After Minimal Nation’s Robert HoodEPM now present a slamming Nice N Nasty mixed by Desy Balmer and Dave Ingham. The Nice N Nasty podcast is a St. Patrick’s day special and offers you the finest electronic producers, remixers and labels from Ireland.
The mix takes you along deep techno, acid house and electronica by the hands off Boxcutter, Donnacha Costello, Orlando Voorn and more. So grab a pint, listen to the podcast below and check out the Q&A EPM did with Desy Balmer a bit further down this page.
Tracklist: 1. Lerosa - Calliope - MVSICA (Fine Art) 2. Om Unit - Lavender (All City) 3. Jet Project - Message from Chi-Town (Beef Records) 4. Timmy Stewart - Maya - (Elevation) 5. Mark O'Sullivan - Come Over (Psycatron Remix) - (Nice & Nasty) 6. Orlando Voorn - Angles (Itokim Praise Mix) -(Nice & Nasty) 7. Orlando Voorn - Angles (Dave Ellesmere Heavenly Funk Mix) - (Nice & Nasty) 8. Psycatron - Deeper Shades of Black (Mark O'Sullivan Mix) - (Planet E) 9. Rob Glennon - Bass Shifter (Paul Mac Lo Fi Dub Mix) - (Nice & Nasty) 10. Donnacha Costello - Black Bag Job (737) 11. Heretics of Disco - Feeling Electrified (Manuel Perez Mix) - (Nice & Nasty) 12. Decal - Can't Stop (decal-artifacts) 13. Rob Glennon - Gorilla Milk (Epsion Remix) - (Static) 14. Rennie Foster - Searchin' (Mauel Perez Remix) - (Nice & Nasty) 15. Gary Beck - Stolen from the Jake (Lee Holman Remix) - Fine Art 16. Boxcutter - Skuff'd (Planet Mu) 17. T-Polar - The Baseball Fury's - (Nice & Nasty) 18. thatboytim - Past the end (Digital Distortion) 19. thatboytim - Past the end (Ed Devane Remix) - (Digital Distortion) 20. ikeaboy - blindfold (invisible agent infiltrate mix) - (Invisible AGent) 21. Rob Glennon - Ark Machine - (Bastardo Electrico) 22. Hypertic - Jack in the Box - (Resopal Schallware) 23. El Prevost-Do You Remember- [Tony Blunt 'Dark Mood' Remix] -(Elevation) 24. Mike Doc - Sidewinder - (Dublin Xpress) 25. Fish Go Deep- Dubweapon 1 - (Bastardo Electrico) 26. Chymera - The Rumours Of My Demise - (Coocoon) 27. Jet Project - We March At Dawn - Sian's Heart Bound For Hell Rmx - Intimacy 28. thatboytim - Down In The Hole [Sunil Sharpe Remix] - (Takeover)
1. As a long running Irish electronic music label, how do you feel that the scene has developed on the Emerald Isle since you started Nice N Nasty? The obvious answer is that today there are many labels and producers. There have always been plenty of quality DJs, many of whom travelled the globe, like David Holmes, Agnelli & Nelson and so on, but there were never that many labels. There was Sugar Sweet by Holmes and McReady in Belfast and Mark Kavanagh’s Red Records in Dublin and Nice & Nasty. I have vague memories of U2 starting a label but it had one tune called Bumble that featured the gratuitous fiddle in it and was awful. Soon came labels like D1 and Bassbin arrived. David Holmes had EPI for a short time after Sugar Sweet but literally a decade or more later, a decade and a half in our case, we have some serious new labels like All City, Static, Elevation, Minimise, Mode Music, Gobsmacked, Takeover, Mantrap, Bastardo Electrico and many more.
