Unscene Music

04/07/2024

Few gigs coming up & I learned how to do an AI...

Friday 5th July, Palestine Red Crescent Society fundraiser at Pharmacia with Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies, T.A. Narrative, The PVP.

Thursday, 18th July, Galway Arts Festival at Electric Galway with 40Hurtz.

Saturday 20th July, Seoda Shows at Dolans Limerick with FIXITY (LIVE BAND), mankyy & Andy Unscene

Song in video is Leon Thomas, "Shape Your Mind to Die"

21/06/2024

It's here! A long gestating project from two of the leading lights in Ireland's hiphop scene, perennial show-stealer Hazey Haze & beatmaker extraordinaire mankyy! Hazey Haze & Mankyy's "SHY BOII GETS NO SWEETS" is a landmark record in both of their catalogues, an unflinching document of life on the outskirts of society in Limerick's Island Field & a sonic exploration of how far one can push the norms of traditional hiphop production. It is also a tale of two friends, each inspired & emboldened by the other to go beyond where they have tread before, creating what is arguably their greatest work to date…

Initiated a couple of years ago by a commissioned, collaborative performance for John Lillis' Idir Dhà Trà event series in Co. Clare, "SHY BOII..." is two young powerhouses at the peak of their creativity & expertise. Hazey speaks candidly on his experience of growing up in one of Limerick's most notorious neighbourhoods, a place where quiet lads don’t last long & where a young man must keep his weakness in the shadows. Known for a flamboyant performance style & ruckus inducing singles, the Hazey we hear on "SHY BOII..." is simultaneously at his most vulnerable & at his most commanding, hitting the heights of braggadocio one minute & exposing his inner self doubt the next. It's a stellar, compelling & believable performance from Hazey, elevating his status as one of the genuine greats on this island.

Mankyy's approach on production is not to merely underpin & support these tales but to envelop them in ugly beautiful fragments of sonic detritus scraped from the world around him (including from esteemed collaborators Dan Walsh (Fixity) & Eilis Mahon (Ice Bear/Girlfriend)). He has created a shared space where neither words nor frequencies dominate, a Gestalt approach creating a singular entity where every millisecond matters. Though the palette & content often skews dark, the result pulses kaleidoscopically, engulfing the listener in myriad competing yet perfectly (in)harmonious motifs. There is fierce ambition here, an ambition that I posit is near wholly realised.

https://unscenemusic.bandcamp.com/album/shy-boii-gets-no-sweets

So, this is "SHY BOII GETS NO SWEETS", we think you should listen to it.

20 track album

05/06/2024

TOMORROW NIGHT!
BELLTABLE, LIMERICK.
"SHY BOII GETS NO SWEETS"
Mankyy X Hazey Haze.

TICKETS - https://limetreetheatre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873646214

Pic by Bethaniens Dust

04/06/2024

FINALLY! Some good person has uploaded Lews Tewns & Nobsta Nutts seminal "Poverty is Thirsty Work" LP to YouTube. Though they have slipped under the radar over the years, these guys were a HUGE influence in my early years, working with their own Welsh accents, beats that were seemingly forged from cuckoo spit and broken bottles, random sax solos, a truly bonkers internet radio show...

This album in particular got extremely rinsed in our house at the time and the opener "Still Skint" is about as big a classic rap tune as it gets in my book. Cannot praise this record highly enough, it's definitely not for everyone but it might be for you. Just press play and give it 5 minutes, no harm done.

Seriously. I'm actually misty eyed thinking about it. What a crew.

01. Still Skint 0:00:0002. Doors Of Innovation 0:05:0403. 80'S History Lesson 0:10:0304. Hungry Man 0:14:2605. Liquid Lunch 0:16:4406. Chapel O' Rest 0:22:48...

02/06/2024

Big men Hazey Haze and Mankyy just dropped a teaser for their forthcoming album...
You can cop it at the Bandcamp link below.

https://unscenemusic.bandcamp.com/track/swansong

Come hear the whole thing in The Belltable, Limerick City this Thursday.

