ELLLL, Jehnova, Leo Miyagee, Polytunnel, Mel Keane and more.
Returning from the end of year list season and the Christmas break, there is a sense of new music to be caught up on, a time to look forward again, after a reflective period of looking back from the closing weeks of 2024.
That means it’s catchup roundup time, as I share some of the best new Irish releases in recent weeks that were obfuscated by the end of year best of break.
ELLLL – Earth Rotation
The Berlin-based Cork electronic producer Ellen King returned with a a debut album, a 13-track collection of music in December. The Gash Collective co-founder’s music typically explores textured techno sounds, and Earth Rotation on the BRUK label, finds the artist in a more exploratory play-filled mood, with the sounds of brush strings, piano mallet embedded in its tactile plucked and prodded forms.
The theme of “embattled ecosystems” hangs over the record, which leans more in an ambient experimental direction than her previous work, punctuated by wonky grooves like ‘Sticky Dub’ and my favourite, and the album’s most forthright track ‘Titan’ – a skittering febrile rhythm track.
Jehnova – IOU3
The Nuxsense Collective’s most prolific rapper in terms of releases, Dubliner Jehnova hooks up with producer Irish producer DJM1 for a 10-track mixtape, filled with classic rap beats and rhymes as is Jehnova’s modus operandi.
There is a definite early ’90s vibe to these tracks, with the voice of MF DOOM appearing at the start of track two – ‘Sentinal’, but also the presence of jazz drums and loops that Wu Tang and Guru would have jumped on with ease while turntable scratching reinforces that nostalgic vibe.
Along with the always compelling lyrics of Jehnova, the mixtape features Beano from Outstraight Records, fellow Nuxsense member Luthorist, South African, Dublin-based rapper IB Rebel and Zimback of Yellow Dragon Band (Osaka).
Cace! – Kindred Heart, Fiery Solace
The Dublin-based rapper Cace! released this 8-track 20 minute mixtape on New Year’s Eve. It features some fine bright rap tracks with help from Irish artist $ona Blu€ and production by JOAS. Not much info on this one but it’s giving me vibes of MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt.
Leo Miyagee and Eulogy – VEIN OF FOLLY
The seven-track collaborative release between Belfast MC Leo Miyagee and producer Eulogy which dropped on New Year’s Eve Eve matches Leo Miyagee’s colourful urgent flows to pensive airy electronic-leaning productions across a short 16 minutes.
Polytunnel – The Word Is World For Forest
Kilkenny producer Pete Lawlor released a long player in December as Polytunnel showcasing his love of Detroit-inspired techno and house productions. Formerly known as Replete, Lawlor is more readily found releasing music on Moot Tapes or more recently Made Magnetic with his close friend Leo Pearson (the pair have a project called Solkatt together also).
The album, with the title inspired by Ursula K Le Guin’s novella of the same name “which delves into themes of destruction, resistance, and the devastating impact of imperialism,” and is a love letter to his adopted city of Glasgow, where the album was recorded.
The Word Is World For Forest moves between the shades of acid, classic techno, house, breakbeat and electro, as heard on the Leftfield’Song Of Life’-esque opener ‘Dying Of The Light’ and the rolling synth vistas of ‘Paro’.
Svhymns – @@places_w//HEADPHONES:ON
The Irish producer Cian Perdisatt is behind the Svhymns moniker, a prolific project in its short infancy which is part of the Euroworld universe label along with yeire13 (the pair have also released an album together as Euroworld).
@@placesw//headphones:ON is the first of two long playing albums (OK this one is 19 minutes) from the Svhymns project, and like much of the output of the project, the tracks are densely packed with woozy rap beats, fizzy electronics and processed vocals.
@@placesw//headphones:ON specifically states it draws influence from ambient folk, trip-hop, “glimpses of pop”, with inspirations from the likes of Mac Miller, Alice Coltrane, and underground rap.
Released on December 27th 2024, the album’s gauzy tracks feel hazed with sonic atmosphere as 808 hits, synth lines and stream-of-consciousness casual vocals are garbled into the production as a technique. It’s music that is hard to grasp but there is something there that recalls the best of cloud rap, dark sinogrime and alternative hip-hop.
Mel Keane – Airs
Just shy of three years on from the Dublin producer’s low-key ambient sleeper hit release Frog Of Earth, Keane returned in December with an album under his own name entitled Airs on the wherethetimegoes label, and was recommended here last month by David Kitt.
Imbued with a strong bent of sound design and electro-acoustic experiments, much like the first album on this list, Airs draws on processed folk textures, treated birdsong, zither, whistles and choral voices amongst its sonic vignettes that move in and out of frame with pace.
The music feels analogous to the early work of Forest Swords or the AI-assisted output of Holly Herndon, in the way it matches sacred music sounds with electronics as heard on ‘Seán’.
Listening to the dreamy probing collages of Airs feels as fresh as the crisp mornings outside our January windows right now.
