For a grassy island with a relatively small population, Ireland’s impact on modern music is disproportionately large and only seems to be growing with the emergence of such brilliant artists as Fontaines DC, The Wombats, Sean O’Hagan, Pillow Queens, Keeley, Girl Band, Emperor of Ice Cream, New Dad, Brendan Tallon, Klubber Lang, Sprints, Eileen Gogan and Cat Dowling. The Emerald Isle boasts such awesome artists as Sinead O’Connor, U2, Clannad, My Bloody Valentine, The Undertones, The Cranberries, The High Llamas, Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats, The Pogues, Roisin Murphy, The Divine Comedy and The Chieftains, as well as lesser known 80s gems like Blue In Heaven and Into Paradise (we covered the latest output from the frontman of these two groups – David Long & Shane O’Neill – earlier). Several notable record labels are also doing stellar work in promoting Irish talent, both within their country, the UK and worldwide now as well, the ones immediately coming to mind being Cork-based FIFA (Forever In Financial Arrears) Records and London-based Dimple Discs.
The artists we explore today come to use by way of the latter label, which is run by Brian O’Neill and Damian O’Neill of The Undertones fame. Today is a starry calendar for Dimple Discs as they release the ‘Falun Gong Dancer EP’ by electronic duo Telefís and British post-punk music icon Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited, Invaders Of The Heart). The original version of this track is the third single from the forthcoming debut album ‘a hAon’ (Number One) from Telefís (the Irish Gaelic word for TV, which is pronounced Tele-feesh).
As Telefís, LA-based producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Crystal Castles, Editors) and Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney, Fatima Mansions and acclaimed solo artist), now based in London, present a satirical, mischievous examination of Irish history and pop culture in their lifetimes, which they call ”a corrosive nostalgia”. Before the new year, they gave the world the first teasers of the album by releasing the ‘Mister Imperator’ EP and ‘We Need’ EP.
The involvement of Jah Wobble, one of the most innovative bass players of our time, transforms the disarmingly quiet and reflective original version, with its stark vocals and ghostly piano chords, into a deep-dub odyssey. His signature low-end bass anchors crisp percussion and panoramic space-echo effects.
“An honour to be involved in this, to be working with Telefis. This seemingly simple, sweet naive video speaks volumes. The ancestral trek; Rural Ireland to the dancehalls, Pubs and crowded rented rooms of tough uncompromising London. All captured in a Dub Prism,” says Jah Wobble.
“Even a relatively obscure musical life such as mine can fortunately bring pinch-yourself moments of proximity to greatness, and so it is with Jah Wobble’s transformative contribution to this version of ‘Falun Gong Dancer’. The song was already a high-point of the first Telefís album, but in this version it goes somewhere else entirely, thanks to JW’s signature contribution,” says Cathal Coughlan.
Jacknife Lee elucidates: “There are few bass players as iconic as Jah Wobble. I have studied and tried to copy his style for decades but never really got close. Brian from Dimple Discs suggested we ask him to get on ‘Falun Gong Dancer’, but I didn’t believe it would happen. We are still shocked that he agreed to collaborate with us and are excited for it to be heard”.
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In Telefís, Jacknife Lee creates an irresistible mix of cinematic instrumentals and electro-funk backdrops full of melodic, squelchy synths and thunderous bass-lines, often with a cheeky nod to electro-pop history. Jacknife is also known for his remixes for such heavy hitters as Radiohead, U2, Blur, Run-DMC, Pink, Future Sound of London, Christina Aguilera, TLC, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, The Raveonettes, Kraftwerk, New Order and Kasabian.
The ‘Falun Gong Dancer EP’ is out on January 21 and can be ordered digitally. The ‘a hAon’ album will be released on March 4 with CD and vinyl available for pre-order at https://ffm.to/telefisahaon and the digital album athttps://orcd.co/telefisahaon.
‘a hAon’ LP pre-order (CD and Vinyl) https://ffm.to/telefisahaon
‘a hAon’ LP pre-order (download) https://orcd.co/telefisahaon
‘Falun Gong Dancer EP https://bit.ly/3tK5x3f
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