Posted By Shapey Fiend on 19 Jun 2009 07:22 AM
Hip hop wise I'd say Scary Eire - The Scary Era. Recorded in '93 but only was shelved for 14 years until it came out in 2007 so I'd say it still counts. RiRa's new solo album (some 20 years after he started rapping) Horses Work For Donkeys Wages is magnificent but it's only out for a few weeks so it missed the deadline.
Other artists that could have made the cut would be Messiah J and The Expert and The Infomatics. Rob Kellys first two mixtapes were great but I suppose they mightn't be strictly classed as albums.
I'm not as well versed in Irish metal and electronica as I should be. Again, most dance music isn't really about the album format either so maybe I was being a bit harsh. My scorn was mostly derived from an overpowering distaste for Damien Rice and U2's latter day output more than anything.
If it's any consolation, my top 10 included "Feedback" by Dirty Beatniks. Granted, it's not the best dance music album ever and its an outdated genre (Chemical Brothers Era big beat), but as Irish dance/electronic goes, it was pretty good. Only everyone else in the world disagrees with me. :o))
Bit controversial to say this perhaps, but Electronic/dance/hip hop is not something we do well here. For every valiant attempt at it that originates here, there's an avalanche of stuff from Berlin or elsewhere that is lightyears ahead to put it into perspective. I mean can you imagine something like the new Moderat album coming out of Ireland? I can't. I'm sure someone will doubtless attempt to bring some great record I've not heard to my attention (please do), but even still always going to be outnumbered.
That's not putting anyone attempting to make that sort of music here down, remember, a lot of these artists are not actually from these hubs of techno, they've just gone there because everyone else making those sort of records has too, it builds a momentum. Even in the internet era, geography still affects music. Our licensing laws probably don't help either.
Music always goes in cycles though, Ireland may eventually create its own electronic music subculture with its own identity, owing nothing to Berlin, Detroit or any other city