Tickets - https://limetreetheatre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873646214/events/128539335/seats?zone=Belltable+Auditorium

track by The Unscene

28/05/2024

Ted's final resting place. Scene of many formative moments in Ted's journey. Record Room, Catherine St., Limerick City. Mounted directly across from the stage so he can eyeball any wack DJs that dare step up.

28/05/2024

When you've finished having your mind blown by Hazey Haze & Mankyy's new material you can gather up the pieces and lose em again at the OFFICIAL afterparty down in Pharmacia Bar! Late bar for this one. Free admission, music kicks off at 9.30pm ish.

You can still buy tickets for the live show in Belltable here - https://limetreebelltable.ie/events/hazey-haze-mankyy-album-launch-and-film-screening/

27/05/2024

Not exaggerating when I say that Hazey Haze & Mankyy have made one of the greatest rap albums to ever emerge from this island.

They'll be showcasing it next week in Belltable with a special screening of cult Island Field documentary "The Banshee Lives in the Handball Alley" on support! Make sure you get your tickets soon, gonna be a big one...

https://limetreebelltable.ie/events/hazey-haze-mankyy-album-launch-and-film-screening/

Afterparty in Pharmacia from 9.30. Yeow!

15/03/2024

TOMORROW! Paddy's Eve, Saturday, 16th March, me n Mankyy take over Pharmacia front bar for a night in celebration of music from Ireland. Digging deeeeeep in the crates for this one so expect classics from all eras as well as under-rated & long forgotten gems all night long.

From 9.30 til the wee hours. Admission is free.

04/03/2024

Uploaded a relic to YouTube earlier.

Mixtape from 2005 I sold at some gigs around then featuring some of the contemporary indie rap of the time and a few classics too. Became a bit of a cult mix for the heads, I still get asked about from time to time. Featuring a lot of tunes that were Galway ANTHEMS, built up over 3 years of rowdy gigs in Drum Bar at 091 in the GPO (2002-2004). IIRC this was launched at Edan's legendary show in the Vic in late 2005.

Tbh, it's a bit cringe, some of the tunes dont hold up and some of the skills are.... questionable. But it's a valid archival piece, from a time before rap had gained a foothold in the Irish music landscape and many Irish people still thought it was cool to say the N word.

Lots of memories attached to this one. Big up everyone who used to attend those shows, was a formative time.

Cult mixtape that did the rounds around the south and west of Ireland in the mid 00s. Recorded live to minidisc on Henry St, Galway.Launched (IIRC) at Edan's...

12/12/2023

Tickets 10 bob on Eventbrite (fees absorbed).

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/myevent?eid=776150134947

10/12/2023

Ho ho holy s**t!

We gathered the beatheads for the Xmas shindig...

40Hurtz
Clm
JaBro
Mynameisjohn

Friday, 22nd December, Record Room, Limerick City.

23/11/2023

WU-TANG! ALL NIGHT LONG! THIS SATURDAY!PHARMACIA!

Pleased to say I'll be spinning Wu-Tang joints again and again this Saturday night to celebrate 30 years of the greatest group of all time (yep, dont @ me bout no Beatles).

I'll be dropping classics, rarities, solo joints, features, b-sides... if it's got a sniff of Wu about it I'll be playing it.

From 9.30pm til I run out of s**t to play. Which, given the breadth of their discography, might be Monday evening.

Free admission. Get the neck massager out.

05/10/2023

Ted's final dance.

THIS IS THE END.
Very honoured to announce that Naive Ted's final public appearances will be as part of a magnificent line-up at this year's Haunted Dancehall.

Ted will be taking to the stage twice, first in the early evening in NCH Studio for a special semi-improvised performance with past collaborators Dan Walsh (Fixity), God Knows, Post Punk Podge and Murli performing tracks from Ted's back catalogue. Then it's off to The Sugar Club for one last late night high speed dancefloor excursion before catching the ferry to Parts Unknown for the final time.

Thanks to Foggy Notions for the opportunity.

National Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland.

13/09/2023

LIMERICK! We are back in Record Room for an evening of monumental proportions. Seriously, this is a WILD line-up.

