Nialler9's New Irish Music: Ajo Arkestra, Spies and Lyttet

Artists of the week  

Ajo Arkestra
A small healthy scene of African music has taken root in Dublin over the last few years. Included in it is the Mali-inspired Manden Express, DJs iZem and Lex Woo and the Dublin Afrobeat Ensemble, who recently splintered and changed their name to Ajo Arkestra.

The band can be often found, playing the stage at the Leeson Street venue The Sugar Club, the owners of which are keen patrons of Afrobeat, brass bands and music not just of this land.

Ajo Arkestra were on that stage on a rain-soaked Bank Holiday Sunday with a 10-piece band of brass, guitar, organ, percussion and voice drawing from the rich heritage of soul, funk and rock of the African continent. There was two hours of rocking without pause, a masterclass in uptown downtown African funk with some effervescent originals too, It's the kind of thing that should be automatically added to every festival bill to induce and beckon the sunshine.

Video of the week  

Spies – Sea Creature
If there is one Irish music video director who probably needs to take a break it would be the Dublin-based Bob Gallagher who in the last year has made standout clips for Le Galaxie, Girl Band, Participant, Floor Staff, Elaine Mai and now, a second one for the indie rock band Spies.

His Sea Creatures video takes its inspiration from the title and the Ron Howard 1984 film Splash about a man who falls in love with a mermaid. You know how this ends.

Director:  Bob Gallagher

Songs of the week:  

Shit Robot feat. Reggie Watts – Where It's At
The cardboard cyborg Marcus Lambkin is back with another dancefloor creeper to follow up his recent We Got A Love album for DFA Records. Where It's At teams up once more with James Corden's band leader and mouth-noise comedian Reggie Watts to create a soulful synth-driven disco track that channels Thriller. It was mixed by James Murphy.

Lyttet – St. Etienne
Taking their cue from the languid shoegaze of Mazzy Star, Kildare duo Lyttet shroud their music in reverb to amp up the ethereal effect of their sonics. Singer Claire Nicole's vocals are evocative and Peadar Kearney's production is varied yet gossamer. Their debut release is out now on 12" vinyl and digitally.

Lakker - Oktavist
Quietly flying the flag for Ireland in the field of electronic music that Aphex Twin and Warp Records made their name with, the music of Dara Smith and Ian McDonnell has been consistent in its sonic explorations into the dark and deeper depths of house, techno and industrial to the point where what they come up with shakes and shudders more than any club cut. Case in point, Oktavist, from the duo's new album Tundra on R&S Records, which features a pulsing throb and a subtle piano chord sequence that ratchets up the atmosphere to a near-claustrophic level.

Irish album of the week  

Not Squares - Bolts
Belfast band Not Squares took a longer time than expected to release their second album due to members moving, kids and you know, life. Bolts is worth the wait though, a strident collection of synthesizer and percussion-given dance music that would be what Factory Floor sounded like if they got bored of industrial music. The album is given a continuous feel by instrumental vignettes titled after a motorway naming convention and in between, the trio also create some polychromatic indie-disco that nods to the neon-centred sound of Cut Copy. These foundations are solid.