Sing it loud, wear it proud.

I think the main reason I believe Bob Dylan to be the most over-rated artiste on the planet (please don't hate me, by the way) is because I'm not much of a lyrics man. I do appreciate a good line in a song (mostly in hip hop, mind), don't get me wrong - but my priority always seems to be tune and melody.

With this in mind, probably fair to say that I'm not the best person to be selecting a few choice lines from great Northern Irish tunes. Which is exactly what I've been asked to do.

Paul's had an idea for a new ATL T-shirt design. Four or five short lyrics from great Northern Irish bands. A couple of instantly recognizable gems, a couple from the newbies.

'Teenage Dreams so Hard to Beat...' is the most obvious one, I guess, but the Divine Comedy and Ash have a few sweet lyrics that might look well across your chest. Similarly, The Panama Kings also seem well capable of reeling out a potential slogan.

So...if you've any ideas, please let me know, either here or at [email protected]

If we use your lyric on the new tee, you get unlimited kudos and the unerring respect of the whole ATL team. Priceless!

It's springtime in Paris, possibly post WWII, certainly sometime in black and white. The scent of chocolate on fresh bread is wafting through your nasal passage as you perfect your look of studied ennui. Welcome to a microcosm within a song by a Matthew Herbert aka Dr. Rockit.

The English DJ and producer had been critically acclaimed for making some of the most interesting and truly experimental techno up to this point, constantly tinkering under the bonnet of electronica to bring new takes on the genre, but this was still pretty unexpected. Commissioned as part of a film score 'Cafe de Flore' is another utterly underrated piece of music. Let's rectify that, shall we?

Released around the turn of the millenium, 'Cafe de Flore' is an homage (ok we'll stop now with the faux-intellectualism - ooops there we go again) to a legendary Parisien coffee house-cum-bar, where insufferably cool French types hang out and fight over Sartre and football while pouting Audrey Hepburns totter precariously past.

The track begins and ends with the sound of espresso cups chinking, and the chatter of bustling life around the cafe on Boulevard Saint Germain in the French capitol. Then the drums. It almost sounds like its being played out on the cutlery and sugar cellars with an egg whisk. There are accordians of course, and assorted concertina type affairs, with just a hint of late c.20th with a space age refrain creeping in towards the latter half. Despite its recurring placement on rather awful Ibiza chillout albums from time to time, it manages to steer clear of the garlic necklace cliche that could easily have dogged such a track.

Coming from Northern Ireland our DNA has been programmed to block any effort to look effortless sexy, so this is about as close as we will ever get to being the stars of a Godard movie. Thanks to Herbert though, we'll always have Paris.

Doctor Rockit - Cafe de Flore (Lifelike Recordings, 2000)

It's slightly ridiculous to look forward to an act visting Belfast by celebrating a song she almost certainly won't play when she's over, but here we are.

Candi Staton is a 66 year old singer from Alabama. She was one of the original Gospel and Rn'B singers in the sixties, rattling out album after album, many of them hugely influence by... well, God.

She was best known for 'Young Hearts, Run Free' - possibly the greatest pro-breakup song of all time. Since the end of Sex in the City, 'You Got the Love', a track she recorded in the 80s is now her standout tune.

But these wee gems, sitting as they are at the credible end of your average cheesey disc-jockey's record floor fillers, are nothing compared to a song you are about to listen to.

For me, this is the ultimate break up song. It's proper teary, proper soulful and I love it, even if it "works" best when one is at one's lowest ebb.

The gig, at which she is unlikely to perform this song (rendering this blog almost entirely pointless), takes place on Friday week, as part of the CQAF.

The internet has been rocked by the ongoing war of words between And So I Watch You From Afar and Fighting With Wire, two of Northern Ireland's best-loved acronyms. Coinciding with the announcement of their head-to-head performance at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, the two bands have been locked in a vicious game of cat and mouse with both posting videos denegrating their opponents with a spite not seen since the recent Duke Special vs Neil Hannon furore which ended in a very public spat on RTE television.

*** WARNING: The two links below take you to videos with plenty of swearing ***

The first salvo was fired last week when ASIWYFA posted a home-made smackdown on the web. Bass player Johnny was so emotional that he was physically unable to even face the camera.

Two days later, Fighting With Wire sent a broadside back across the Glenshane Pass that sent shockwaves through the beleagured musical community.

The tension escalated today when Andrew Ferris, label boss at Smalltown America exclusively told the ATL blog that "Tony Wright from ASIWYFA feels that this has become so personal that the only option available to him is now to 'end' FWW 'once and for all'."

According to a leaked memo, the ASIWYFA guitarist Rory Friers' experience as a cocktail waitress will allow him to "make a fritter from this supposed pineapple of truth", while Cahir from Fighting With Wire told ATL "I am going to take them down, but not County Down, we're from Derry, hi."

Smalltown America, the Derry-based imprint which handles both of these volatile bands, admitted that they are now also aware of two more incendiary videos which are due to surface on the net in a matter of days, prompting the NI Blood Transfusion Service to issue a plea for fresh donors in the Greater Belfast area. "It looks as if these young men will stop at nothing in their quest to become the 'big hard man' of the NI music scene, it's all in the hands of the gods now, I just pray that no more innocents get caught up in this savagery" said Ferris.

We will, of course, keep you updated on any developments. Keep safe.

Check out both bands in action for ATL on the And So I Watch You From Afar and Fighting With Wire artist pages.

About four years ago a guy called Jack Splash released an album under the name Plantlife, called 'The Return of Jack Splash'.

I genuinely thought they were the new Outkast, and the likes of Pharell Williams and The Chemical Brothers seemed to agree - both were quoted in the little press release that came with the CD.

But no one really cared.

Such a shame - the track 'Appreciate', which I couldn't find anywhere for this blog, is the funkiest piece of music I've ever heard.

As an example of Plantlife's work though, here's the 4hero re-rub of 'When She Smiles She Lights the Sky.'

It's as sweet as that title suggests.

So, myself and Paul Hamill have decided to celebrate an incredible night of RAVE across Northern Ireland (Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Simian Mobile Disco, Filthy Dukes and David Guetta are all DJing somewhere) with a special ATL on Easter Monday.

The idea is a bit daft, but should make for a fun show. In a nutshell, we do the A-Z of dance music, taking it letter about. Neither of us have planned a playlist yet but, for the sheer hell of it, we went on MSN and had this conversation, to get us thinking...

rigs says:

alright dude

rigs says:

what i propose we do

rigs says:

for the sake of a blog

rigs says:

is have a rapid fire attempt at a running order for monday

rigs says:

20 seconds you get to think of your track

rigs says:

now we don't use this as a running order, it's just for fun, to get us started

hamill says:

ok

rigs says:

okay, ya ready?

hamill says:

up

hamill says:

A=Altern 8 - track tbc

rigs says:

no wait

hamill says:

ok

hamill says:

dman

rigs says:

rules are that you have to give BOTH artiste and track title

rigs says:

and either can begin with the letter

rigs says:

A, The etc don't count as the letter

hamill says:

ok

rigs says:

and if you don't get something inn 20 seconds

rigs says:

then you lose a point

rigs says:

okay?

hamill says:

ok

rigs says:

other person is in charge of counting to twenty

hamill says:

ok

rigs says:

right, i am thinking of a football team, do they play in red or blue?

hamill says:

red

rigs says:

if you get right you start on A, if you get wrong you start on B

rigs says:

nope. it was chelsea

rigs says:

so you start on B. which is a dose, cause i wanted that.

rigs says:

RIGHT

hamill says:

****

hamill says:

same here

hamill says:

i wanted a

rigs says:

HERE!!!! this is going to be published word for word no swearing ffs

rigs says:

okay here we go....you count to 20

rigs says:

actually no make it ten!!!!!!!!!

hamill says:

ooops sorry

rigs says:

GO!!!!!!

hamill says:

ahhh

hamill says:

go

rigs says:

ANNIE- CHEWING GUM

rigs says:

7

hamill says:

beltram - energy flash

rigs says:

chemical brothers - star guitar

rigs says:

8

hamill says:

dance with me - calvin harris

rigs says:

Enter sandman - Metallica (herve mix)

hamill says:

Found You - Axwell - High Contrats Mix

rigs says:

AGGGH!!!!!

rigs says:

pass

rigs says:

ha ha, paul is gonna help me now

rigs says:

GERD - arkest blaze

hamill says:

house nation - phil kieran

rigs says:

Inner city - good life

hamill says:

jack your body - steve silk hurley

rigs says:

Air - kelly watch the stars

hamill says:

Lost In Music - Sister Sledge

rigs says:

mothership reconnection (daft punk remix)

hamill says:

Orbital - Chime

rigs says:

orbitol - belfast

rigs says:

HA

rigs says:

wrong letter you twit

rigs says:

DING!!!!!!

hamill says:

ha

rigs says:

EPIC FAIL

hamill says:

N = November Rain - Slashs Remic - GNR

rigs says:

and p!

hamill says:

P = PATT - Sharam

rigs says:

slashs remix!?

