Make Me An Island

Donal Dineen
Make Me An Island

Country by country, from one energy explosion to the next, Dónal Dineen presents an illustrated guide to the musical universe. No stone unturned. All the colours, every mood.

  1. 21/10/2022

    May I Introduce To You? Volume 13

    Diving in at the deep end after a summer hiatus, Dónal Dineen presents a guide to the most essential new music and re-issues from around the world.   He strikes gold twice upon encounters with the enchanting song-world of Japanese artist Hatis Noit and the glorious amalgamation of sounds that comprises the compelling solo work of Californian violinist and vocalist Brittney Denis Parks who records as Sudan Archives.   There’s dispatches from the wild sonic frontier in the shape of the explosive vocalisations of They Hate Change from Florida as well as an example of why the high energy sound of Nigerian-born Obongjayar has been such a hit on the most discerning dance floors in 2022.   Further evidence of how fertile the American underground is right now comes in the shape of the meticulous electronic compositions of Altrice from Arizona and the strangely beguiling atmospherics of Baltimore’s Infinity Knives.   There’s time to hail a modern choral classic from the Emilia region of Italy by Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker as well as pay homage to two lost classics from South African keyboard pioneer Rex Rabanye and Ukranian violinist and sonic innovator Valentina Goncharova.   Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:    Sudan Archives https://sudanarchives.bandcamp.com/track/wake-up   Altrice https://altrice.bandcamp.com/track/places-faces   They Hate Change https://theyhatechange.bandcamp.com/track/x-ray-spex   Obongjayar https://obongjayar.bandcamp.com/track/message-in-a-hammer   Drymbago https://mrscruff.bandcamp.com/track/chupacabra   Rax Rabanye https://africanclassics.bandcamp.com/track/o-nketsang   Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals https://phantomlimblabel.bandcamp.com/album/king-cobra   Hatis Noit https://hatisnoit.bandcamp.com/album/aura   Silvia Tarozzi & Deborah Walker https://silviatarozzideborahwalker.bandcamp.com/album/canti-di-guerra-di-lavoro-e-d-amore   Valentina Goncharova https://hidden-harmony.bandcamp.com/album/ocean-symphony-for-electric-violin-and-other-instruments-in-10-parts     ///

    1h 2m
  2. 13/07/2022

    Summer Heat 2: An Island Story; The Gwo Ka sound of Guadeloupe

    Dónal’s search for the perfect summer dancing soundtrack takes him to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe where he takes a deep-dive into the ancient Gwo Ka sound. The journey begins and ends in land-locked Zimbabwe however where we tune into the emotional sound of The Movers who are just about to have a comprehensive retrospective released by the ever-brilliant Analog Africa label.    We stop-over for another blast of Cape Verdean magic from Manuel Gomes before making land on Guadeloupe and immersing ourselves in the percussive trance-like sound of Gaoulé Mizig. We bed in to hear a raft of other examples of what is essentially participatory music born out of a spirit of resistance to French colonial rule from renowned exponents like Michel Laurent, Béloka and Jocelyn Virapin.     There’s also a couple of crossover classics to contend with from local heroes Les Vikings de Guadeloupe and Ti Céleste who brought their take on the Gwo Ka sound to a wider audience across the Caribbean.    This episode signs off with a quick trip to the mainland of Columbia for a taste of more summer heat to come from the regal Toto la Momposina.      Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:     The Movers https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/the-movers-vol-1-1970-1976-analog-africa-nr-35   Manuel Gomes https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/jelivr-bo-situa-on   Eric Virgal https://disques-debs-international-strut.bandcamp.com/track/stanislas   Les Vikings de Guadeloupe https://antillesseries.bandcamp.com/album/best-of-enko-on-ti-tou   Gaoulé Mizig  https://beautyandthebeat1.bandcamp.com/album/excursions-in-gwoka-vol-1-batb-005   Michel Laurent https://beautyandthebeat1.bandcamp.com/album/excursions-in-gwoka-vol-1-batb-005   Toto la Momposina https://totolamomposina.bandcamp.com/track/la-verdolaga   ///

