One of my proudest achievements on the blog this year, or any year for that matter, is the release of GruffWuff; a 19 track compilation of new, previously unreleased and exclusive recordings from some of my very favourite acts over the past 5 years of blogging.
It was a truly fantastic way to mark 5 years of BarryGruff and I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved and the overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response. As 2015 draws to a close, I have enlisted help from people who made the compilation what it was, to chat about their favourite moments and sounds from year, and up next, it’s Captain Moonlight.
Obsessive about politics, philosophy, literature, music and hurling, Kilkenny rapper Captain Moonlight, has long been one of Irish Hip Hop’s shining lights. Never one to shirk saying what’s on his mind, he tackles serious political issues, creating intelligent, hard-hitting, often humorous hip-hop in the process. One of my favourite artists over the past decade, and gent too.
Before we take a look at his 2015 sound selections, you should check out Captain Moonlight’s previous, excellent albums and his GruffWuff inclusion, ‘What Is Property’ – of which you can download here for FREE.
What was your personal high point of this year, musical and/or otherwise?
Music
1. Gig – Pumpapalooza
2. Recording – Being on GruffWuff
Otherwise
1. Another All Ireland hurling championship
2. Family trip to Belfast
Favourite album of 2015?
There are a few albums I like.
Cannibal Ox – ‘Blade of the Ronin’
Blackalicious – ‘Imani vol 1’
Lynched – ‘Cold Old Fire’
Sleaford Mods – ‘Key Markets’
Favourite new act discovered in 2015?
Not been a great year for new stuff that I could find, about a half dozen or so interesting acts Dem Atlas from across the Atlantic sounds decent. And I’m a sucker for the sound of britcore, a hip hop group I heard recently called Planet of the Fakes who have a new 7 inch single coming out soon which sounds deadly
Favourite song?
Never too sure about favourite anything so I just rattle off a few here that got me nodding.
Lynched – ‘Cold Old Fire’
Sleaford Mods – ‘Tarantula Deadly Cargo’
Public Enemy – ‘Lost in Space Music’
Planet of the Fakes – ‘Kill a man Twice’
What are your plans for the new year?
Keep recording, try and become vegetarian, again. Write a book, declare war on the gaa while still going to hurling matches, and remind my son’s not to stand for the national anthem at the games. Watch another election take hold of half baked promises, lies and platitudes, to witness another shocked and ashen faced public bemused by their own pathological masochistic disappointment at another false dawn. Start a revolution for the year that’s in it, and if it fails just deflect the blame due to diminished responsibility based on the information I received at the time. If it succeeds, become leader for life under plebiscite and have every member of overthrown government (this and previous) arrested, convicted, stripped of all their assets, and gulagged for their crimes against humanity (the main one, impersonating a human)
What can we expect from you?
You can expect much, but it’s better to remain sceptical. New album due for release at the end of January early February – Offences against the State Act 1. Hoping to start gigging again with it. Acts 2 and 3 to be later in the year. As I said, you can expect all these things but based on my track record I wouldn’t trust me. If I get the one album out it’ll be an achievement. The intent is there though