Lurgan DJ set to make noise in Moscow

Barry Lynn, aka Boxcutter, will be jetting off to Moscow to play the renowned Solynka Club this Friday (August 22) for British Council’s UK-Russia Year of Culture celebrations.

He will be joined by fellow electronic artist, Defcon (real-name Connor Dougan) for Selector Live Beefeater Sessions, a series of parties presenting rising acts in the UK. The nights, run by the British Council radio station The Selector, will cover a range of different music genres - from indie and dubstep to soul, hip hop and more and will be broadcast from Russian radio station, Megapolis FM.

The pair, who have collaborated on a number of occasions (including remixes for The Selector) play a range of genres that skirt 2-step, UK garage, IDM, dubstep and even electro pop.

Barry has cooked up more than a decade’s worth of dark, moody, atmospheric electronic music, most recently re-establishing his own label, Kinnego Records, and this trip will be his second time in Moscow, having played there back in 2011.

About the experience he said: “I’m very happy to get a chance to visit Moscow again, it’s a really eye-opening place to visit. I love how much space travel and astronomy are embedded in their culture.

“With my record label up-and-running again, it will be great to road-test a lot of fresh music and the Russian crowd should be a lot of fun. It’s also great to have Defcon’s Connor Dougan along for company; we’ve been working on a lot of music together recently, so it’ll be good to play it to a new crowd together.”

During live sets you can expect to find Barry zipping around behind two laptops, a synthesizer, decks, a bass, a guitar and more.

Connor Dougan, a native of Ballyclare and one of Barry’s protégés, is one of the most exciting electronic acts to come out of Northern Ireland in recent years. He’s quickly following in the footsteps of Belfast electro stalwart David Holmes, making a name for himself under the alias of Defcon, with his intense, evocative sound.

He got involved in this show after submitting a number of different mixes to Selector.

He said: “Barry and I collaborated with Selector towards the end of last year and I also got involved with the radio station for Belfast Music Week with another one of my mixes.

“I’m really looking forward to the trip - it’s a great way to get your name and music out there on an international scale, especially for artists like me, who have mainly only toured in the UK.

“Apart from the gig, I’m also really looking forward to seeing the sights and experiencing real Russian culture; we arrive on Thursday and we’ve got all of Saturday in Moscow to explore.”

Selector Live Beefeater Sessions are just one of a number of the British Council Northern Ireland UK-Russia Year of Culture events featuring Northern Ireland artists. Belfast poet laureate Sinéad Morrissey, is currently in Moscow, where she will spend three weeks delving into her families communist past; while the Ulster Orchestra will perform Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw in Moscow for a two-night run at the end of August.

Selector club nights are also no stranger to these shores, with a number of gigs previously taking place at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre. The last one, back in November 2013 as part of Belfast Music Week, featured rising UK artists Unknown, Spree and Bear//Face.

Boxcutter and Defcon will next play together in Londonderry/Derry for CultureTech on September 19. Upcoming Belfast gigs for Boxcutter include the Menagerie on September 28, while you can catch Defcon at his regular nights as part of the Reset Collective in the Menagerie.