Chósta is Conor Kelly, an electronic electronic producer from Donabate who supported Caribou last week.
His work as Chósta (pronounced Coast-ah) has often made use of its surroundings whether it’s Donabate beach on ‘Alone’, or the evocative club ghosts of Dublin’s past on ‘Late Night Jazz Radio’ and its accompanying video.
Newest song ‘Vox’ is out today and takes inspiration from the old, established parts of Dublin city that is being pushed out by modern developments all around it, with this new song in particular inspired by Henry and Moore Street market sellers of the 80s from the RTE archives, who were being pushed out of their way of life during the ’80s.
“This is my part of Dublin and it’s a part I’m never going to give up,” the woman says.
I’ll let Conor take it from here:
“During the interminable third lockdown early last year, I was watching grainy old footage from RTE’s archives on YouTube and there were a couple of clips that stood out. Both were light hearted news segments interviewing stall owners on Dublin’s renowned Henry and Moore Street markets from the 1970s and 80s, but one particular stall owner struck a chord with me. This lady made holly and wax flowers by hand, carrying on four generations of tradition in her family, but she was the last florist left in that particular area mostly because her colleagues had been turfed out due to the increasing commercialisation of the street.
“It was a bit of an awakening for me, in that we perceive gentrification and cultural erosion as a fairly recent phenomena, but in reality it was going on in the early 80s and before. Despite this, she remained defiant.”
“‘Vox’ is built around that sample and a street recording I took of a dapper gentleman beautifully playing a saxophone while I was walking through the city centre one afternoon, and it’s paired with melancholic keys and shuffling beats.”
“The archived footage I was watching also foreshadowed the present, reminding me of the historic Iveagh and Smithfield markets that are either rented out to big corporations or rotting away in dereliction. The video, directed by Rob Maguire, offers a glimpse of that grim reality, but more importantly attempts to showcase the wonderful locals still operating and persevering on Henry Street and the Liberties market in spite of trying circumstances – a message we can all take heart from.”
Watch the video of the song here:
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