culture clubbing

Sounds and visions from around the world will be in Dún Laoghaire from August 24th-27th.

Perhaps it's time to rewrite that line that the Festival of World Cultures is an urban Glastonbury. It has now become something else entirely. Last year, more than 200,000 people wound their way through the streets of Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, in search of their particular global beat. We can expect that attendance figure to be tweaked upwards again this year, with some 160 different events featuring acts from more than 50 different countries taking place from August 24th-27th.

There are many remarkable aspects to this six-year-old festival. The fact that about 70 per cent of the events carry no admission charge is something worth noting, as is the family-friendly nature of the weekend. With fairs, markets, exhibitions, workshops, masterclasses and carnival sideshows to bulk out the big ticket draws, there's rarely time for a breather.

This year's musical headliners cover a multitude of sounds and styles. In addition to Emmanuel Jal (see main feature), there should be much interest in Italian folk explorer Enzo Avitabile; the potentially infectious soundclash between Anglo-Asian beat-miners Trans-Global Underground and Bulgarian divas Trio Bulgarka (pictured above); and the sound of Niger's desert blues as sung by Tuareg and Wodaabe musicians Etran Finatawa.

Many will be particularly keen to hear Michael McGoldrick (above top) and his band in action. Winner of many folk and trad awards, the man from Flook, Capercaillie and Lunasa has long exhibited a zeal for modernising folk music. and albums such as Wired and Fused have seen him take bold leaps in this regard.

There are plenty of Irish reps on the bill (including an old vs new-school riff on sean-nós singing and rap), but one to watch for is Kila's Eoin Dillon. Dillon recently released a solo tour-de-force, The Third Twin, an album of fresh and innovative instrumentals. Far removed from the rather laboured work of his own group, The Third Twin showed the piper had found many new and delightful angles to explore.

One of Dún Laoghaire's most welcome features is its clubbing programme. All sides of the global turntable should get an airing with DJs from such crews and clubs as Kosher Casbah, Babalonia, Afronova, Club 0a2, Ruaille Buaille, Firehouse Skank, Soul Food, Breakology, Choice Cuts and the ever mobile Mr Whippy Sound System.

[ www.festivalofworldcultures.com ]