OTHER VOICES 8 – 2009

As the performance dates draw ever closer, the Other Voices team has announced its full line-up today, revealing many new names including ex Suede frontman Brett Anderson and Mercury Music prize winner Speech Debelle. UK indie songstress Florence and the Machine will also make an appearance in Dingle, though due to promotional commitments in the UK, Florence won’t be appearing as part of a live show but will record a private acoustic performance and interview with presenter Annie Mac which will be included in the TV series.

Snow Patrol and Ollie Cole
Bell X1, The Magic Numbers, The Antlers and Villagers
Megafaun, Imelda May, The Lost Brothers and The Brothers Movement
Brett Anderson, The Temper Trap, Jesca Hoop and Fionn Regan
Richard Hawley, The xx and Speech Debelle

Other Voices ‘Other Room’, the platform for showcasing the very best in new Irish music, will be recorded in a private session in Dingle. Those to be featured in the Other Room in this eighth series will be Valerie Francis, 202s, The Chakras, O Emperor, James McMorrow and one other Irish act to be announced.

Other Voices 2009 has been made possible with the support of a number of organisations including Fáilte Ireland, Intune Networks, RTE and Microsoft. Fáilte Ireland is working in conjunction with Other Voices this year as part of its on-going development of living cultural tourism. Fáilte Ireland is utilising the Other Voices live performances as an opportunity to showcase Dingle and its potential as an emerging cultural tourism destination to a worldwide audience. In a global first, Dublin based telecoms equipment supplier Intune Networks, has announced that it will give the very first demonstration of its ground breaking new technology with a live, high definition transmission of Snow Patrols Other Voices performance in St. James’ Church on Saturday December 5th. Intune Networks will showcase its unique technological advance which enables mass, live, simultaneous content downloads with guaranteed and unparalleled quality. It will transmit the Snow Patrol performance live to audiences in a number of different locations in Dingle. What makes this broadcast different to a normal broadcast is that it is delivered over an optical burst packet switched fibre network and guarantees uninterrupted, premium quality content – something that has been unachievable before now. Other Voices is the perfect meeting place for tradition and innovation, bringing together as it does the arts, culture and technology. The merging of these elements is further evidence of how Ireland can combine culture and technology, creativity and communication and create a mark for itself on the world stage.

Tim Fritzley, CEO of Intune Networks said, “The Other Voices event in Dingle is the perfect platform to demonstrate and showcase Intune’s technology for the very first time. The technology was invented and developed in Ireland and it is fitting that a cultural event like Other Voices has partnered with us for this demonstration. This combination will help underpin Ireland’s international reputation as a vibrant, dynamic, innovative society that values its living traditional and future technical cultures.” “Other Voices is an example of Ireland’s vibrant living culture at its best”, says Aidan Pender, Director of Strategic Development, Fáilte Ireland.

“Other Voices has transformed Dingle into an international creative musical hub, a musical melting pot where musicians and artists - local, national and international - sing and play together in a stunning location. This event – and its transmission using world-first technology - is a great example of Ireland as a land of creativity, innovation and inspiration and has the further benefit of establishing small sustainable enterprises which create sustained economic value in the region”.

Commenting on Microsoft’s support for Other Voices, Microsoft Ireland MD, Paul Rellis commented: “We are delighted to be associated with this unique cultural event that helps to position Ireland as an innovative nation in the eyes of the international media, music and cultural fans. We firmly believe that embracing innovation in all its forms, across all sectors of the economy and society, is the route to economic recovery for Ireland. The approach taken to the Other Voices Festival by the team involved is a perfect example of innovation in practice and is an example of how we can continue to rebuild Ireland’s reputation both at home and abroad. This is an example of the Smart Economy in action”.

“Over the course of the year ahead Microsoft and Other Voices will work together to help bring the ’Dingle performances’ to hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. We look forward to exploring how we can leverage our MSN and Xbox channels to help distribute this content, and also spread the message about the innovative things that are happening in Ireland. We are delighted that our technology can play a key enabling role in this ambition,” Mr. Rellis concluded.

Other Voices is produced by South Wind Blows and will be broadcast on RTÉ Two in early 2010.

Other Voices, Songs from a Room the Music Series Celebrating New and Innovative Irish Voices to be filmed for RTE� Television in Dingle, County Kerry. Musicians gathered in the most westerly point of Ireland and performed before an audience of only 80 people in the 200 year old St James' Church in Dingle, County Kerry.

Dedicated to celebrating new and innovative Irish voices the first series of Other Voices, Songs From A Room included performances from The Frames, Mundy, Damien Rice, Josh Ritter and Mark Geary and produced a highly acclaimed 13 part music series for RTE Television as well as a number 1 selling album featuring all the artists who appeared on the programme.

In a region steeped in tradition and heritage that has long attracted musicians and artists from different disciplines, cutting-edge artists gathered at the most westerly point of Europe, and created an exciting and mix of modern sounds and new voices.