Ian found his way into dj'ing through dubstep, but it wasn't long before he started switching things up to hip-hop, house, bass & more! Nowadays Ian's sound is grounded in a house vibe, but with all these influences strongly present in every selection. With his OTR mix he has kicked things off on a more classic vibe but manages
to flawlessly incorporate a variety of different sounds into one unique package. From chicago & disco style house to more modern garage & bass-driven styles this mix shows off the full spectrum of influences behind this dj. Well worth a listen for any lover of house music, and anyone with an appreciation for garage/bass/hip-hop/beats.
More from Ian:
Soundcloud
Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yvq33e82d3tqmb2
Listen on mixcloud:
http://www.mixcloud.com/OffTheRecord/off-the-record-volume-073-mixed-by-ian-oh-reilly/
Off The Record Rewind #004
with Obamabo
Obamabo aka Oisin Daly, has contributed some serious sounds our way since getting on board with OTR. This guitarist/producer/dj dabbles in all things dub, blues, post-rock, electro, techno, house & general glitchy electronica. We've been lucky enough to have him come play at two of our gigs and get on board with our new compilation album. Along with this he's now sending us his third mix for the series! Quite different to either of his last mixes, Oisin came at this one under his new side-project guise of Sneaky Dread. 100% Irish dub/bass/reggae/dubstep selection.
OTR: I remember you sending us your first recorded mix to check out and wanting to get you on board with the series straight away! What made you get on to us at OTR?
Obamabo: Well I guess I have always been a bit of a bedroom or house party dj but my background was more from being a musician and producer and I never thought of myself as a 'real' DJ because I didn't have turntables or know how to beatmatch. Also I had no intention of playing tunes in one genre or tempo for a whole set. When I discovered Off The Record through mutual friends and social networking I began listening to the mixes and while I enjoyed them, I began to realize that there was more to being a DJ and to what it encompassed. I knew I could bring a new sound to the series so I downloaded Traktor and started recording mixes and sent you one, which you duly liked and I guess it started from there.
OTR: Your first mix in the series was very well received as was your 'reggae special' mix. What's been your main influences when it comes to dj'ing?
Obamabo: I think the way I approach dj'ing is, well while all dj'ing is about build and flow, I usually build my mixes as a kind of soundscape, kind of designed to take the listener on a journey, more than keep them on the dance floor, usually with lots of ebb and flow and ambient effects carrying through the mix. Some of the mixes which influenced me most would be the like of Mark Farina's Mushroom jazz or the K and D sessions by Kruder and Dorfmeister. The kind of listening experience where you forget where you are or what you were listening to and have to check back every ten minutes haha. While I'm nowhere near the level of these masters yet this is the pedestal I'd be aiming for.
OTR: Nice, well it's working so far. You've got one of the most eclectic portfolios around.
Obamabo: I guess the main thing is having no barriers, I know what I like and given the right audience I know I can trust that they will get into the vibe I am trying to create. My musical and production background definitely comes into play, as well as a few other things haha, but its all about building an atmosphere. I will spend weeks going though soundcloud downloading new stuff and put them on my ipod or whatever, and as I listen I hear the ones I like and imagine the way they could be used in a mix, until the time comes when I have to put it on paper so to speak, and move on. Then when it comes to playing live I know I have huge library of tunes in all styles to draw from!
OTR: Your first played for OTR at our 'Reggae Special' gig, how did you feel about that one, not being a strictly reggae dj?
Obamabo: Well I was still quite inexperienced at playing live and was willing to give it a shot and sit in with the big boys haha, but I dont mind doing a genre specific gig because it forces me to get creative with my collection and build a set that fits within the criteria. I have always been a big fan of dub stylings and knew I could put something together and enjoyed it thoroughly!
OTR: Yeah theres always something of a dub vibe about the music you play. Was this what led you to create the Sneaky Dread moniker?
Obamabo: Well over the summer I was kicking around with a lot of reggae heads and got introduced to sound system bass culture and started to really dig the dub vibes again. And while I did the fore mentioned 'reggae special' as Obamabo in the summer I felt that this was enough of a departure from the Obamabo sound I have been cultivating to merit a new moniker to concentrate solely on the dub/reggae/bass side of things. And so Sneaky Dread was born.
OTR: Next up was the SKE Summer Jam. Loved your set there, again another vibe altogether. You and 7AR fairly wrecked that tent!
Obamabo: Haha yeah that was fun. We got to basically open up the festival to music hungry punters who had been waiting for hours in the heat for some tunage so that made it extra enjoyable (and we were already fairly well on if i remember correctly). I built a set designed to keep people on their feet, with a few psychedelic moments, given the setting, and it turned out well!