rigs says:

quantic - dont joke with the hungry man

hamill says:

ha i had picked quantic too

hamill says:

radiohead - everything in it's right place - wink mix

rigs says:

stardust - music sounds better

hamill says:

township funk - dj mujava

rigs says:

chemical brothers - under the unfluence

[email protected] says:

veronicas veil - fan death

rigs says:

wichamy brothers - erm.....

rigs says:

pet shop boys - west end girls (rigsy's played at the wrong speed house remix)

hamill says:

haha - what a poor attempt. numpty

rigs says:

alloy mental - we have control

rigs says:

yeoooooooooooooooooooo

hamill says:

x-lover - sucker

rigs says:

peter bjorn and john - young folks (beyond the wizards sleeve remix)

hamill says:

zombie nation - zombie nationnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

rigs says:

ha ha

rigs says:

that would make for a terrible playlist

rigs says:

ha

hamill says:

had that one in the bank

rigs says:

see you on monday

hamill says:

looking forward to pwning you on your own show m8

rigs says:

i'm going to show you how it's done m8eight8, give you a lesson

hamill says:

rave on john

Hopefully some of you will have read Emma's review of ASIWYFA's album launch last weekend.

Myself and Paul have been buzzing about Saturday night, absolutely blown away that a band who make what is essentially niche music (in this case, instrumental post-rock) can attract the type of crowd you'd expect for, say, multi-platinum selling, commercial sounding, indie-pop international superstars Maximo Park (who will prove my point by getting the same amount of people through the doors of the same venue this evening).

So what's this all about? Why was there an enormous cheer when the lights went down, signalling the band were mere moments away from taking to the stage? That doesn't happen at local gigs, does it?!

Why were people filming the stage with their mobile phones BEFORE the band had even come on? Why was EVERY SINGLE SONG greeted with absolute adulation, like this was a greatest hits set from..., I dunno, Blur?! And not tracks from an album you couldn't even buy before tonight performed by a band without a singer?

Yes, they're absolute legends to the point it is literally impossible to dislike any of them even a tiny bit. They live for what they do and such raw enthusiasm is totally infectious and inspiring - it's a pleasure being in these guys' company. They have also done everything they can to bolster the music scene in Northern Ireland - last year's A Little Solidarity being the single most notable event for local music in the last ten years.

But does being so damn well dead on allow you to sell out one of the finest venues in the country?

Well it probably does help, a wee bit anyway.

Apart from the actual music, which I am now personally in love with despite "not usually being into that type of thing", here's some reasons why ASIWYFA have a reputation for greatness.

First of all, they care about their fans. They speak to them, reference them onstage, look out for them when scuffles and heavy handed security make things a little hairy down front. "Please look after each other down their. Security, be cool. Don't be fighting. This next song is called 'Tip of the Hat, Punch in the Face'".

The attention to detail is notable. The screens that adorned the balcony gave the gig an arena feel it actually deserved. Ditto the choir for 'Don't Waste Time Doing things You Hate' being on the same balcony, beautifully lit up, appearing as if by magic.

And that lighting. A lot of planning had gone in, resulting in zig zags of power-cans blasting blinding white light across the crowd. It looked amazing. Painfully so.

The merch-stand between the Mandela and the bar - full of beautifully designed T-shirts (picked up a nice white number meself, with a weird bug thing on it, I think, it's lying on my bedroom floor somewhere) and albums - it all adds to the sense of occasion.

There are loads more reasons, but this is already too long. If you haven't seen them perform live yet, don't worry. You will soon. And then you'll understand.

Pics:Alan Maguire

If you managed to catch last weekend's Dance Show you'll no doubt have heard me positively gushing about a new Belfast/Berlin band that are already tipped for big things, not just by ATL but also The Times, who recently who tipped them as 'Ones To Watch' for 2009.

Moon Unit are local girl Rosalind Blair and Berlin resident Paul Mogg who is a former member of Mo' Wax heads The Psychonauts. They've already featured on DFA's Death From Above compilation and have singles forthcoming on Berlin's Supersoul Recordings alongside a remix from a certain Ewan Pearson which recently featured on Aeroplane's Mixmag covermount mix CD. The new single 'Hot Chocolate Boy' is a glorious slice of authentic electro-pop which comes across like Debbie Harry getting it on with Gary Numan with a little bit of Alison Goldfrapp thrown in for good measure too. It is quite simply one of the best records we've heard this year.

Moon Unit have roped in Hot Chip's tour drummer for their live shows which will this summer take them on a tour of Russia with dates in Paris, Berlin, London and Neuchatel also lined-up. The next big thing? I'd happily wager a few quid on it. Check out Saturday's show on the iPlayer for a little taster.

Ok so we're live on air and still able to blog, that's how we roll. Call it a gift.