I suppose though the growth of labels was inevitable and for a long time most of the local labels really focused on local artists but now we have some international acts on local labels – Orlando Voorn, Terrence Dixon and Marco Bernardi on Nice & Nasty; DJ Bone and Trench on Bastardo Electrico; Space Djz and Robert Armani on Gobsmacked; and Mark Broom on D1 to name a few. The most pleasurable thing is not the foreign lads wanting to be on the local labels but the fact that Irish producers are leading lights among the foreign labels – Fergie, Boxcutter, Decal, Phil Kieran, Chymera, Sian, Hystereo and Donnacha Costello on the likes of Planet Mu, Cocoon and Soma etc. that’s whats really cool about today Ireland and Irish DJs, Producers are not merely reliant of local labels and local labels are attracting foreign investment. That’s cool, that’s a progression from when I started. When you think that when I started It was rare for an Irish DJ to play outside of Ireland. David Holmes got some early gigs that many of us actually went to and this was at a time before Ryan Air and cheap flights, a time when Dave Hales from Dublin played Belfast and it was a huge deal as most guests were the British DJs.
2. As an all Irish artist podcast this is the first time we have highlighted the music from one country. Is there a common thread or style that links the artists to Ireland, like say ‘Detroit Techno’ or is the music scene there more disparate? The all Irish bit is a bit like Jack Charlton’s soccer team. We have some people in there under the granny clause (note: you are eligible to play football for Ireland if you have Irish grandparents). Orlando Voorn and Gary Beck appear, however Voorn’s tune is from Nice & Nasty an irish label, my label and Beck is on Soma but the actual mix is the Lee Hollman remix who is 100% Irish. Labels such as Fine Art and Planet Mu from the UK appear, as do a couple of German labels, even Detroit’s own Planet E but then they have Irish artists. In many ways the mix of people, places and blood that appears in the mix represents modern Ireland and the every increasing Irish Diaspora. Morrisey captured this essence best describing himself and titling his album ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’.
If there are six degrees of separation between anyone and Actor Kevin Bacon there is maybe only 3, max 4, degrees before you find an Irish relative and anyway on Paddy’s day we are all Oirsih!
This mix is a 360 degree look at the Irish electronic music scene and that is vibrant, full of Irish but our scene is also full of Brazilians’ British, Americans, Chinese, Polish and so on and I hope that this mix represents that, irish artists, irish labels, irish remixers, the Irish scene so I don’t claim everything is 100% irish but then I don’t work for An Bord Bia ;-)
Is there a sound – ummm – I don’t know. For a long time Dublin has been techno city, especially hard techno a la Simms, Surgeon, Ignition Technician or Detroit a la Saunderson, May and Kenny Larkin but today there has been a massive resurgence of deep house. This mix features a few different genres. It goes from Deep house to minimal techno to Detroit techno, electro to abstract dubstep back to Detroit and then into hard tech to finish. Its got something for the true techno lover but its one thread would be good music to listen too but better to dance to.
One thing I’d like is for an irish or Dublin sound to evolve, like Detroit, Chicago, Sheffield, Berlin etc but then many of our guys are now living in Barcelona, NYC and Berlin and of course our holiday villages that are London, Manchester and Glasgow. Glasgow is very like us, some shit hot producers and labels but no distinct sound. This mix is just good underground tunes – deep, melodic and funky. Not always easy on the ear or brain but they do shake the ass.
3. An all Irish mix, released on St. Patrick’s Day. Will you be up for the craic? Will I ever? Bizarrely Paddy’s day has become a week of partying here and based in Dublin you can be sure to be sure we’ll be having the craic starting on Tuesday night with a trip to see Marlena Shaw and then flicking between Pod venues to see Garnier or Derrick Carter. If my liver and age permit it’ll be the weekend before it ends without little respite in between. I’d love it if people from all around downloaded the podcast and played it. I’d love some Paddy’s day feedback to boot as a nurse ye olde Oirish hangover.
