Atlantean?
Double vision: With a line-up that includes singers Natacha Atlas, Lisa Hannigan and Iarla O Lionaird, film-maker Bob Quinn and peace crusader André Azoulay, Atlanean seem to have all the roots/world/ambient bases covered. But it's the singular vision of Irishman Gareth Murphy (pictured) that keeps this eclectic musical project on course, in a journey that takes the listener to Paris, Morocco, the Middle East and the west of Ireland. The starting point is Quinn's 1985 film, Atlantean, a sort of Celtic Fahrenheit 9/11 that challenged the old self- mythologising of De Valera's Ireland. Murphy, who lives and works in Paris, became fascinated by the similarities between Indian, Arabic, Spanish and Irish music, and set off to create his own mythology. The result is a double EP that tracks Murphy's quest for self-discovery through electro, rock, spoken word and traditional music. The first EP, Pirate Minds, features such tunes as Berber No 9, Guitar Terrorist, Shipwrecked and Brainwashed by Dublin Rock. The second,, Atlanean, features Reveillon, Puerta and Iarla's Song.
Close to The Edge: Dubliner Gareth Murphy was born into a rock'n'roll family. His dad, Pat Murphy, was one of Ireland's original concert promoters, bringing such international acts as Tom Waits, Ian Dury and The Clash to a gig-starved Ireland during the 1970s. He also was the man behind the legendary 1977 concert at Dalymount Park featuring Thin Lizzy and The Boomtown Rats. Murphy Sr went on to design the giant stage for U2's Joshua Tree tour. Gareth's mum, Marie, runs vintage clothes shop A Store Is Born on Dublin's Chatham St. Gareth's dad also played guitar in a local rock band, and young Gareth showed a flair for finger- picking, writing songs by the time he was 12, and making his first studio recordings at 14. One of Murphy's most cherished childhood memories is standing next to The Edge while he soundchecked at Wembley Stadium.
Buddha boy: Not for Murphy the soul- destroying Dublin band scene. After finishing college he travelled around before settling in France, where he worked for a fashion label, then landed a job at Parisian nightclub the Buddha Bar, working for the club's record label. Having helped to put out some seminal albums of Parisian electro, Murphy decided it was time to do his own, and so began his two-year, 10,000-mile odyssey to Atlantis. His co-pilot on the trip is Parisian sound sculptor Daniel Masson, and mapping out the journey is pop artist Nikko Mas, who designed the lavish artwork for the EP sleeve. Along with Atlas, Hannigan and O Lionaird, the crew includes sean-nós singer Sarah Grealish, Algerian singer/dancer/actress Karima Nayt and Bengali music legend Nilufar Yasmeen, who died in 2003. Pirate Minds/Atlanean is out now on Atlantis Recordings.
