ShivToday we showcase a behind the scenes insight into the Cork techno scene as Maclaine Black shares an uncompromising documentary featuring some of the core people from the Kriptik community, a crew whose distaste for the current scene has inspired a new wave of raves promising real music, dark rooms, and great people.
The Irish music scene has been under enormous pressure in recent years as venues drop off like flies. Cork in particular has been massively affected by this, and new promoters on the scene have started looking elsewhere to find a place they can call home.
Kriptik has been running events since May and are quickly earning a reputation for having techno at the heart of what they do. Featured in the 17 minute deep dive is techno DJ and Bastardo Electrico head honcho Jamie Behan, a stalwart of the Cork scene, DJs Melanie Higgins (MEJMI), David O’Neill (Doiléir) and Keyrah, alongside chats with the Kriptik organisers themselves and local raver Cyprian Walantowicz.
Behind the documentary is established photographer and videographer in the Cork underground scene, Maclaine Black, who has dedicated much of their artistry to documenting the community they’re a part of. Their unique black and white style of photography and keen eye for the minute detail of a dark subversive environment holds true to the style of the documentary. We asked them what inspired them to create the feature:
“It’s hard to narrow down exactly because there are so many reasons why I wanted to make this, but when I was 15 or 16 I found an old Vice documentary on the illegal rave scene in the UK and just thought the medium was so interesting. I was just beginning to get into techno music at that time, and hadn’t even started doing photography as a hobby, so at the time had no intentions of making my own version, but for one reason or another the documentary stuck in my head.
Fast forward four or five years, I had moved to Cork from Galway, and Cork, specifically the Cork techno scene was really the place where I was able to turn photography from something I had a passive interest in to something that I started to get paid for, to now where it has become my main source of income. I decided very early on that if I wanted my first big project to be something that gave back to the Cork techno scene, which was the inspiration behind ‘Faoi Thalamh,’ my first solo exhibition, and also the documentary. The Cork techno scene has done so much for me and given me such a sense of belonging and I wanted to try and explain that world through this documentary.“
The feature is shot on site at a Kriptik rave at an undisclosed location, as well as in local venues and homes of those involved. The energy captured gives a sense of what unfolds from one of their nights that runs until the early hours of the morning. It also gives an opportunity for those involved to share their thoughts on the impact of having these spaces for their community.
As Ireland’s largest dance music magazine we are really inspired by the work promoters do on a weekly basis to ensure the Irish electronic music scene is alive and well. We are proud to be the first publisher to share this documentary by Maclain Black and Kriptik, and encourage our readers to take the time to watch, share amongst their mates, and as always, to support their local music scene.
Watch via the Four Four YouTube below: