Max HeyraudWe caught up with Fran Hartnett before the launch of his new label and party SCART at the legendary Mono Bar, home to Bohemians FC. Fran shares his vision for a multi-sensory experience that blends techno, electro, and experimental sounds with striking audio-visual presentations, revealing the inspiration behind SCART and what attendees can expect from the debut party.
Fran Hartnett dives deep into the core values and ethos of SCART, he emphasises the label’s dedication to promoting a varied range of artists while prioritising authenticity and emotional relevance in their work. SCART’s unique approach, which makes use of a one-of-a-kind analogue audio-visual system, strives to convert the event into an immersive adventure for all senses.
Fran’s enthusiasm for music and visual art shines through as he outlines the meticulous planning that went into the launch, promising a night that transcends the typical club experience. Attendees can look forward to captivating graphics and immersive visuals that showcase some of techno’s most formidable Irish artists.
You’re celebrating the launch of your label, SCART, this weekend! Can you tell us about the concept and vision behind SCART?
SCART aims to present music from a broad range of artists who make everything from techno and electro to abstract electronics, noise, industrial, and ambient music. There are no rules other than that the music resonates with feeling and sincerity. No BPM is out of bounds, and all manner of beats are welcome… but for the most part, we’re talking music with at least one foot in the rave, and probably more than one or two limbs in outer space!
All the music that gets released on SCART will be available on vinyl (because we love the DJs and record collectors out there) and also in digital formats, and we release videos for all our music as well. The videos are lo-fi, analog audio-visual experiments that revel in the realm of the distorted and degraded qualities of analog video tape, camcorders, and glitchy CCTV footage.
SCART studios possesses a unique modular analog video system, which is being put to use for our videos in all sorts of weird and experimental ways. Our mission is to bring our music to the hearts and minds of our listeners through multi-sensory avenues and to push forward in a hopeful new cultural direction, embracing the radical, the weird, and the inventive.
What does SCART mean, and how did you land on this name for the label?
The name of the label is taken from that old forgotten analog video connection. Somebody told me that you have to be over 40 to remember that particular connection before it was pretty much made obsolete by HDMI! Back in the 80s and 90s, SCART was the big chunky connection you used to plug your TV into your video tape recorder or your games console. So, with the focus that the label has on video with a 90s retro feel, and the fact that our videos are created using an analog audio-visual system (it’s a custom Eurorack modular that I’ve been designing over the past few years), it seemed an appropriate name. Plus, I like the blunt, one-syllable form of the word.
We’ve got a bunch of hoodies and t-shirts fresh off the screen printing press that we’ll be selling at our event this weekend, and there’s a big graphic on the back featuring the label logo, but the design on the chest is simply an image of the SCART connector shape. If you know, you know!
After a long career of releasing your techno records on labels like Audio Assault, User Experience, and Plector, why did you choose to start your label now?
Ever since the early days of my DJing, when I was buying records from 1992 onwards on labels like XL, Suburban Base, Formation, Rising High, Harthouse, Warp, Tresor (the list goes on…), I often found that certain record labels really resonated with me, with the artists and musical styles that they delivered, and many of those labels became an important part of my personal musical journey. I had often thought it would be cool to run my label to release my music and to contribute to the rich tapestry that so many labels that I’ve loved have woven into our collective musical experience, but I ended up releasing my music on other people’s labels instead.
In recent years, I realized that while experimenting with audio-visual systems for my own live shows, I had inadvertently built a kind of TV studio that would be capable of filming and recording live audio-visual performances by other artists or even a band, what with the collection of CCTV cameras that I had amassed and the multi-channel analog TV mixers that I have routed through my custom Eurorack AV modular system. Got me thinking that it was kind of wasted on just me and my little studio jams and that I could be doing more with it. Then I started thinking about running a label again, and that if I did, I could make videos for other people’s music and that that would push me to new levels of creativity with my video work, and I liked the idea of that.
At the same time as I was thinking, “Yeah, I’m gonna do this, been thinking about it for too long, what am I waiting for?”, I was tattooing (that’s my full-time job) this guy, and he was telling me that he’s making music, and I knew of him from ‘back in the day’ in the underground Dublin electronic music scene – we both DJ’d in some of the same places, I think – so we were chatting about music, and I told him I think I’m about to start this record label, and he said he’d send me a demo. So he sent me a bunch of tracks, and I loved them! His sound struck me as somewhere between Neil Landstrumm and Drexciya, which fairly well describes at least two musical directions that the label would like to pursue. I picked two of his tracks that I loved and decided to get a remix done of one of the tracks to switch up the style. The remix ended up being a heavy techno banger by INVNTR, which allowed SCART to present a vinyl 3-track EP – Trontsephore’s ‘Elephant EP’ – that features electro, breakbeat, and techno all in one package. A kind of statement of intent. I’d like the label to grow into something that feels like a mixture of Warp Records, R&S, and Tresor. Three of my all-time favourite labels, each carved out their own sound with an eclectic and open-minded mix of styles, from ambient to hardcore, and just about everything in between!
Music, digital art, and written art all seem integral to SCART’s creative space. How do you intertwine these influences within the label and your events?
So far, the focus has been on our first record. Videos have been made for each of the three tracks on the record, and they can be seen on our YouTube channel. So I guess the visual identity can be seen in these videos, which were created with the custom analog system at SCART studios. As the label moves forward, the plan is to let experimentation through electronics inform the imagery used and to kind of let the machines do the talking! Working in the kind of experimental video realm that we are operating, I’ve found that often the most unexpectedly beautiful imagery happens with ‘happy accidents’. As a visual artist, I’ve learned to lean into those and to grab little fragments of magic from wherever possible…
I must also say a massive thanks to Gavin O’Brien for the awesome design work that features in the label logo, and on the SCART001 vinyl cover art and gig poster. Gavin has been an amazing artist to work with and really understood the visual aesthetic that I wanted to convey.
