Friday, December 11th
Noel Hill: A Life In Music
Na Píobairí Uilleann, Dublin 8.30pm €10/45 pipers.ie
The renowned concertina player is this month's guest at Na Píobairí Uilleann's Notes and Narratives lecture and performance series, where digging beneath the surface of the music is at the heart of the proceedings.
Out to Lunch
Bar Tengu, Dublin 10pm €10 soundcloud.com/mrties
Mr Ties is the Italian-born spinner behind the acclaimed Homopatik club at About Blank, the gritty Berlin club space which is a perfect example of what you'd expect a Berlin club to be. When in situ in the former punk squat in Friedrichshain, Mr Ties keeps things buzzing and eclectic with disco, house, techno, jazz and soul. It's another ace booking from Out to Lunch, which has brought DJ Sprinkles, Laurel Halo and DJ Sotofett to town in 2015.
Robert Hood
Limelight, Belfast 10.30pm £10 shine.net
If all this Detroit luminary ever did was establish Underground Resistance with Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, that would still be more than enough for deity status in techno circles. But aside from that seminal entity, this techno blue blood has played a major part in mapping electronic music's future directions, with tracks such as the seminal Minimal Nation and releases for his M-Plant imprint and other labels under various guises such as Floorplan. It's fair to say that the minimal techno cuts from Hood have set a real pace for his peers to match. Support from local duo Schmutz.
Felip Carbonell and Anna Houston
DC Music Club, Dublin 9pm €15/€13 musiclee.ie
Sligo resident and Mallorcan native Felip Carbonell can trace a picaresque route through his musical past and present. He has recently celebrated this musical adventure through the release of his double CD, Els Colors del Temps/The Colours of Time. The founding member of No Crows is accompanied by Anna Houston on cello for this intimate performance.
Paul Van Dyk
Lanyon Hall, Cookstown, Co Tryone 10pm £12 paulvandyk.com
The first acts to play the revamped venue formerly known as Clubland include Nathan Carter, Bagatelle and Paul Van Dyk, so there really is something for everyone in the audience. Van Dyk is the Berlin- born trance superstar who had a long run in the stadiums and big arenas before those venues became the norm. He's still producing new music; his latest release, Politics of Dancing 3, features collaborations with the likes of Ummet Ozcan, Tricia McTeague, Jahala, Patrick Droney and many more. Might Nathan Carter feature next time out?
Back to Bacharach: Phil Ware/Ian Shaw/Anders Bergcrantz
Triskel Christchurch, Cork 8pm €15/€12 triskelartscentre.ie
Dublin pianist Phil Ware's inauguration of Triskel's shiny new Steinway continues this week with an examination of the Bacharach catalogue in the company of ebullient English vocalist Ian Shaw, renowned Swedish trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz and Ware's own polished trio, with drummer Kevin Brady and bassist Dave Redmond.
Saturday, December 12th
Jape
Vicar St, Dublin 7.30pm €18 vicarstreet.ie
From start to finish, 2015 has been a busy, brilliant year for Jape's Richie Egan (right). In January, he released his fifth studio album (This Chemical Sea) and last month he issued (via Bandcamp only) the mellow and amusingly titled .wav goodbye, an eight-track outtakes album. Say a pre-Crimbo hello, then, to one of Ireland's smartest electro-pop practitioners. Special guests include Booka Brass Band and ones to watch out for next year: Pleasure Beach.
Danny Krivit
Grand Social, Dublin 11pm €15 dannykrivit.net
He's one of the original players from the New York house scene, and Danny Krivit's story takes in time at the Roxy alongside Grandmaster Flash and Afrikka Bambaataa, co-founding Body & Soul with Francois K and Joe Clausell, and his current 718 Sessions' party. Away from the clubs, Krivit's work as a remixer and producer has led to many classic remakes and versions. Support in the main room from Billy Scurry with Keith Dalton, Pablo and Louche spinning in the smoking area.
Fish Go Deep
Opium Rooms, Dublin 11pm €15/€12/€10 fishgodeep.com
Even after three decades, it seems there are still some rooms in the country that Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson have yet to grace with their presence. The Cork dons make their first-ever headlining appearance at the Wexford Street club after a year that has seen them release the well- received Turning Stones EP and pull the crowds for their 27th birthday party on home turf.
Sunday, December 13th
Solas Awards Exhibition 2015
Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Sq, Dublin Until Jan 10 galleryofphotography.ie
Shortlist show including work by first-place winner Michael LeBelhomme (France), who explores the complexity of representing landscape in The Two Labyrinths. Also, second- place winner Dara McGrath (Ireland), whose Project Cleansweep looks at lands once used by the MOD in the UK for military exercises; and third-place winner Mervyn Arthur (UK), who, in Slipshod/Screen Test, plays with notions of perfection, abstraction and realism.
El Vy
Vicar St, Dublin 7.30pm €22.90 (sold out) vicarstreet.ie
And to think that when the debut Irish appearance of The National's Matt Berninger's side project was first announced, it was for Whelan's. Within days the gig was shifted to this much larger venue, and so here's the thing: will Berninger and his El Vy associate, Brent Knopf, blow the roof off with songs from their debut album (Return to the Moon) and a few National tunes, or just tear down the walls? Either way, wrap up.