OTR: Any other festivals or gigs worth a mention this year?
Obamabo: My favourite festival/gig of the summer was Sundown Gathering at the Glade in Kinnegad, where I did a very different slot, kicking off about 5am without a prepared set, just banging out tunes for about 3 hours and having a blast, everyone was digging it. Great weekend.
OTR: You can always rely on the Earth Star crowd to put on a good one alright!
Obamabo: Yep, it really was a lovely weekend. Heavy hitting dub in the Dub Church with the Firehouse Skank guys and some great chillout/world vibes on the Subversion system in the Vybez tent.
Seisiun Dub, Choonage and Jungle Boogie are all definitely worth a mention and a big shout out to! If your ever in Galway hit these guys up. I also got to play some great gigs in Cork and Dublin with some of my favourite dj/producers Kelpe and Unconventional Science which were great shows. Big ups to Jolly Good Promotions in Dublin and to Edward Hurley in Cork for setting the shows up.
OTR: Hows production going at the moment? Whats in the works?
Obamabo: Production is going well. After the release of my album 'Love is a Gift' at the end of the summer(free DL @ obamabo.bandcamp.com) I have been keeping busy working on remixes and collaborations which you can find on my soundcloud page. There is also a new Obamabo EP/album on the horizon , but still in embryonic stages.
OTR: After your first year of playing out in Eire, how are you finding the transition being in the U.S. now?
Obamabo: Obviously I have to tailor my sets slightly to suit the audience but America is a big country with a lot of people and you really find every scene here. I know it gets slated a lot for its EDM culture but a lot of my favourite beatmakers/producers are from here and I have been playing them back home so its not gonna change that much. Though I do want to build a proper live set, even incorporating it into a jam band type thing to bring my live shows to a new level. Of course there will always be dj sets but over the winter I plan to work on it and hope to have a whole new look to my live setup in time for festival season next year.
OTR: Sounds good, Ill be looking forward to hearing some of that. Any particular artists your really into yourself these days?
Obamabo: Well, anyone and everyone really haha, within reason of course, but that's how my mixes stay eclectic. Too many to mention but I would recommend looking at my remixes, and checking out the original artists and their stuff. Da Freyzas is a young german producer who makes quality drum n bass and just released a great album. Destitute, Galway based dub producer who makes quality tunes and runs the Subversion sound system with Welfare, and Unconventional Science, who makes sample based hip hop/trap and live beats from LA. Hopefully there will be some more remixes out soon and some remixes off my own tunes, which I will bundle into a Obamabo remixes vs Obamabo remixed package and release on bandcamp for free. Looking forward to hearing the other contributions to the Off The Record compilation album to.
OTR: Yeah theres some serious sounds in the works for that one! Any favourites from the series yourself?
Obamabo: Sure, some of my favourites would be GEM_DOS & The Dub Doctor's two mixes.
OTR: Classic ones alright! Thanks for the new mix & the words Oisin, anything else you'd like to say?
Obamabo: Big ups to Dave Desmond, Ed Hurley, Donncha Walsh(Destitute), Welfare, 7AR, Bathsh3ba, D-fens, Stoned Fish Records, Jolly Good promotions, Choonage, Uncon Sci, Electronic Underground, and of course Off the Record...
Word up, Jah Bless, One Love and all that.... or whatever the ravers say over here... Peace out.
More from Obamabo:
Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?279hiv4wy2r6a57
Listen on mixcloud:
http://www.mixcloud.com/OffTheRecord/off-the-record-rewind-004-with-obamabo/
Tracklist + downloads:
1. Dub Doctor - Bhavatu Sanga Mangalam
https://soundcloud.com/the-dub-doctor
2. Destitute - On my own (Dub)
https://soundcloud.com/destitute
3. Dub Dynasty ft Ras Tinny - Monsoon Come
https://soundcloud.com/rastinny-1
4. Dreadsquad & Cian Finn - Shamrock Jamrock
https://soundcloud.com/cianfinn
5. Welfare ft the Sirin Ensemble - Caillte
https://soundcloud.com/welfare
6. Leviathan - Sparxy & fused forces (Federal remix)
https://soundcloud.com/utfmph
7. Gypsy Rebel Rabble - Take my China (ExitIntrovert Remix)
https://soundcloud.com/exitintrovert
8. Point Blank & Dirt Money - BOH (Shooter remix)
https://soundcloud.com/skeshooter
9. Destitute - Dual Hog Tune (Sneaky Dread Remix)
https://soundcloud.com/obamabo
