The Irish producer Rory Sweeney has released a new song that features contributions from Dublin singer-songwriter Saoirse Miller, the Choice-Prize nominated artist RÓIS and Ristéard ÓhAodha of Princ€ss.
‘Entrance Places’ is a sprawling ambient dreamy piece – with field recording, bird song, with Julianna Barwick-esque chorals from Saoirse Miller, and contributions from RÓIS and ÓhAodha with inspirations drawn from fairy folklore, nature and Lankum’s 2023 album False Lankum.
The song deals with themes of the loneliness, the other-world, and the desire to leave our own; to a fairytale-like place that is unsettlingly perfect.
Watch the video by animators Tom Kelly (of the band SELL EVERYTHING) and Madeleine Hadd inspired by Irish folk tales like Tír na nÓg.
“So much of the music I make is inspired by fairy folklore and old Irish folk tales. The artists on the track inspire me too. I spend a lot of my days thinking about our relationship with nature, the ambivalence of it and how fairies are a weird metaphor for that. Nature can be so beautiful and cruel at the same time; there’s something there that I’m really interested in.”
“It’s fucked up that we started thinking of ourselves above nature. There used to be an understanding that we coexist with nature. With the enlightenment you start seeing humanity thinking of itself as above nature, which was a precursor for the industrial revolution and capitalism, and with it, a move towards an economy of endless growth.”
Of the Lankum inspiration, Rory says:
“That Lankum record really changed my life, it made me believe I didn’t have to compromise anymore” he says. “They’re the reason all my tunes are really long now, I’m much more patient and detailed with composition.”
“A lot of people are doing really interesting things with traditional Irish music, with more sub bass. I’m trying to take it even further. We’re trying to bring it closer to electronic music and bass music in the least tacky way possible, by finding the droney bridging points in between.”
Rory Sweeney is the man behind Carlos Danger and Irish Hash Mafia, and has normally operates in the fields of hip-hop and glitchy electronic bass music.
He has collaborated with Curtisy, SELLO, Pippa Molony, SLOUCHO, Cosha, Gemma Dunleavy, Lord Apex and Mavi.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
