Emerging Irish music platforms you should know
Emerging Irish music platforms you should know
With the explosion of quality Irish music being made in recent years there’s now a number of new outlets documenting the rise.
Music discovery in 2020 is tricky. There’s more tracks than ever and they are being pelted at listeners from all angles. Records go in one ear and out the other and unless they have something special about them they often fall to the wayside.
The traditional approaches still exist. People continue to trust outlets like Pitchfork to curate the best new music however, frequently young people will opt for newer methods of discovery. Playlists, Tik Tok videos and social media in general has taken over and there’s a multitude of new outlets capitalising on the new digital landscape.
Listening to trusted sources in podcasts through your airpods on the way to work, swiping up on an instagram story for the latest new music playlist and sifting through youtube’s music platforms have become the new norm.
Young people’s insatiable desire for new music is being served by new platforms. We’ve seen Anthony Fantano aka TheNeedleDrop review and curate new music, GRM Daily upload new content every day and there’s a growing trust in these fresher methods of discovery.
Ireland, despite lacking the same infrastructure has emulated many of the outlets with new platforms popping up to present the Island’s best new music. With that in mind we’ve listed a few of the emerging platforms feeding young, Irish audiences with new music.
Frosted.ie
One of the more multi-faceted platforms to emerge in the last year or so is Frosted. Formerly releasing weekly Irish music playlists under the name ‘Eirwaves’, the platform went under a colourful rebrand and quickly solidified a strong following for their coverage of urban music.
Now they post weekly playlists of the best new Irish music and share articles about the growing music scene on their website. The main draw of Frosted, however is their ‘Gasworks’ inspired podcast series that has featured the likes of Dubzeno, C.o.B and TommySee?.
Following the interviews the featured artists subsequently spit bars on their ‘Frosted Flavours’ freestyle videos.
You can watch Dubzeno’s freestyle below:
Dearfach TV
Providing a one stop shop for Irish artist’s to share their videos with a wider audience Dearfach TV has proved integral in supporting genres and sounds that traditional media outlets have initially been less receptive to.
Emulating the successful formula of youtube channels like Mixtape Madness and GRM Daily, Dearfach TV has helped launch the careers of drill artists like JB.2 with their ‘Bars at the Sesh’ freestyle videos.
Accumulating the viral power of the Irish drill scene’s music videos Dearfach has cemented its place as an alternative source of the underground music coming from the island.
New Eire
Following a similar path to Dearfach TV, New Eire TV provides a space for freestyle videos, new music videos and a level of visibility not often available for blossoming, young artists.
Seen as almost a rival platform to Dearfach TV it’s brought a sense of competitiveness that has only resulted in better quality videos and more innovative ideas.
New Eire’s content reflects the growing diversity in Ireland with drill, RnB and hip hop making up the majority of its catalog. Under the guidance of its founder Sequence, who takes charge on visuals it’s got a consistent aesthetic and clear creative direction that has only supplemented its emphatic growth.
Soul Doubt Magazine
Soul Doubt Magazine follows a more traditional formula sharing articles and interviews with artists and creatives from across Ireland. Their weekly podcast forms the backbone of their creative output, filling the gaps between physical releases of their annual magazine.
They have frequently hosted innovative events coupling documentary showcases with hip hop performances and magazine launches in tattoo parlours.
You can catch their podcast on Youtube or Spotify. Watch their episode with Jafaris below:
Hotboxx Entertainment
Belfast based studio and creative platform Hotboxx Entertainment is a recent addition to the growing music scene. Although primarily providing audio services for artists they have also utilised their studio space for freestyles, interviews and live performances.
You can watch a recent freestyle with Leo Miyagee below:
