Second Square To None

Swarm Intelligence productions keep going from strength-to-strength. Check out this recent set on Mantis Radio for quality twitchy broken beat and jagged industrial flavours, tasty stuff.

Tracklisting

Evan (The Confused Eclectic) runs a great show on Space Invader Radio called Eclectism that I recommend ye all check out. The selections are definitely appropriate to the name with music from such diverse acts as Scuba, Ben Frost, The Bug and Godspeed You Black Emperor featuring in his latest show. He also includes a tasty selection of homegrown music, such as (ulterior motive alert) in his most recent show when he gave new SSTN release A Shadow a spin.

Give mixcloud.com/spaceinvaderradio a visit for a big archive of shows and check Evan's blog at theconfusedeclectic.com.

Square Waves 2.9: Songs and Other Things... by SquareWaves

SHOW 2.8 Tracklist and info

Artist: United Bible Studies
From: Ireland
Track: The Lowlands of Holland
Album: The Jonah
Label: Camera Obscura
From: Austrailia
Year: 2009
Notes: : constantly changing collective of Irish musicians mainly based in Dubin, the usual players are Aine O'Dwyer, David Colohan, Gavin Prior, Ivan Pawle (2), James Rider, Michael Tanner, Richard Moult and are involved in loads of other groups such as Agitated radio Pilot, Plinth, Toymonger, Boys of Summer. Visit Bandcamp to download the excellent The Kitchen Session ep.

  A Shadow - 'Ebb and flow' EP by SSTN

Second Square to None is proud to announce the release of A Shadow ‘Ebb and Flow’

It features three tracks of high-quality ambient post-rock/electronica that bring to mind acts such as Fennesz, Stars of the Lid, Colleen & Tim Hecker.

The EP is available to download now at:
http://sstn.bandcamp.com
on a name-your-price basis.

A SHADOW

‘A Shadow’ is Dublin-based musician Keith Murphy. From an early age Keith experimented with recording, using cheap tape recorders to capture songs and instrumental music with his acoustic guitar.

Keith progressed to incorporate all manner of stringed and percussion instruments coupled with any guitar pedals or sound processing gear he could manage to get his hands on. After studying composition for a number of years he began combining this broader instrumental palette with more advanced recording and sound manipulation techniques and a more developed and unique compositional voice.

The sound world he creates is founded on the combination of minimal instrumental material and dense processed textural layers in slow moving progressions. The influence of artists such as Fennesz, Colleen, Fabio Orsi and Tim Hecker can be felt in A Shadow’s music.

Keith also performs with the Dublin based band ‘The Eclectic’ who have released two EPs and are currently working on their debut album.

secondsquaretonone.com
ashadow.secondsquaretonone.com
sstn.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/sstn
twitter.com/sstn_

Delighted to have Harmless Noise host the exclusive first listen to A Shadow's new release out this Friday on SSTN.

Check out the post at harmlessnoise.wordpress.com.

Hot off the press, some very very bleak dark ambient from Conchúir O' Drona, a.k.a. From The Bogs of Aughiska, and one half of relative spectrum-opposite duo Drugzilla.
Taking inspiration from his west-Clare surroundings, with a pinch of mythology and bucketloads of Grim, this debut emits a heavy, cold fog of doom.

Take a listen to the standout track ""The Great Sea Stack at the Cliffs of Moher" on his Facebook page.

Sunken Foal - Mother of God clips by Acroplane

We have been eagerly anticipating a monster set of mutant electronics from Sunken Foal for awhile and this release absolutely delivers. Sinewy synths and gnarled beats combine with glassy tones, twisted samples and acid squelches to form a captivating mix of floor-movers and lyrical electro-acoustic passages.

http://www.acroplane.org
http://www.myspace.com/wesunkthefoal

BUY BUY BUY
Buy from Boomkat
Buy from AddictechBuy from Juno

Galway-based Alkalinear Recordings, run by Jimmy Penguin and Ventolyn and Becotyde offer a day's worth of free music, ranging from turntable-formed hip hop to richly textured IDM...check it!

http://alkalinearrecordings.tumblr.com/freereleases

All things slow moving with an atmospheric, abstracted guitar piece by Wereju.

