Above is the online-only PDF / issuu of State’s Faces of 2010 special (see also the mixtape). It was nice to see our collective work in magazine form again even though it’s only 31 pages. We’re proud of it. You can download a PDF here.
State.ie has been in operation for two years now. In that time, it’s become one of the bigger music sites in Ireland. In my mind though, we are only just beginning.
We want State to be a site that is held in high-esteem internationally and we’re increasingly seeing recognition from other parts of the world so we’re on the right track. We’re greedy though and we are looking at redesigning the site at the moment to accommodate future changes like more podcasts, mixes, reviews, photo galleries, MP3s, feature specials etc. It’s hard not to talk about this without mentioning that at the moment, State is run in a part-time, spare time capacity. No-one is getting paid from it right now but that’s a long-term goal for sure.
As part of this continuous cycle of self-improvement we are looking for enthusiastic writers who know the difference between a subjective opinion on an album and well-formed music criticism whether you are relatively inexperienced or a veteran writer.We are looking for knowledgeable people to write regular EP and album reviews, regular columns, opinion pieces, in-depth features on the music industry, trends, genres and to become part of the daily news team. We are always looking for new photographers and film-makers to contribute too. It doesn’t matter where you are based in the world. Please send us your ideas.
We have recently started doing a monthly State Social night on the last Wednesday of every month downstairs in the Shebeen Chic. It’s a small affair with DJs and the opportunity for State’s contributors and readers to meet up regularly. The next one takes place on the 24th of February with DJ sets from Talulah Does the Hula, Loreana Rushe and Phil Udell. Phil’s got a new show on Phantom 105.2 called State of Play every Thursday from 7-8pm also.
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.
Long Live State!
Great feature, and even better to see it in magazine form. It’s a pity there isn’t a physical version, but we can’t have everything.
Fair play to State, it’s been a breath of fresh air since it started. One thought though – if it really does want to expand, to develop readership/relationships etc, would it not be an idea to bring the Social on the road? I’m sure there are plenty of venues and djs across the country who’d be happy to welcome State