Page 48 - Zone Magazine Issue 008

club night review - ireland
affinity - galway
Irish club night Affinity is fastly becoming one of the biggest brands in Ireland with their spectacular nights and huge line-ups which have included Trance Superstars John O Callaghan, Simon Patterson and Trance Legend Fred Baker. The 2nd Birthday is approaching shortly and it promises to be one of the greatest Trance Nights Ireland could hope for with Trance giants ALY & FILA gracing the wheels of steel alongside MIKE PUSH and many more. I recently had the chance to catch up with Affinity Promoters Donal Cantwell & David Judge for a quick chat.
Great catching up with you Guys let me just begin with massive congratulations on the huge success you have achieved with Affinity since you launched in 2014. Tell us how Affinity came about first day and what inspired you to get into promoting?
Donal: Hi Jerry, Affinity came about between me and David basically through our love of the music and the scene. We always knew over the years at some stage we would do it, and March 2014 the time was right to make the first steps towards affinity.
The inspiration for promoting has really always being there from a young age from organising socials or charity events to just the love of being able to create something from scratch.
David: When we were in our late teens/ early 20s, there was a strong club scene in Galway with regular appearances by some of the big name DJ's of the day like Mauro Picotto, Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell, Marco V and so on.
We wanted to bring something like this back to Galway as we felt the scene had deteriorated over the years, whereas 10 years ago there was a big name DJ playing every weekend here and we loved it!
You have already hosted some amazing nights to date but for you what’s been the highlight so far?
Donal: My Personal highlight of the night to date was when we managed to secure a World exclusive Fred baker B2B Randy Katana set. Two legends of the scene and to get them on same stage for that was something special.
It made waves as other countries and nights have since tried to follow suit for that special set so it really put the affinity name on the map.
David: That was a great coup for us to pull
that one off and was something which had never been done before. In keeping with that theme, this time round we have M.I.K.E. Push doing an exclusive 2 hour producer classics set at our 2nd Birthday, which I think is going to be incredibly special.
There aren't many with a back catalogue like M.I.K.E. Push and I look forward to hearing everything from Plastic Boy to Solar Factor to Push and everything in between!
The Trance scene is really starting to get back to its peak again. For you what DJ’s are really impressing you at the moment
David: It's great to see trance being so popular again and there is so much talent out there at the moment, with new DJ/producers emerging all the time & some of the old favourites making a return to the genre. Obviously Aly & Fila are spearheading the resurgence in trance.
They're recent BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix is testament to this with it being the first trance mix for 2 years, and they continue to break records and win awards globally and deservedly so. Outside of that I don't think we need to look outside of the island of Ireland for talent. John O Callaghan is arguably the greatest DJ/ producer of his generation and is up there with the biggest names in the world. Simon Patterson, Bryan Kearney & Sneijder are international superstars in their own right, then you have other established names like Greg Downey, Gary Maguire, Orla Feeney, Paul Webster & up and coming stars like Maria Healy, Shugz & the amazingly talented Paul Denton, the list goes on really!
We are spoilt for choice here at the moment when it comes to talent and the future is extremely bright when it comes to trance in this country.
As we both know the promoting game can be extremely tough at times but yet the rewards eventually pay off. What advice can you give to other up and coming promoters?
Donal: Yes it Definitely is a tough game so it is, it's not what people think , and definitely not as easy as people think An awful lot of work behind the scenes on all fronts is needed to succeed but we feel we have the right balance and definitely have the smarts and the ambition to keep upping our game .
The only advice really for people if they were thinking of getting in to it is be prepared for setbacks nothing goes accordingly to plan and you have to be extremely persistent.
Tell us about the atmosphere in Galway. I played there a number of years ago at the GPO and it was an awesome night. It’s an amazing city. How much does Galway love there TRANCE? Has the great Joe Canning made an appearance yet ha
David: Haha, no not yet, maybe the next night! Galway city is renowned for its culture and friendly atmosphere. Whether it be the Galway races or the Galway Arts Festival, you are always guaranteed a fun filled and vibrant ambiance in the city, and our nights are no different, with an energetic and up for it crowd, who love their music and most of all a good night out.
The return of trance nights to the city has been warmly received not just by Galway folk, but by people from all over, with crowds coming from all parts of the country and beyond which is always encouraging and rewarding to see and helps to create that unique atmosphere.
The Huge 2nd BIRTHDAY gig is getting very close. When ALY & FILA are booked for it, we certainly know you mean business. Tell us what this gig will mean to you and what the IRISH Trance fans can look forward to in the near future?
Donal: We definitely mean business with this one, it means a lot for us to have such powerhouses coming to Galway , we really pulled out the stops for the bookings and also the clubbers are in for a special treat with a brand new state the art FUNKTION 1 sound system , plus full on laser show.
David: Above all the gigs we've done I think we are really looking forward to this one the most. We are very proud of the line-up and feel there is something there for everyone, especially lovers of that real trance sound. As Donal said, we are pulling out all the stops for this one and no stone will be left unturned. It's our 2nd Birthday and we plan on making it one for everyone to remember!
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
affinity.clubnight.9/
Words By Jerry Coughlan
Pic By Donal Cantwell
48 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE