AOA Mix 002: Shampain

Ahead of his Aiséirí event with One Leg One Eye, Olan Monk and Just Mustard in Galway next week, Shampain records a turbocharged DJ mix

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’d really have to wonder when Shampain sleeps. A quick glance at the DJ born Cóilí Collins’ recent schedule will show you a string of global club tours, a packed-out Boiler Room, and a regular Rinse France show in which he demonstrates a mixing style that’s as restless as it is alchemical. Catch one of his sets and you might hear Sinéad O’Connor mixed with blazing breakbeats, a Lankum acapella laid over an Objekt track, or a sean-nós song stitched within a hair's breadth of thundering techno.

A native of Inverin in Connemara, he has simultaneously found the time to host an Irish language docuseries on alternative subcultures, mix a live ambient soundtrack to the 1926 silent film Faust, and open his open his own barbershop in Galway, the city where he cut his teeth as a DJ, and where he still lives to this day.

It’s also the city that gives his G-Town Records label its name. Co-founded with the superstar DJ KETTAMA, their collaboration dates back to 2016, when the duo started running nights under the VSN banner. Last year, they hosted one of biggest dance music events in Galway’s history, taking over the International Arts Festival’s Big Top for a hefty knees-up featuring DJ Heartstring and Pretty Girl.

On 21st December, Shampain will take over another iconic Galway venue for his biggest show to date. Aiséirí – meaning ‘resurrection’ – will take place at the Leisureland centre in Salthill, and boasts an all-star line-up of Irish underground talent that leans into the eclecticism of his own tastes. As well as his own headline set, he’ll be joined by the Dundalk post-punk and shoegaze outfit Just Mustard and fellow Inverin native Olan Monk, whose industrial electronic pop brims with melancholy and distortion. There will also be a set from Lankum’s Ian Lynch, who’ll be rounding off a busy year spent touring with his experimental drone folk project, One Leg One Eye. It’s a serious line-up that promises a hell of a good time – certainly better than my last trip to Leisureland, which was to sit a philosophy exam in 2015.

Anyway, in the Venn diagram of Irish, experimental and dance music, Shampain has always seemed happiest at the centre, so it makes a lot of sense that he’d be the first guest DJ to record a mix for Anois, Os Ard. True to his tireless work ethic, it arrived sometime in the middle of the night, alongside the answers to the Q&A that you can read below.

Needless to say, the mix absolutely rips. I’m not going to waste time describing it, just listen below, and spot that mysterious Shampain ID there at the end of the tracklist.

There’s still a small handful of tickets left for Aiséirí. Get yours here.

Éistigi.

2024’s been a big one for you. How are you feeling as it comes to an end? What have been some personal highlights?

“I’m feeling good as it closes up. In terms of music it has definitely been a slower pace towards the end of the year but I’m definitely feeling refreshed heading into next year. Overall this year has been fully insane. Started off with my Boiler Room, followed by CTM Festival, which was massive for me. Went into two tours of Australia, a host of European shows, a quick festival run, re-scoring and live mixing some silent movie soundtracks, producing lots of music, opening a barbershop and having it be extremely successful all the while. Once Aiséirí is wrapped up that’s it for me – put a bow on it.”

I’m curious to know more about the thought process behind Aiséirí. Can you tell me a bit about the vision you had in mind when curating the line-up and what it is you hope people take away from it? What connective tissue do you see between all of the artists on the bill?

“Connective tissue is definitely the right term alright. There’s an obvious link between myself and Olan as we’re both natives of Indreabhán here in Galway. I think, yes, all the acts are mad different from each other, but the best way to describe it is that if you like One Leg One Eye’s performance, you’re gonna really like everything else. Same goes for Olan and Just Mustard and maybe me too. I guess in a way we’re all shades of the same acquired taste.”

Your mixes and DJ sets have increasingly blended elements of traditional Irish music with more experimental electronic textures and club sounds. Why is it important for you to bring these more traditional sounds into this context, and what connections do you recognise between them?

“I guess it hasn’t been a huge conscious thing. Since I first started playing I’ve always mixed grime, ambient, deconstructed club and jungle – sort of anything different sounding from more traditionally club structured music. Irish music is dance music at its rawest so once I played it to a crowd of people it immediately resonated with everyone. It’s a great rabbit hole to go down because you feel like it really belongs to you more so than any other music you hear or play. I don’t really believe that music belongs to anyone as such, it’s just a part of nature in my mind, but if DJing was like looking out the window at home, and techno was seeing Clare in the distance, trad is like the grass in the field right in front of you.”

How are you feeling about the state of Irish music at the moment? What’s exciting you? What is concerning you?

“I think it’s more of a worldwide problem but I really feel as though there aren’t very many independent promoters, collectives or labels knocking around right now. I feel like for far too long we’ve kind of overvalued the establishment in dance music and now people are annoyed that it’s gone in a far more commercial direction. This happens in all kinds of fields when the independent framework is hollowed out and all the attention goes to the top.

With that being said I do still think there are some unreal Irish artists knocking about right now. Olan Monk is probably the top of the pops for me, but you’ve got to include Maria Somerville there. What Ian Lynch is doing as One Leg One Eye is super special too. The Wicklow contingent of Haunted Mound is an extremely cool feather in the Irish music hat right now too. “

Can you tell me a bit about your AOA Mix?

“I was just trying to put some stuff together that might kind of reflect what Aiséirí may sound like in some way. I did a deep dive through my USBs from 2017 up until today and found some stuff that really just will not leave my rotation no matter what. It’s a pretty angry mix with lots of texture and it’s definitely what I’d consider a good helping of all shades of dark electronic music.”

What’s in store for 2025?

“Nothing too specific: some tours very far afield; some cool club shows; probably some music too. To be honest I’m just focusing on this weekend first.”

Tracklist:

Soli City - at this point, only the memory of it remains vital
Low End Activist - Climbing The Walls
Varg2tm feat. CouCou Chloe - I Get Lit (cause if not I think of you)
Speedy J - Terre Zippy
Peder Mannerfelt - Enter Reoccurring Disparity
Tommy Holohan - Harpcore Draw
Clouds - Fallout
À&H - Gott
Surgeon - Lowkey can't remember the name of this tune
Endless - Atitlo
Regal86 - Off Road
Clouds - Can't Anticipate
Schwefelgelb - IO
X CLUB. - ID
Mia Koden - Sludge
Clouds - Blood Skating
De Grandi - Vincente De La Makina
Clouds - Chained to a Dead Camel (Headcore Wreckage Mix)
ZULI - Trigger Finger (Chevel Remix)
Död Mark - Svarta Havet
JK Flesh - Nothing Is Free
Shampain - ID