Preview, Mini Mantua Weekender
Posted on 24th Jul 09 by Liam Griffin | 
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This years Mantua Festival had to be cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control….which is a real pity since proper “alternative” music festivals in Ireland and few and far between.
Unfortunately this years Mantua Festival had to be cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control (read: recession) which is a real pity since proper “alternative” music festivals in Ireland and few and far between. I had hoped the success of last years event, which was the highlight of my summer, would ensure the continuity of the festival for the foreseeable future.
Sadly this is not the case and while it doesn’t nearly make up for it there is a commiseration prize in the form of the Mantua Mini- Weekender which is taking place in Galway next weekend. Ranging from dubstep to hip hop and reggae punters can expect three night of bass heavy goodness without getting muddy. Here’s a preview of some of the artists playing:
Friday, July 31st
Ventolyn & Becotyde and Jimmy Penguin
Two of Galway’s most interesting audio experimenters join forces to make strange and beautiful music. Ventolyn & Becotyde has just released his debut album Auddisect a bittersweet IDM collage of light and dark moods while Jimmy is a seasoned Hip Hop producer and scratch demon. I can only wonder what their collaboration will be like, although I’m sure it’ll be enjoyable.
T-Woc
Kaboogie! resident and dubstep producer T-Woc brings his own blend of atmospheric beats and dark vibes to Galway. Expect a dirty mixture of dubstep, dancehall, roots, hip hop and other bass related electronics.
Venue: The Beirhaus, Dominick Street, Galway
Admission: Free
Saturday, 1st August
Rootical Sound System
Saturday is all about the reggae with one of Ireland’s illest; Rootical Sound System setting up shop at An Pucan. The RSS are based in Ireland with a history in roots promotion going back as far as the early 90’s. Inspired by the English sound system tradition the RSS travel around Ireland spreading a love of music and constantly building up their sound.
Mungo’s Hi Fi
Flying the flag for reggae in Scotland, Mungo’s Hi Fi will be layin down nuff fine riddims. Since 2002, Mungo’s Hi Fi Soundsystem (MHF) have been showing big love for all things reggae, dub, ska and dancehall by releasing some seriously high-grade music — not to mention regularly shaking Glasgow’s foundations with their lofty speaker stacks. With a number of releases on London’s Dubhead label and a new album Soundsystem Campions MHF have carved their own sound borrowing from reggae and dubstep. Recent collaborator Soom T will be joining them for this performance.
Radikal Guru
Mateusz Miller aka Radikal Guru is a Producer, DJ and instrumentalist born in Poland. Based in Cork the Guru has been setting dancefloors with some of the heaviest dubstep beats coming out of the country. Heavily influenced by dub originators such as King Tubby and Scientist he combines sounds of roots reggae with dubstep. He released a remix of legendary Chase the Devil as well as his original Strong Dub on Dubbed Out Records. Both of his works recieved a great response from dubstep listeners in Europe. He’s cracked out the old Chase The Devil sample from Max Romeo & The Upsetters, perhaps better known as the centrepiece to the Prodigy‘s Out of Space, and spooned it into a community centre wrecking dubstep anthem like no other.
Venue: An Pucan, Forster Street, Galway
Admisson: €10
Sunday, 2nd August
Prince Kong
Prince Kong has been terrorising underground dance floors of the UK & Ireland for the last few years and is now getting ready to take on the world with his take-no-prisoners approach to total and utter aural assault. Playing live consists of creating audio agro with laptops and Ableton Live, whilst swinging off midi controllers which are used to twist contorted, convoluted shapes on the fly. Deeply influenced by his days as drummer in various garage and punk bands around Ireland, he uses rhythm – its creation and ultimately it’s decimation – as the centre of the Kong philosophy… This is dancefloor destruction supreme.
Veins of reggae, dub, funk, old skool hip hop, punk, grindcore and death metal wrap around a searing jungle/breakcore/ghetto-tech rave-tastic styling – underpinning the Kong sound that has become ubiquitous over the past few years as a result of a hectic schedule of underground parties and festivals.
Vince Mack Mahon
Vince Mack Mahon are a scratch quartet from Galway, Ireland who make a trad hip-hop sound using only vinyl and turntables. This Is their self titled debut album features nine tracks of clever-cut beats manipulated by hand on turntables. The resultant effect of this method of process is somewhere between the comedic stabs and non-linear developments of Kid Koala matched to old skool DJ Shadow melancholia.
Also playing on Saturday night are Don Rosco, Noid the Droid and Dan the Laminator.
Venue: An Pucan, Forster Street, Galway
Admission: €10
Tags: Ableton Live, An Pucan, Dan the Laminator, DJ Shadow, Don Rosco, Dubbed Out Records, Dubhead label, galway, Jimmy Penguin, Kaboogie!, Mantua Festival, Mantua Mini- Weekender, Max Romeo & The Upsetters, Mungo's Hi Fi, Noid the Droid, Prince Kong, prodigy, Radikal Guru, Rootical Sound System, Soom T, T-Woc, The Beirhaus, Ventolyn & Becotyde, Vince Mack Mahon