1st Track of "Etchings"

Composed April/May 2017

Etchings

Glenameade

I composed this piece for my final (ever) undergraduate assignment.
I sometimes record my dreams when I wake up if they're especially strange. In this piece you hear 3 of them from those raw recordings.

Deez Dreamz

25% probability theory, 25% classical anecdotes, 25% stating the bleeding  obvious, and 25% complete bull***t!

Hidden Asymmetries

Live studio version of Sophie's Theme. 
From my album 'Tape Sketches' on 1631 Recordings. 

Video of recording :
youtube.com/watch?v=V-z_ut1_DeQ

paddymulcahy.com 
facebook.com/paddymulcahymusic
twitter.com/paddy_mulcahy

Tape Sketches

Sophie's Theme

Sophies Theme (Live)

Up to You

Live recording of the Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra performing 'TO' by Muireann Joyce-Hearne in City Hall, Cork, Ireland. 10th November 2018.

My inspiration for TO was breath. 
Specifically, the minuscule moment of time that we experience e.g. in a concert. The moment of silence just before the musician plays their first note - all of the potential energy that is held in that moment, the inhale of breath. And then, the moment of silence, an exhale, after they have played their final note, but before the audience might applause - the release of that energy. I find these moments addictive, much like when cycling/driving over a bridge, that tiny, lifting moment you are held in before you go down the other side. 
The first section of TO is the inhale, the second is the exhale and the General Pause (following the chaotic string section) is the ephemeral moment - the potential and release of energy meeting. There are several melodies that come to the surface throughout the piece - however much like the swimming of emotions that do not always serve us in the moment, these melodies are acknowledged then let go of. Deep belly breath, exhalation. My intention with this piece was to create a space in time where we might be able to experience this, that TO might allow the audience member, or musician, to sink into the music, and indulge in the peaceful power of breath.
[Edited Composer's Note]

Etude Two

Full episode info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com

I’m back after a short new year hiatus, and am starting 2019 in style by finally snagging one of my most requested guests: the great Mickey Smith. 

Mickey is an influential photographer, film-maker and all round creative force of nature who is equally acclaimed for his work as a musician, whether as part of Ben Howard’s band, or through his own A Blaze of Feather project. 

A Cornish waterman who spent his formative years chasing heavy waves around the world, Mickey first came to wider prominence with the release of Dark Side of the Lens, which documented his life as part of the tight knit scene that spent the best part of a decade pioneering the slabs and reefs of the west coast of Ireland; and which has a claim to be the most influential surf film of the last decade. 

The success of that film gave Mickey a huge platform and some great opportunities, but Mick being Mick he continued to follow his own path and, as he puts it so eloquently in our conversation, the creative threads that he’s followed since he was a kid and that continue to motivate him and catalyse his life of relentless creative exploration. 

At the same time, his background as a musician saw him hook up with Ben Howard as Ben’s own career began to explode, and the subsequent years have seen the boys chase their collective muse on one endless, creatively honest and brave trip around the world. 

Some big themes in this one, from a true artist at the height of his powers, and this is an episode dotted with beautiful images and ideas. For Mickey, life is about ‘following the threads of imagination and instinct’ and how doing so can lead to moments of true wonder. 

Thanks as usual to Matt Ward for the theme tune.

Episode 067: Mickey Smith - Land of Wonder

take a thing and do some things you get one big thing

power of lush (midnite deeelite)

This piece was written in memory of my good friend Eimear Noonan who passed away on the 8th of November 2017 RIP. 

It is performed by a group of amazing friends and musicians: Ciara McGarrigle, Mark Calthrop, JJ Riordan, Megan Gallen, Eimear Ryan, Mary Dillon, Alannah Murray, PT Mercier.

Vixen

Composer | Pianist | Improvisor


Exploratory piano + electronics based music inspired by the ocean and wild spaces.

Glenameade

Ciaróg

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