It's Naive Ted's final performance in Limerick! It's the first ever Limerick show from Unscene favourite Bea Brennan! And it's the debut live collaboration from two of the greatest to ever to do it on this island, Mankyy & Fixity!

Holy s**t! Holy s**t! Holy s**t!

Tickets are 12 quid and are on sale now from the link below.

Naive Ted's final Limerick show! Bea Brennan's first Limerick show! Mankyy & Fixity improvising! Aaaaaaargh!

12/09/2023

Wooooeeeeeeee! Really pleased to be helping the mighty Bea Brennan with a wee Irish tour next month. Final port of call is Cork City in the super intimate environs of plugd, an amazing setting for a night of shimmering electronica and woozy ambience.

Big fellas Oootini and Bill Karnation on support duties. Yuuup!

TICKETS FROM PLUGD WEBSITE...
https://plugdrecords.com/collections/events/products/unscene-presents-bea-brennan-oootini-bill-karnation-beabrennan/

06/09/2023

10 years since Vince existed. IIRC this one originally dropped as a hyper limited cassette at Community Skratch Games 2012 before we did a digi release the following year.

10 track album

06/09/2023

All of Naive Ted's Unscene releases are now available for "Pay-what-you-like" download on Bandcamp. That's pretty sound eh?

Wee reminder that Ted's back catalogue is now on Bandcamp as a "Pay-what-you-want" download. So if you aint got bobs that s**t is FREE. Blap!

15/08/2023

Limerick's biggest weekend of the year is imminent! In just a few years this amazing crew has created a wealth of memories and injected the city with a buzz that I can honestly say I haven't experienced before in 14 years of living here.
Big up Féile Na Gréine.

Breadcrumb Home Timetable All days Friday 18.08 Saturday 19.08 Sunday 20.08 Friday 12:00pm - 01:00pm Youtube BYOL with Baptist Goth Friday 06:30pm - 08:00pm Ormston House Festival Launch with Dreamcycles * Friday 08:00pm - 02:00am Pharmacia Ana Palindrome / FONDA / Autumns / Lesko Saturday 12:00pm -...

08/07/2023

To mark Naive Ted's imminent departure from these lands, we have made his Unscene discography available for FREE / Pay-what-you-want on our Bandcamp page.

12 releases, 70 odd tracks from 2015 to present. Dig in.

04/07/2023

Yer man is giving up the game in November.

THE END IS NIGH.
Naive Ted will be hanging up the boots in November and heading home to Parts Unknown for the final time. There's a few shows to be announced so we're not doing the big goodbye just yet. But if you want Ted to play in your locale you better give us a shout ASAP. Holla!

Photo by Malcolm McGettigan Photography at Open Ear festival.

19/04/2023

Well well well... DOUBLE BILL!!!
A night of idiosyncratic dance music featuring two fellas called Bill.

Bill number 1, Converse, hails from Austin, Texas, is an underground legend of fine vintage residing at the intersection of techno, house, jackbeat and experimental electronics. His highly indivualistic productions have graced such labels as Dark Entries and Obsolete Future and his DJ skills have earned him an enviable rep as a dancefloor assassin with a cerebral edge. He's in Ireland doing a wee tour and we just had to have him to be honest. His 'The Shape Of Things To Come' LP got pretty rinsed out here in Unscene Manor and I'm fairly chuffed he's agreed to do a DJ set for us down the pub on a Sunday evening.

Bill number 2, Karnation, hails from Farranfore, Co. Kerry and is a cult favourite on the southwest freakbeat scene. He'll be playing live Techno that you can dance to or have a think about. But you should probably dance to it. We released his excellent 'Mechanismo' EP a while back via our sister not-a-label P**s & Perfume and he just sent me a load of class new s**t to put out so I'm pretty hyped all in all.

S**t is free too. Wild.
Craic kicks off at 8pm.

Big up Pharmacia for supporting us as always. See ye there.

////////////////////////

Bill Karnation

24/03/2023

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT!

THIS FRIDAY! We welcome the don Elaine Howley to Record Room Limerick. We don't use the the word don lightly round here. We've been big fans of her work for many years now, through bands such as The Altered Hours, Crevice, Howlbux and Morning Veils and we've been delighted to see her emergence as a solo artist of great importance.

