ShivDublin Digital Radio announce their annual ‘Alternating Currents’ festival with their biggest programme to date. The three day festival of electronic and electroacoustic music, AV art, sound and multimedia performance is packed full of experimental electronic music and an exploration of community. This year sees live performances take place in The Complex from October 27th, with workshops and collaborations taking place over the weekend, along with an extensive online programme of events.
Dublin Digital Radio is a much loved staple of the Irish music scene, offering a platform for left-of-centre electronic and cultural explorations. Since its inception, the online community radio station has represented a wealth of alternative music, art and politics across Ireland, and is wholly funded by its members via Patreon subscriptions composed of listeners and broadcasters alike.
During the station’s seven years of broadcasting, it has come to occupy a unique position in Ireland’s music hinterland. As a radio platform that thrives on giving space to experimenters, artists and producers, the station has become a home to some of the most compelling work being made both in Ireland and by its emigre axis.
The festival takes place this October in The Complex’s Depot, Smithfield, on October 27th and 28th, and online on October 29th. This year’s festival is organised around the theme of “meitheal” an Irish language word denoting a historical practice of community labour in the production of the common goods. For AC23 they plan to explore sonic commons – ways in which the production of and experience of sounds is always a collaborative process – connecting us into a network of historical and contemporary movements, technologies and people.
Through this theme, the festival will open up links with new organisations (nationally and internationally) and spark collaborations and new forms of community, while continuing with their vision of making Alternating Current a celebration of sonic cultures, radio art and contemporary Irish music.
This year the festival has specially commissioned artists at the cutting edge of sonic practice to make work for the festival and in response to the theme. Áine O’Dwyer, ALYXIS, BB84, Caskré, Lakker, Linda O’Keefe, Muireann Levis, Nigel Rolfe, Soria, and Whirling Hall of Knives will perform their new work in the old fruit and vegetable warehouse off Capel Street over two days. While on October 29th, new specifically commissioned radio works from Radio Alhara, Radio Cashmere, Radio Kapital, Spooky Beore and The Office of Joint Administrative Intelligence will be broadcast live on Dublin Digital Radio and collaborating stations.
Dublin Art and Technology Association (DATA) will explore communal art making with a series of workshops and screenings. Starting with an all-ages music making workshop hosted by Dabbledoo Music, the programme will include an electronic music workshop for girls with SynthesizeHer, P2P – a work in progress music sharing event hosted by Roo Honeychild and a film screening event in partnership with the Small File Media Festival.
This is a great opportunity to connect with your local music community, enjoy some great music experiences all while supporting the ddr platform. Tickets are available via Eventbrite here.
