90s and early 00s Irish dance music gets a reboot via new label, Arís
A number of tracks from the breakthrough era for Irish dance music are being reissued
A new record label, Arís, has launched with a mission to file a discography packed with Irish dance music greats from the 90s and early noughties, entirely reissued.
With a focus on championing the talent that emerged toward the start of the millennium, Arís is also set to re-release some forgotten tracks lost to the abundant era for dance music.
The label’s first release is lined up for February with a reissue of Dublin trio Bumble’s ‘West In Motion’ EP. On February 7, Arís is set to release a three-track remix pack including a ‘Banana Mix’, ‘Hard Mix’, and a ‘Brame & Hamo Remix’.
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“Nineties Ireland; a remote island slightly out of music-step with the rest of Europe, dominated still by the ‘guitar music’,” reads the reissued remix pack’s bio.
“Meanwhile, our neighbours across the pond had transitioned to synths, drum machines and ecstasy to forge a seminal movement in ‘rave’ and proceeded to change music and club culture forever.”
The re-release comes in time for the EP’s 30th anniversary, first created in Dublin’s Bow Lane Studios with “the hopes of producing one of Ireland’s first house singles”.
What followed was a surge in Irish dance music throughout the coming years with artists such as Tommy Holohan, Fish Go Deep, and Annie Mac.
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“The trio aimed to mix that burgeoning ‘Rave’ sound with something a bit different: Irish Traditional Music,” reads the bio. “The eventual EP titled West In Motion landed in 1992, and became one of Ireland’s first ‘Dance’ records in the process.”
Just last week, Ireland’s RTÉ 2fm radio station announced a new four-part series celebrating 30 years of Irish dance music with hour-long episodes featuring interviews with Bicep, Or:la, Mano Le Tough, and more.
Check out Arís here, and find out more about the forthcoming ‘West In Motion’ reissue here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter
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