For a tiny little island on the edge of Europe, Ireland and the Irish don’t half punch above their weight. What is it about this damp little place that makes it an almost prerequisite for American Presidential candidates to declare Irish roots? Why do people from far flung corners of the globe dye their rivers green on March 17th? And, why does every airport have at least one obligatory Irish bar?
Who cares? Being Irish is what it is and most of the time it’s great. For an island of approx. six million people we somehow managed to produce world champion sports men, poet laureates and rock stars galore and emerging from the shadows of David Holmes, Agnelli & Nelson and Fergie we now have a serious selection of DJs, Producers and Record Labels right now.
The roots of Irish techno and electronica are found in seminal clubs back in the day and apart from a dozen or so adventurous DJs, desperate club owners and half a dozen record shops, Ireland’s dance music and electronica scene fumbled in the dark shadows of its UK neighbours for much of the 1990s.
Today, however, the story is completely different.
Ireland’s love of electronic music has grown; some would say out of control and mega festivals in Ireland such as Electric Picnic, Planet Love and Life are just the tip of the iceberg. Pertinently, in Ireland real people have adapted the community based model espoused by the internet and in 2006, set up a virtual yet tangible semi private community. A Collective, a cooperative, a Digital Sound System that has a virtual basis but at the end of the day involves real people, distinct opinions and produces creative products.
The aptly named Electronic Ireland (E I) is this collective community. E I is a motley crew of talented Irish DJs, Producers and Label owners with a common dream of plying their trade to others beyond the Emerald Isle. E I is, through its original members, linked to: 0×3 Records, Exhibit B Records, Skream Science Records, Bastardo Electrico Records and Nice & Nasty records.
According to founding member and driving force of E I, Mike McCoy: “I think Electronic Ireland works on two levels - the first is in the public eye, it is a website that acts as a stage for Irish talent on a world-wide basis. Our visitors from over 30 countries come from as far as Tokyo and San Diego. I stumbled across an Australian website recently that wrote a piece about Electronic Ireland, it was a great review and recommendation about us but they were quiet surprised that such a “backward” and “old-fashioned” country had such a healthy underground techno scene!”
“The second level that electronic Ireland works on is the common interest group and the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience between E I’s members. More experienced EI members that have been around longer than others enjoy nurturing and promoting upcoming talent.”
Jamie Behan, one of E I’s original members claims that: “E I means working with like-minded people with a shared love for electronic music and not greed, fame and their own egos.” Jokingly Behan adds: “It also gives me the platform to take the p*ss out of Mike on a regular basis, which I have been doing for 3 years”.
Jamie Behan needs little introduction to Irish techno fans. His Radio Friendly show in the crimson republic that is Cork, his residency at the legendary Sir Henrys and his own night and now label Bastardo Electrico has placed him at the forefront of Irish techno in Ireland for over a decade and his many guest spots up and down the country, including Electric City and Junction, are testament to that. He has now also signed to DJ Bone’s agency “Real Djs” and to Bone’s record label Subject Detroit.
The 3rd original member of E I is Desy Balmer. Desy states “My perception of what EI does is that it facilitates Irish Producers to network, express and encourage each other to continue to create and re-create. We all appreciate the fact that we are out there having a go and if we can give advice or help another then we will. E I is in many ways an umbrella or national organization for aspiring DJs and Producers.”
Desy continues “What E I is not, is a poxy sh*t-talk forum for kids to upload drivel. It is not a platform for two-bit promoters to use as free advertising. It is not a clique. It does use some form of Chomsky-esque filtering and users of electronicireland.com can be assured that certain elements of quality control are in operation. I enjoy the fact that the website focuses on all things Irish in electronic music.”
Mike points out that: “I think we are the only Irish consortium of electronic music that don’t belong to one set group or organisation in one particular area… we all have our own projects, and do our own thing outside of EI, but we all help each other in what way we can, I think this is the true spirit of Electronic Ireland now and what we are about and I think this is a good quality to have, in a scene that can sometimes be clicky.”
Electronic Ireland is dedicated to Techno without being any fun or puritanical, it is a virtual meeting ground where you can get an instant who’s who of Irish techno and through E I the fight is being taken away from the emerald isle and battles are being won on foreign soil.