Just a heads up about some exciting electronica thats been pushed through the ATL letterbox in the past few weeks that have been making our feet twitch. As we put together tonight's running order a certain theme emerged so let's talk it out people. If you tuned into the show (if not then listen again, why don't you?) you will have maybe been captured by a song from Moon Unit. The Belfast/Berlin duo features vocals from Ros of Duchampions, originally from Antrim but having graduated with honours from a London art school scene that included the like of New Young Pony Club she has an naturally international outlook. Moon Unit have just featured their Ewan Pearson remix of Connections on a cover mount CD for an esteemed monthly dance magazine mixed by the awesome Belgian outfit Aeroplane (see a certain ATL presenter's gush below).

Boxcutter, aka Barry Lynn from Lurgan, has already been championed by the elite underground press and is signed to the consistently groundbreaking Planet Mu imprint. Now onto his third record, his sound is like nothing that has ever emerged from Northern Ireland. There are elements of dub, techno, jazz and..whisper it quietly...Dubstep.

Local label Acroplane have long been championing choice new NI beats. Exhibit A is Jack Hamill. His Space Dimension Controller moniker is the more dancefloor alter-ego from the maker of RL/VL tracks which have been on rotation on ATL for over a year. Unidentified Flying Oscillator is a collection of dancefloor grooves that are startlingly mature for a producer with so few miles on the clock. Also check new offerings from David Baxter under his Filaria guise as well as the Kinnego Flux collaboration.

Having heard Coda many times, we had singer Julianne pegged squarely as a rock chick. One listen through to her new collaborative offering along with Dave from Jane Bradfords as Nakatomi Towers and ATL are well and truly on an evangelical crusade.

Add in the usual suspects such as Phil Kieran, Calibre, the Jet Project and the Japanese Popstars (to name just a few) and we are beginning to be less the stagnant pond of years gone by and more like a steady stream that just might become a torrent.

The Irish Times has published a list of the top 50 Irish acts. As one would expect, the all-conquering rock juggernaut that is Snow Patrol nestles alongside the cerebral pop of Divine Comedy. Oppenheimer rightly rub epaulettes with David Holmes who ends up perched atop the entire poll. Iain Archer, the Duke and Ash all cut the mustard, and all manner of breaking sourthern talent are represented, but ATL cannot help but scratch our collective forehead at some glaring omissions.

This weekend ASIWYFA will launch their debut album to an inevitably sold-out Mandela Hall, while Lafaro, Standup Guy, Two Door Cinema Club, Calibre, General Fiasco, Phil Kieran, Foy Vance, Boxcutter, Fighting With Wire and countless others are already making inroads in their various international fields.

Of late, ATL has made a concious decision to look beyond the border and have been hoovering up and delivering many top acts from our southerly brethren to the airwaves but we cant help thinking that the favour, in general, is not being returned. There has long been a strange, mutual suspicion as we glance across the border and this list seems to reinforce the notion that the Dublin music scene and media is far too pre-occupied with itself to notice that far from deserving a cursory mention in dispatches, the frontline has actually moved north.

Now, are we reading too much into what was probably a slow day at the offices of the (consistently excellent) Ticket or do we need to take this outside?

We opened Monday night's show with a relatively obscure track by a French dude called Sebastian Tellier.

Actually, it was a "remix" of a relatively obscure track by a French dude called Sebastian Tellier.

Opening tracks on ATL are usually something massive by a well known act, or at least a local track that we've been absolutely hammering. Something familiar, basically.

But on Monday, an exception was made, because the Aeroplane remix of Sebastian Tellier's 'Kilometre' is the greatest noise I have heard so far this year.

It's one of those tracks you can play to pretty much anyone and they'll buzz off it. No one can deny the joy of that bassline in the chorus or dare not acknowledge the funk

And with this track also comes some awesome "further listening".

Aeroplane, who are a Belgian production duo by the way, were also responsible for a track which was easily in my top five tunes of 2008:

'Paris' by Friendly Fires was already awesome, but Aeroplane had Erika from Au Revoir Simone do vocals, slowed the beat down and turned it into something a little bit special.

We're told this is 'slow groove' and that Aeroplane are pioneers of a reasonably new sound - a take on disco - basically house music, but slower.

This scene is best celebrated with a recent mix put together by the Belguin duo, which comes free with this month's Mixmag. Fifteen incredible slow grooves, including the two remixes mentioned in this blog. It's the best DJ mix I've heard in years and I reckon I've listened to it, in full, about ten times in less than a week. Not bad given it's about an hour long and I'm a busy man (well, there was a Fraiser marathon on the comedy channel).

Get that mix, or at least give the tracks on their myspace a decent go, if you haven't already.