At the SCART label launch party this weekend, we’re excited to have an audience enjoy the unique connection between music and video that is so central to the vibe of the SCART label.
The venue for the debut party, Dalymount Park, is such a unique choice. Can you tell us why you selected this space for the launch?
It took some time to find a space that would be right for the party we had in mind. My mate T-woc had run a gig there a while back, and while I wasn’t there myself, I heard great reports about the place. I met the manager, and he walked me through and reassured me that I could create the kind of environment that I needed. He’s sound. It’s not easy in Dublin these days to get a venue that ticks all the boxes!
Usually, ‘Mono’s Bar’, in Dalymount Park, is a medium-sized football club bar, with all the kinds of football paraphernalia that you’d imagine on the walls – t-shirts, pictures of teams, newspaper clippings, and also some framed items that are a bit more interesting (posters for past gigs that have been on there – Black Sabbath! Thin Lizzy! Bob Marley!) – but I’ll be visually transforming the place for the night, thanks to the flexibility and reasonable approach of the management. I mean I can’t transport the audience into another world with our formidable AV system if I can’t black out a few walls, right?! Not sure if they’ve had smoke and lasers in there before, but this is where we get our rave on!
Could you elaborate on SCART’s “multi-sensory vision of the future” and what that will look like at this event?
As I’ve mentioned earlier, SCART Studios possesses a unique Analog Audio-Visual system, and that will be there on the night, taking an audio feed from the music and using that as a control source for all manner of analog and digital video control. An array of screens of various sizes will surround the dance floor, each running different versions of AV animation and combined in a dynamic way, coupled with careful lighting and environmental effects to form an engaging environment for the audience. It’s going to be something special. Hard to describe, but all I can say is come along and find out!
The lineup includes some great Irish techno and electro artists. Could you walk us through the programming and share how you pieced the lineup together musically?
I’m glad to hear you like the artists I’ve assembled for this show! The lineup represents the current and future sound of the label.
Trontsephore will be making his debut live performance, bringing the wild electro flavours and future funk from his amazing Elephant EP, which launched the SCART label in May. He’s scheduled to play at 11 PM.
Cailín needs no introduction to Irish techno lovers; she has trailblazed her way through the Irish techno scene and onto international stages over the past few years. For those who haven’t seen her in action, she is a no-nonsense vinyl techno DJ with infectious energy. Her extensive experience and tasteful sound design, combined with an ear for solid, stripped-back hard techno grooves, are well reflected in her studio productions. We also look forward to her upcoming record on SCART! The decks are where her heart lies—so much so that she even had me tattoo the number 1210 on her, a nod to the iconic Technics 1210 turntable. Cailín will perform at 12:15 AM.
GOTD (Glen Of The Downs) is a project by Rian Trench, who has already made waves in the Irish electronic music scene with his productions under the name Crispy Jason. While Crispy Jason showcases Rian’s technical mastery with funky sequences that appeal to Aphex Twin fans, his GOTD project takes on a much darker, heavier tone. We can’t wait for his forthcoming EP for SCART, which will push GOTD even deeper into the shadows. We felt it best to let GOTD close out the night with what he described to me as “hard, dark, and fast!” It’s sure to be an epic performance at 1:45 AM.
Before we reach that level of intensity, there’s a treat in store at the beginning of the night. Rosanna, one of Dublin’s discerning music collectors, will deliver a two-hour vinyl mix that traverses experimental electronics, industrial dub, inventive electro, and mind-warping techno—guaranteed to move your body in all the right ways! She will kick things off at 9 PM.
Doors open at 8 PM. From 8 to 9 PM, we’ll have a special SCART BROADCASTING SYSTEMS calibration procedure—no beats, no DJ, just layers of sonic experimentation resonating through the AV system, setting the mood and powering the visuals. Come in at 8, grab a drink, and hang out with your friends. No dancing until Rosanna hits the decks, but you can be sure your eyes and ears will appreciate the vibes!
Could you tell us more about the collaboration between Juliana Scodeler and yourself?
I’ve worked on a few creative AV projects with Juliana over the past few years. She’s always been extremely passionate about the audio-visual experience and is brave enough to explore the new ways of doing things afforded by the latest technological developments. More importantly, she has a keen eye for what’s important in the visual dynamic at a show like this. I know I can trust her, and we work well together. We are integrating both our video systems on the night to bring the absolute best audio-visual experience that we possibly can to the party. I’m really excited to share what we’ve got going here!
The decision to include VHS tapes as part of the event’s merchandise is cool! What inspired you to incorporate this retro format?
This one is a sore spot! I’ve got one test copy of the VHS done, which will be on display at the event, but I’ve unfortunately had a technical issue that has stopped me from duplicating the tapes in time for this.
I didn’t actually get this idea until after the release of the EP when I completed the third and final video (for the INVNTR remix of “Elephant”). I realized I had a three-track EP, three full-length videos, and the cover art essentially done (in the end, I got Gavin to redesign the cover of the vinyl to work in a clear plastic VHS case). So, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to release the whole EP on VHS? Once that idea got into my head, I couldn’t let it go—I just had to do it! It felt like it was meant for the label.
Of course, no one is probably ever going to play this VHS tape, but being able to put our first record out in VHS format, after the vinyl, is just such a treat. However, there have been technical difficulties, and there are so many other jobs involved in getting this party started that I’ve had to put it on the back burner.
There will be VHS tapes ready in time for Christmas, though! If you’re good, Santy might leave one under the tree for ya!
You can purchase final tickets here.
