The new club night series will launch in the Workmans Cellar this Friday from 23:30. You can grab tickets here.

The club night promises to “bring you the music you want to explore but haven’t experienced yet, moving you away from the top 40 and into the unknown”.

The inaugural event of the new club night series Uncharted will focus on all things hyperpop and experimental featuring a host of Ireland’s most exciting artists, music producers and DJs.

District sat down with several of the acts on Uncharted’s lineup to help our audience understand Ireland’s electronic and alternative music scene, its development since the pandemic, and what you can expect from their performances on the night.

“It’s a crazy good opportunity! I feel like it’s just the beginning of the alternative hyperpop scene in Ireland and this event is a great way to kick it off,” says Dublin-based DJ and producer Ryan McCann, who performs under the name Talkgick.

“I think the scene has evolved so much since the pandemic and, to be honest, I wasn’t even making this type of music before it. Having all that time to discover new music, to test what you can do, encouraged people to make brand new, innovative sounds.”

Artists Lara and Anna who collaborate together to form Lewaab largely agree and find that their work has evolved in a similar manner to Talkgick’s: “We had our first gig last Halloween, and since we were both originally musicians, there was singing and stuff in it. That seems so foreign to us now. We’re still very much performers but now we’re more production-focused.”

When asked how their recorded mixes translate to live performances, Lara and Anna note the influence their musical journey has had on their work as a duo: “We try to keep some organic sounds in our performances, but others lean more into hardware, samplers and other things. What you can expect from Lewaab is interaction, a sense of live music mixed up in it all.”

A hyperpop club can feel intimidating to those who have never experienced it before, something Dublin-based DJ Pixieteeth is deeply aware of: “At the start of my career, I was playing extremely fast hybrid pop, nightcore and speedcore – all of which would have been like 180 to 200 BPM. When I played my first real life event, I realised quickly, ‘Oh, my God, if you’re playing stuff over 150 BPM, nobody can dance to it’. From there, I focused a lot on audience interaction.”

“I feel like hyperpop hasn’t been recognised properly yet in Ireland,” Pixieteeth continues. “There are so many Irish artists getting really high numbers on Spotify and Sound Cloud yet they haven’t played any gigs in Ireland.”

Although not a hyperpop artist, alternative pop singer/songwriter Becky McNeice is looking forward to embracing the unknown and platforming her music at Uncharted: “Being in such a mixed line-up makes me excited, you don’t get that where I’m from really.”

Based in Belfast, McNeice notes the “refreshing change” that Uncharted represents for her: “Most nights out, especially up north, have the same line-ups, not a lot of experimentation or fresh sounds. This is very different, and I’m looking forward to playing alongside the others.”

Multidisciplinary creator E The Artist shares a similar sentiment, noting the new appreciation for non-mainstream artists in Ireland. His own recommendations for those looking to get into hyperpop as a genre revolve around Irish artists: “Most of the hyperpop I listen to is actually Irish-based or curated. Songs such as Rory Sweeney’s Dip ft. Emby or Julia Louise Knifefist’s Synthetic Drip as well as mixes such as Lychee’s FORBIDDEN LYCHEES mix definitely all scratch that dopamine itch.”

When asked what someone can expect from his set or any set at an alternative club night, E The Artist advises the unfamiliar that they “should approach [his] set how you would a large canyon or a cousin you haven’t seen in years, maybe.”

Uncharted: A Hyperpop Night will take place in the Workmans Cellar on Friday 9 December from 23:30. Click here to grab a ticket to guarantee entry.

The first twenty attendees in the queue will get in for free, with other reduced tickets available at the door.

Elsewhere on District: Jameson Connects announces free festive experience with Daithí and Maverick Sabre