4. What does St. Patrick’s Day mean to most people in Ireland beyond drinking guiness and wearing silly green hats? Does it give you a national identity? The modern version of St Patrick’s day is probably more of an American construct but yes it does give a sense of price and national identity and unlike other nations, everyone celebrates on Paddy’s day. There will be St Patrick’s festivals, Parades and parts in Munich, Ghent, Florida, Nova Scotia, Syndey. It’s a wonderful phenomena, no doubt inspired by the largesse of the stereotypical drinking culture but so what, who gives a f*ck if for one day a year people forget the recession, their woes and enjoy themselves with a few beers and wear lots of green. It is one piece of happiness we share with the world that makes us unique – rarely do non Americans celebrate Thanks Giving; despite the BBC and Eastender’s best efforts St Georges day in England pales in comparison; and without sounding like a politician it brings a serious amount of money into the country and we need it right now. Our history, our culture, our struggle, our troubles, our poetry, our rock and roll and maybe now our techno gives us our identity, this is just a chance to take ourselves a wee bit less serious and have a party and the great thing is, everyone agrees with us and joins in. I like that. Plus you get the day off work, need I say more?
5. Who in your eyes are the new Irish producers to look out for? The new ones would most definitely be The Parallel, Ed Devane, Psycatron, Om Unit, and maybe Mick Chillage, Diarmaid O’Meara, Tr-One, Lerosa, and Hypertic but I’d still keep an eye on and an ear to the ground for more established acts like Chymera, Sian, Mark O’Sullivan, Donnacha Costello and Phil Kieran.
Plus I would never discount or forget the talents of Corrugated Tunnel, Lee Hollman, Produse, Japanese Popstars, Rob Glennon or Decal. Labels to watch out for are Acroplane, All City, Static and Bastardo Electrico and last but not least the old fella of the gang, nice & nasty. I would urge people to check out some of the DJs as I have always believed them to be the best. To this day Glen Molloy, Robbie Nelson and Holmes and McCready rock my world but if in Ireland or a promoter from abroad consider checking out Arveene, Sunil Sharpe, Jamie Behan, Barry Redsetta, Fishgodeep, Timmy Stewart, Billy Scurry, Steve Boyd and of course everyone and anyone from nice & nasty and Dublin Xpress.
6. Has electronic music helped knock down the old divisions of the last 50 years? (when you say divisions do you mean the cross community, cross border tensions?) Yes it has – simple as that and if anyone says I am wrong they can meet me outside ;-) The divisions only really existed in the North, where I am from. Belfast was a divided city for the 70s, 80s and half of the 90s. It has changed but still plenty of work needs done. Music and dance music did play its part. FACE, One World, Sugar Sweet, Faith, Choice all played their part as has Shine today in providing a platform for kids from both communities to dance together and party.
I started clubbing in 89 or thereabouts and it wasn’t too long before that, that the city centre of Belfast had iron railings and iron gates that had turnstiles for Saturday shoppers to pass through and when you did – one at a time – it went clunk, clunk, clunk clunk. This was very militaristic and very industrial looking and sounding and there was plenty of fear. My sister who is 19 doesn’t believe half of these stories as they are alien to her, but because of the tensions people stayed local most of the time, local sports clubs like the local GAA or the Rangers club etc is where people went to discos and you were more likely to hear Mud and Tiger Feet than Inner City’s Good Life or Cubic 22’s Night in Motion.
Raves gave something to kids not witnessed since the hey day of punk and some people jumped the band wagon and then the whole thing exploded, pardon the pun. It is of no coincidence that around this time drugs in particular ecstasy was growing in popularity and not only ravers were enjoying their delights.
The people running guns ran the drugs. Only a simpleton would believe otherwise. Tabloids today are full of stories of how former paramilitaries are running the drug scene today as the troubles subside gangsters step in like any other city I suppose. Anyway, drugs were so effective at helping people club together and dance and forget where they were from `that Sugar Sweet used to put the slogan ‘No Love Thugs’ on their flyers to try and convince yahoos loved up from coming down. But you went to raves and Sinn Fein where outside side by side with St Johns Ambulance protesting at the gigs whilst around the corner at gay bars you had the Paisleyites doing something similar so if spreadin the love and ecstasy and unity through music wasn’t enough we gave people a different kind of enemy I suppose. Its dark and harsh time to look back on but my god it had its funny, funny moments – big rave in the Ulster Hall. The Mighty Carl Cox on the decks. Bomb scare is called. Place emptied. Bug eyed, jaw dropping people everywhere dancing in the streets. Cox and the promoter get the speaker and decks and turn them into the street and start banging out the tunes. Someone should make a movie about it. I think what I am trying to say is rave gave young people something of their own not protestant, not catholic, just music, dancing and good times and with the spirit of it people loved it.
Not forgetting the border raves, the all nighters, the buses Johnny Moy and Davey Hales ran from Dublin to Belfast. The Dublin clubs like temple of sound and sides and asylum giving Ulster djs like sean mccann, dilly and stevie mckenna loads of guest spots. People travelled for gigs from Belfast to Portrush for Kellys on a Saturday night a good 80 miles then after to Banbrdige for circus circus and good 140 miles. Going to dublin for gigs or further was just part of the whole adventure. It was a little romantic and exciting and the fact that the sound track was quality house and techno well then that’s just perfect. 7. Dublin v Belfast. Who has the best clubs? You’ll get me in trouble. Cork! And Galway have the best Pubs! Belfast has less draconian drinking laws right now, but its pretty even steven. I have lived in both and played in both and love both and refuse to get off this fence. If I did though I may just stick a few bob on Dublin winning as the likes of the Pod has been innovative and inspirational to the whole island and I do find many Norn Iron gigs very nostalgic.
8. Where is the most surprising place in Ireland that you found a techno scene? There is a Disability service called St John of God Meni Services and they have several community radio slots and a good few people hoping to become Djs. One young lad, loves DJ culture and loves to bang out the tunes and gets away with it and whilst some of his music is too hard and fast for me these days the smile on his face and the joy he brings to his friends makes me remember why I got into djing. Its just odd to call into or pass by a Disability service and hear loud techno during the day. Fair play to all involved. 9. Talk us through your selection. What made you choose these artist and tracks? Myself and Dave sat down with a list of labels we like, artists we like. We then had to see who was absent from the list and we got in touch with them and asked them to submit a few things for consideration. From the start we were conscious about making a mix that was representative and not just another cul-de-sac of tunes by your mates or from your own label. I hate that when others do it so I refuse to be the same.
Our biggest problem was the array of tunes was so vast. Consider the fact that Tr-One, Phil Kieran, David Holmes, Fergie, David Donohoe, Rob Rowland, Scott Logan, Hystereo, Sourceode, Japaense Popstars, Mysoul, Corrugated Tunnel, Gobsmacked records, D1 records, Bassbin, Mantrap, Acroplane, FVF, Mode Music, Indo Phunqe, Soul AD and Julian Eustace didn’t make the cut (this time) you sort of get the gist of our problem. We had to make a mix that flowed as well as represented, showcased.
So we got the tunes we liked and we knew that flowed and mixed. We realized that some of the tunes were disparate tempo’s and leftfield genres but we wanted to highlight the rich variety of stuff going on. Irish rock is way more than just U2, Snow Patrol and The Script and the same thing applies to techno, electro and house.
After getting a hardcore track list of 40 we started to practice what mixed with what and were able to get it down to 30 and to make sure people could burn an 80 min CD from the download dropped a further two and now you have 28 trax, some edited a little but all of the highest calibre and mixed pretty well. The mix does what I like, what I enjoy by DJs like Garnier, Derrick Carter, Francois K, Masters at Work, Richie Hawtin in that it goes up and down and takes you on a journey so it aint some boring run of the mill mix. When Dave and I DJ we both play tunes you wouldn’t expect. Dave has a fantastic record collection of Northern Soul, 60s and 70s funk and hip hop. He would be a massive aphex twin and planet mu fan where as I am more Disco and House and techno orientated – I am the nice to his nasty most of the time and neither of us like to go to clubs and hear the same mono tone beat over and over again. Its lazy, its boring and there is no need to be so puritanical. Have some fun and after all this is a mix on paddys day if ever a party mix is needed its today.
10. Thierry Henry. Discuss. Wanker! Would be one word, but seriously, c’est la vie.
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