hop scene and features a litany of noticeable Irish rappers. These included choice prize winners Rusangano Family, Kojaque, Ophelia McCabe, Mango x Mathman, Blindboy Boatclub and many more.
Citing the appearance of Limerick group Rubber Bandits as the genesis for the current wave of hip hop and the success of the Rusangano Family, another Limerick-based group, as the catalyst driving it, the documentary illustrates a thriving movement with a tight-knit culture of artists behind it.
Director Gavin Fitzgerald, who was heavily involved in the Conor McGregor biopic ‘Notorious’, here combines his love for all things Irish and combines it with his flair for moving realist productions.
‘The Truth About Irish Hip Hop’ is out this Thursday, watch the trailer here.
Soft Boy Records’ founder and Dublin rapper/producer Kojaque’s past releases showed flashes of the quality to come. Last year’s single ‘Wificode’ was a brief tongue-in-cheek self-analysis, but it was pointed and energised. The standalone single, and the excellent video, only added to the anticipation for a long form release. The announcement for that long form release came in January of this year and, just a little over a month later, Deli Daydreams was unveiled to the public.
Deli Daydreams doesn’t mess about with its first track ‘White Noise’. At three minutes and eight seconds long, this blistering intro offers some honest autobiographical lyrics. With minimal instrumental accompaniment, the song feels like an opportunity for the artist to speak his truth. Lines like “Just one more knacker up off the streets, that’s what they say right?” tap into a self-consciousness Kojaque displays throughout the release about how the various people around him might view him, including an omniscient audience.
On Deli Daydreams, Kojaque puts aside false bravado and instead offers a valuable insight into the psyche of the artist, as vulnerable as he is angry. The album skillfully avoids being overtly conceptual, being originally billed as the chronicle of the deli worker. Instead, Kojaque uses references to his working life in order to reflect how he and others view himself, most notably in ‘Love and Braggadocio’, “See I could love myself I’m just not there yet, they still make me rock a hairnet at the deli in fairness”. In many ways the underlying theme throughout the album seems to really be that of acceptance, both internal and external.
Deli Daydreams is short and sweet, coming in at just seven full-length songs and one hilarious interlude. Despite this, the album manages to comprehensively tell a story. ‘Last Pint’ dips into the seedier side of Dublin nightlife, spinning a tale of drug abuse and melancholic self-reflection. It’s hard not to make some lyrical comparisons to The Street’s Original Pirate Material. Both Kojaque and Skinner have the innate ability to tap into the cultural environment surrounding them, resulting in something truly relatable to those who’ve been there. From ex drunk-dials to medicinal flat 7-up, Deli Daydreams is the unmistakable product of the city that spawned it.
‘Bubby’s Cream’ sees the artist at his emotional lowest on the album. The subdued percussion and saxophone accompaniment complement the nostalgic overview of a romantic relationship excellently. The emotional range in Deli Daydreams is one of its greatest assets as an album. Kojaque is capable of being the joker, aggressor and self-loather within the space of a couple tracks. In other words, Deli Daydreams is an Irish hip-hop album in which the protagonist is recognisably human, not just a persona.
Unfortunately, the production on the album tends to feel a little flat at times. The excellent vocals, provided by Luka Palm, on ‘Politicksis’ sounds lost in the mix. So too does the pinging-tone on album closer ‘Safest Memory’, which is so out-of-the-box as to hardly be engaging at all. Maybe this is the result of the album’s relatively lo-fi production, or the independent label behind it, but these are minor issues.
These aside, Deli Daydreams is a much-needed injection of quality to the Irish music landscape.
Cork-based five-piece band Altered Hours are signed to Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre’s label A Recordings Ltd. ‘Over The Void’ is a hazy psychedelic-rock track that will set you in a reverie.
2.
Beauty Sleep – The Falling Back
Belfast Three-piece indie-pop band Beauty Sleep’s latest release ‘The Falling Back’ is dreamy electro-pop track with graceful harmonies.
3.
Kojaque – White Noise
Dublin rapper Kojaque revealed the first track from his Deli Daydreams project on label Soft Boy Records earlier in the year which follows the life of a deli worker over eight tracks. His latest release ‘White Noise’ is dedicated to the poet and musician Paul Curran.
4.
Ryan Vail – As It Tears
This is the second release from Derry electronic artist Ryan Vail’s Distorted Shadows album which is out this April. ‘As It Tears’ is a deep-electronica vibe track with haunting vocals.
Outsider YP is a hip-hop artist based in Cork City and his new track ‘Just Us’ is a tale of jealousy and being ignored by a crush or potential lover. The track is the lead single from his EP Sadboy Ultra which will be released later this year.
6.
Rebekah Fitch – A Love So Crazy
Northern Irish alternative-pop singer Rebekah Fitch’s latest track from her new EP Broken Mind deals with in-depth issues such as psychological turmoil and discovering love. The track is infused with powerful vocals throughout that evoke emotions equally as strong.
7.
Search Party Animal – Get Hitched
Formerly known as Bagels, the now four-piece Search Party Animal released their debut single ‘Evergreen’ last year. ‘Get Hitched’ is the latest release from them and sticks to their acquired upbeat experimental electro sound.
This is the latest release from Wicklow natives Neil Foot, Peter Kelly, Ben Connolly and Kelvin Barr or All The Luck In The World from their album A Blind Arcade which is out this Friday, February 23rd.
Kojaque’s ‘WifiCode’ marked an artist who was growing increasingly comfortable being a publicly visible artist after a few years of hiding in the Youtube and Soundcloud shadows.
It was also his most direct tune.
For his latest project on affiliated label Soft Boy Records, Deli Daydreams, Kojaque takes it back to the laid-back sound of his beginning with a conceptual project ” chronicling a week in the life of a Deli worker” across eight tracks.
This is the first track from it – ‘Bubby’s Cream’ accompanied with a video
DELI DAYDREAMS is a conceptual project chronicling a week in the life of a Deli worker. The project meanders through the daydreams of KOJAQUE, the main protagonist, as he contemplates love, life and loneliness in the lead up to the annual work Christmas party. The project is a vignette of working life in Dublin, mundanity, madness and escapism.
Kojaque is a Dublin rapper who has been making music for several years via Youtube videos and Soundcloud posts. His style is downbeat, jazzy and suited to late-night lounging.
Last week, he followed up his involvement in the Soft Boy mixtape and his Sunday Roast mixtape with ‘Wifi Code’ a song that feels like a transition beyond the comfort of the online space.
“The only man on a label still on Dublin bus,” he raps on an urgent piano beat.
Soft World, a short 20 minute compilation is billed as an ode to sampling.
The 11-track Bandcamp tape was arranged by SoftBoy Records founders Kojaque and Kean Kavanagh and features some hip-hop beat productions from Ireland from the likes of Wastefellow, Brame. Jar Jar Jr, MAtt Finnegan and the boys themselves. Check it out here with some recognisable samples.
Kojaque is a rapper from Dublin who appeared with the late-night piano reflection ‘Midnight Flower’ a few months back.
‘Out For Donutz’, his latest featuring a beat by Limerick producer IAMIAN, puts his brain to a track, detailing the things that races through it on a late-night train homeward bound with a nod to the greatest.
