Title track from our debut album Cosmic, available now on all streaming platforms.

Cosmic

Cosmic Joe

lan Nyquist explores sonic innovation and pays homage to a traditional instrument on his album, 'Gilded' scheduled for release on September 5th. Nyquist plants his feet on the shifting terrain of Ireland's pastoral traditions, offering a unique sonic voice that doesn't lose sight of its cultural inheritance.

The beating heart around which 'Gilded' is woven is the bodhrán, a native Irish frame drum with which Nyquist uses innovative techniques to push the instrument beyond its ordinary confines.
Mirroring the instrument's sound through modelling software, the album's title itself nods to a theme of transformation, suggesting something familiar burnished to a new brilliance, giving it new life. The result being a truly unique unfurling of the harmonic, hypnotic and rhythmic potential of the bodhrán.

This spirit of transformation is most vividly realised through Nyquist's collaborations with some of Ireland's most evocative voices. On a version of 'Leis a'bháta Dhubh Dharaich (The Black Oaken Boat)', Edinburgh-born, Dublin-based singer-songwriter lona Zajac lends her haunting vocals to an old Gaelic rowing song, her voice holds the track in a timeless tradition even as Nyquist's arrangement swirls around her; an anchor in a storm- tossed sea.

Similarly, on 'Úna Bhán (Fair Una)', Cork's sean-nós singer Lorcán Mac Mathúna brings a sacred and ethereal quality to the 18th-century love song, his voice floating assuredly over Nyquist's sparse, shimmering arrangement.

An original composition by Laucan, 'What Else Am I For?', marries introspective, dream-washed vocals with an impressively fine-tuned production style. Once again, Nyquist demonstrates his ability to connect diverse genres and musical traditions.
Ireland's music scene continues to branch out and evolve, spurred on by the artists-like Nyquist; with 'Gilded', he melds the sound worlds of old and new, of technique and heart, of heritage and reinvention. His work resists neat distinctions and rigid genre typologies, while retaining a sense of where he calls home.

Traditions are never static; they are reiterated, redigested, and recast.

gilded

leis a_ bhàta (ft. Iona Zajac)

serpent

ouroboros

intro

Pizzica

I have just recently gotten my vinyl and CD collections back from where they were stored for 6 months (thanks Crispo!!), an event that definitely makes itself felt in this episode. If there is a theme then it's something to do with pipers, fighters, outlaws, thieves and revolutionaries. Art by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. X

Tracklist;

Seán McKeon – The Salamanca / Trim the Velvet
Tealeaf – Bone Lace Weaver
Jason Rouse – Snug in the Blanket / The Fisherman’s 
Johnny Horton – The Battle of New Orleans
Liam Weldon – James Connolly
Seán McKeon – James Connolly
Francy Devine – Sam Hall / Le Ramoneur / Skarzhour Chiminalieu
Luke Cheevers –  Abe Carman
Daoirí Farrell – Valentine O' Hara
John Faulkner and Dolores Keane – Allan Tyne Of Harrow
Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick – Sovay
The Kipper Family – The Male Female Highwayman
A.L. Lloyd –  Jim Jones at Botany Bay
Jerry O'Reilly –  The Carmagnoles
Ruth Hazleton – Tri-Coloured House
Beau James Wilding – The Lowlands of Holland
RL O'Mealy – Donegal Reel
Jason Rouse – The Maid at Mourneshore

https://campsite.bio/firedrawnear

FDN LXII

chanson traditionnelle recueillie en Loire-Atlantique

486 Ce n'est pas la caille

Àirdan are a rising voice in the world of Scottish traditional music. Their high energy grooves and dynamic arrangements see melodies and riffs juggled between fiddle (Paul Sinclair), accordion (Coll Williamson), guitar (David Lennon), and drums (Ewa Adamiec). Formed in 2021, Àirdan’s journey began in the heart of Edinburgh’s thriving live music and session scene, where their shared passion for traditional music - and for pushing its boundaries - brought them together. Their sound is shaped by the acoustic energy of late night Celtic sessions, enriched by influences from travels to far flung corners of the globe.

"Raw energy and a modern young twist" - Celtic Music Radio

Run by @doubt_tx & @tensiontrax

Bookings / Demos >>> flood.trax@gmail.com

Fire Draw Near is a monthly podcast and radio show which investigates Irish traditional music and song in all of its myriad forms.

https://campsite.bio/firedrawnear

New tracks tagged #Trad