  Partial Gathering - UnAble to Negate Reason by SSTN Strings

This Strings Series installment comes from Belfast/London duo Partial Gathering who here combine classical instrumentation with digital processing to create a timbrally rich piece full of ominous intent.

Tell us a little about your musical background ie influences, formative experiences, bands you play/played in
In my teens, I was completely taken with rock music by Fugazi, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Led Zeppelin and electronica artists like Aphex Twin; I became fixated with the equal weight of melodies and feedback. When I began my BMus I was introduced to the world of contemporary classical and electroacoustic music and quickly married the noise, dissonance and consonance of the two fields in my mind. I had been an orchestral violinist and following my graduation from a BMus at Queen’s University in Belfast I began playing electric violin for a prog-folk rock outfit, Catoan. I went on to start an interdisciplinary arts project with fellow Catoan-ites called The Summer Experiment which ran for two years in Belfast before moving to London to start my Masters in Compostion at the Royal College of Music. I’ve been gradually forging a blend of improvisation, rock noise, lush harmony and colourful timbre which Partial Gathering has been a major outlet for. Meeting Coco had a huge impact on my musical thinking; such a phenomenal cellist with a strong background in avant-garde and baroque music. In so many respects the opportunity to be part of a creative partnership with this dynamic has become one of my most formative experiences as a composer and performer to date.

Ed Devane is will be appearing on Nova (9-10pm, Lyric FM) this Sunday, talking with Bernard Clarke about the recent Stop/Run show. For my money one of the best shows on radio, Nova consistently  features a diverse range of fascinating music that traverses all manner of genres, blurring distinctions between contemporary 'classical' music and other experimental modes of expression, while also keeping a keen eye on the contemporary music scene in Ireland.

On this week's Nova an amazing dip into the world of the Toy Piano-hear Margaret Leng Tan in Cage, Griswold, Twining and Crumb. Music too from Terry Riley, Roxanne Turcotte, Erik Satie; and finally a chat with Ed Devane about his recent curatorial and custom-instrument building role in the Stop Run exhibition before Christmas.

http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/nova
Nova on Facebook

The mighty !Kaboogie point the way again with another quality sampler from the best of Irish electronic production. In typically inimitable !Kaboogie fashion there is a great mixture of experimental dancefloor bass styles on offer here. Currently listening and everyone here has surpassed themselves with this one: get it now for free.

See !Kaboogie for download, artist links and further details.

Bit last minute with this, but if you're about town tonight this should be good. Features a really great visual music piece by Jane Cassidy amongst other things.


Kernel by Jane Cassidy

We were very privileged to put out Niamh de Barra's debut EP, Cusp, in 2010. A couple of very nice people saw fit to mention it in end of the year round-ups and we are much obliged to them for the support:

Forwards/Backwards: favourite musical moments in 2010 on Sweet Oblivion.

Top Irish EPs of 2010 on Electric Whipcrack.

Included in Irish Times' A very good year: the best Irish acts 2010 by Jim Carroll. Thanks also to Jim Carroll for giving Cusp plenty of airplay on The Far Side (including on the all-Irish special to mark two years of The Far Side on the air).

Cusp is also on the longlist for 'Best EP' at the Digital Socket Awards.

Also, Sunken Foal kindly included her in his 2010 top 10 tweet, along with real yokes and truffle oil...

You can still get Cusp as a pay-what-you-want download (including for €0.00, we won't hold it against ya) on Bandcamp. We're looking forward to more great music from Niamh this year.

http://sweetoblivionloves.com
http://electricwhipcrack.blogspot.com
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord
http://twitter.com/SunkenFoal


http://www.niamhdebarramusic.com
http://niamhdebarra.bandcamp.com

  Cignol 'v0id' EP (preview) by The Alphabet Set

5 tracks of expertly crafted cinematic electronica with a slighly sinister edge from cignol, PLUS 3 top notch remixes from, volitune, eutechnic and vertical 67.

Get it now at www.alphabetset.net.