    58 min
  3. 23/06/2022

    May I Introduce To You? Volume 12 - Summer Heat Edition

    To compensate for the lack of actual sunshine, Dónal Dineen takes a trip closer to the equator in this episode to visit the Cape Verde islands and Haiti in search of the perfect summer soundtrack.   The journey starts off in land-locked Mexico where we hear an example of the Rebajada sound -  where the sonideros (sound-system operators) were fond of slowing down the Cumbia beat to make it more tangible music to dance to.   The temperature rises and tempo increases as we skip to the Sao Nicolau island on Cape Verde to hear the first of two dynamic masterpieces from Abel Lima. The island's strategic position in the mid-Atlantic meant that all kinds of influences seeped into the musical melting pot. We hear a couple of examples of raw Funaná dance music which comes across like a trans-Atlantic sibling of Columbian Cumbia. The Cape Verdean diaspora in Lisbon added layers of electronic sounds to the already hybrid sound to create a kind of proto-house sound personified by the Conjunto Jovens Africanos tune Nhu Djon which still rips up the dance-floors forty years later.   Before leaving the islands we listen to a piece of contemporary acoustic magic from The Ano Nobo Quartet.   Another island where the Cumbia beat dominated was Haiti and we hear a couple of examples of how that influence added an extra layer of heat to the Haitian dance floor sound exemplified by Coupé Cloué and Nemours Jean Baptiste.   Our journey ends on Sudan’s Red Sea Coast where we hear some extraordinary new sounds from Noori & His Dorpa Band.     Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:   Conjunto Tipico Contreras - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/capricho-egipcio   João Cirilo - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/po-dterra   Abel Lima - https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/track/corre-riba-corre-baxo   Conjunto Jovens Africanos - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/nhu-djon   Peps Love - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/pom-um-grogu   The Ano Nobo Quartet - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/tio-bernar   Nemours Jean Baptiste - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/track/haiti-cumbia   Noori and his Dorpa Band - https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/beja-power-electric-soul-brass-from-sudans-red-sea-coast     ///

    56 min
  4. 22/05/2022

    May I Introduce To You? Volume 11

    This week’s trawl through the megahertz begins at home with Dónal reviewing two new standout Irish releases.   There’s a radiant new single from Aoife Nessa Frances and the long-awaited sophomore record from Caoímhín O’Raghallaigh and Dan Trueman, The Fate of Bones.   We skip to northern Mali to marvel at the latest offering from desert blues royalty Terakaft and while we’re there we jump back in time to introduce a timeless dance floor anthem played on the Balafon by Neba Solo.   There are other incendiary dance-floor tunes of a more contemporary kind from the master Four Tet under his KH pseudonym and a remix for the ages by Ross From Friends for Jeshi’s 3210.   Our love affair with bedroom production wizardry continues this episode with offerings from Arupu operating out of Bucharest, Romania and Emma Kirby in London who is making extraordinary electronic music under the Elkka monikor.   Correction: Maeve Mc Kenna plays harp on Emptiness Follows by Aoife Nessa Frances   Support the music-makers on Bandcamp:    raHHH https://rahhhh.bandcamp.com/album/tetris-people-ep   Caoímhín O' Raghallaigh & Dan Trueman https://thefateofbones.com/   Aoife Nessa Frances https://aoifenessafrances.bandcamp.com/   Terakaft https://secousse.bandcamp.com/album/jagwar   Neba Solo https://secousse.bandcamp.com/album/can-2002   Arapu https://dbh-music.bandcamp.com/album/rwx016   Tom VR https://tomvr.bandcamp.com/track/soared-straight-through-me-kareem-ali-remix   Elkka https://elkka.bandcamp.com/   KH https://fourtet.bandcamp.com/track/looking-at-your-pager   Jeshi https://jeshi.bandcamp.com/album/3210-ross-from-friends-remix     ///

    1h 3m

About

Country by country, from one energy explosion to the next, Dónal Dineen presents an illustrated guide to the musical universe. No stone unturned. All the colours, every mood.

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