"The Distance Between Heart And Mouth is an album put through the prism of mimesis. Like the aforementioned siren’s song, Elaine Howley’s debut bewitches the listener into swirling soundscapes, obscuring the jagged undercurrent with deft serenity. Existing on the periphery, the records’ sounds and textures feel expansive and lived-in, a real place built from the ground up." (The Last Mixed Tape)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTFsxbhtFrU&ab_channel=RansomNote

That fella Mankyy is on beforehand playing live via his MAX/MSP sampling contraption (as seen in his work with noise supergroup Peist) as well as playing a few tunes in his DJ guise to set the tone. Finally, the other fella Naive Ted makes an increasingly rare outing after Howley's set to see the night out with an extended DJ set for the dancers.

Big one ahead.

Tickets via Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/559957145897

21/03/2023

THIS FRIDAY! We welcome the don Elaine Howley to Record Room Limerick. We don't use the the word don lightly round here. We've been big fans of her work for many years now, through bands such as The Altered Hours, Crevice, Howlbux and Morning Veils and we've been delighted to see her emergence as a solo artist of great importance.

"The Distance Between Heart And Mouth is an album put through the prism of mimesis. Like the aforementioned siren’s song, Elaine Howley’s debut bewitches the listener into swirling soundscapes, obscuring the jagged undercurrent with deft serenity. Existing on the periphery, the records’ sounds and textures feel expansive and lived-in, a real place built from the ground up." (The Last Mixed Tape)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTFsxbhtFrU&ab_channel=RansomNote

That fella Mankyy is on beforehand playing live via his MAX/MSP sampling contraption (as seen in his work with noise supergroup Peist) as well as playing a few tunes in his DJ guise to set the tone. Finally, the other fella Naive Ted makes an increasingly rare outing after Howley's set to see the night out with an extended DJ set for the dancers.

Big one ahead.

Tickets via Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/559957145897

13/03/2023

We've helpfully combined all of Andy Deviant's demos for the M4F skratch music project that were shared as clips on social media last year.

Sorta based around the chamber music idea of music being played by friends rather than huge orchestras, stripping back the music to be played by smaller groups.

In addition, this project is a riposte to a skratch scene that is still nearly wholly focussed on virtuosity. To this end, only simple, basic, fundamental techniques were used, no solos allowed, only repetition, compositional progression is to be avoided.

Attempts were made to create a framework that would allow any 3 turntablists to improvise around a set of patterns. Not sure how successful that was, but lessons were learned.

7" records are en route, the concept will be debuted in the real world at Community Skratch Games 2023 in Galway.

More to follow...

Funded by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
Supported by Irish Chamber Orchestra and Music Generation Limerick City.

10/03/2023

Naive Ted is back in action Friday 24th March at Record Room Limerick for our Bazaar Jocker event with the sublime Elaine Howley and the wondrous Mankyy.

Longform DJ set from Ted this time round so you can probably expect some fierce fasht electro, chunky post-punk, freakbeat jazz and all sorts of dancefloor oriented wonk trax mixed in that trademark frenetic style.

Tickets - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/bazaar-jocker-elaine-howley-mankyy-naive-ted-tickets-559957145897

02/03/2023

Tickets are moving. And why wouldn't they? A cornucopia of craic on offer. Get in!
Elaine Howley
Mankyy
Naive Ted
Record Room

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bazaar-jocker-elaine-howley-mankyy-naive-ted-tickets-559957145897

01/03/2023

I'll be dropping all sorts of 90's electronica and dance music goodness down in Pharmacia Friday week. Think early rave/acid house and the Wipeout 2097 soundtrack. Craic on!

24/02/2023

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
One for the ages...
Elaine Howley
Mankyy
Naive Ted
Friday 24th March, Record Room, Limerick City.
Tickets from Eventbrite...
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bazaar-jocker-elaine-howley-mankyy-naive-ted-tickets-559957145897

23/02/2023

BACK WITH A BAAAAAAAANG!
Elaine Howley
Mankyy
Naive Ted
Record Room
Tickets on sale Friday 24th Feb.