A Year in Music – Interview with Dee Reddy by Killian Laher

We had the chance to ask Dee Reddy (DJ with the sadly departed TXFM) on her thoughts on 2016. You can see the results below…

What music grabbed you in the last year, can be new or old?

So the music that’s really grabbed me this past year has been a mix of new and old actually. I found myself listening to Ashford & Simpson an awful lot since we covered them for a segment in my show. Was very taken with ‘Stay Free’ which prompted me to go seeking out a lot more of their back catalogue. Then of course, with the passing of each great artist this year I’ve been prompted to delve ever further into their work too!

In terms of new releases, there’s obviously my sister Ailbhe Reddy, she released her EP ‘Hollowed Out Sea’ earlier in the year and it’s been getting quite a bit of attention. I’ve been listening to some of the songs since long before she recorded them so it’s been lovely to hear how she has developed them with the band and producer. Other Irish artists that have appealed to me this year were We Raise Bears, Saint Sister, Wyvern Lingo, Laura Ann Brady and Mary and the Pigeons.

Lee Fields, who I’ve been a fan of for a long time now also released ‘Special Night’ by Lee Fields and the Expressions. It sounds like old-school soul that you’ve only just happened across. Lovely.

On the pop-ier side of things, I found myself listening to Lemonade a lot on my walk in to work, likewise that other Knowles gal Solange released the frankly fabulous ‘A Seat At The Table’ which has featured on many a playlist.

Anything that fell short of expectations?

None that I can think of, I think I have probably just blanked them out!

2016 was a year punctuated by the deaths of significant musical figures (Bowie, Cohen, Lemmy, Prince).  Any personal thoughts about this?

It’s been a tough year all round really, so they have just been another ill-timed reminder that the worm is turning. I did read a very interesting piece which talked about the specific generation of idols, be they film or music, that we are losing and it’s all the baby boomer generation. It high-lighted the fact that they had a very specific type of fame that we are unlikely to see again, they became stars in the old-school sense before the onslaught of social media and 24 hour connectivity that we now see, but they were around long enough to enjoy a very specific type of gilded treatment on those platforms. It could be because their hell-raiser days had long since passed before we all had the outlet to comment. One thing we talked about when Bowie passed away was the incident of him apparently giving a Nazi salute back in the 70’s whilst exploring an interest in Fascist imagery and style. One can only imagine how that would fly nowadays.

Have you come across any books or movies or other art forms that excited you in the last 12 months?

The book I have probably been most taken with is ‘The Circle’ by Dave Eggers, it’s a fascinating look at privacy, social media and the multi-national companies we are so accustomed to now. It reminded me a bit of some of the books Ben Elton wrote back in his heyday but with significantly less whimsy and more Atwood-esque foreboding. I believe it’s coming out as a film next year with Emma Watson so definitely one to watch for.

Film-wise, I think the 3 cinema outings I enjoyed most were:

Sing Street – I genuinely smiled all the way home and as I passed Synge St for some time after. It was a bit schmaltzy in parts but really affecting nonetheless and they did such a superb job of capturing a range of great musical styles. I suspect and hope it does well come awards season.

10 Cloverfield Lane – Things I really like include, in no particular order; apocalypse movies, King Ralph and the original Cloverfield film, especially the extra and unusual marketing they did for it which expanded the story. So liked this taut and unusual take on a sequel, which expands that story in another direction (underground). It was excellently acted too, given for the most part the film is just 3 people in a small space.

Love & Friendship – This was a super adaptation of one of Austen’s lesser known books, a novella actually called ‘Lady Susan’. Witty, a bit racy and very well observed you could almost be watching a Wilde play. It was gratifying to see Kate Beckinsale back on the big screen and actually acting as opposed to wearing hair extensions and chasing a CGI monster. She’s excellent in this.

Do musical formats (records/CDs/mp3s/streams etc) play a part in your world?

All of them really! I have a lot of CDs that I’m not quite ready to relinquish despite rarely using them. I stream daily and download mp3s too whilst also minding a burgeoning record collection. I think I have a little system going for myself now where I’ll stream first, then take the next step commitment wise in purchasing a mp3. I’ll give that a while and if it really sticks I’ll buy the record – meaning it’s a permanent physical part of my collection I guess. With such commitment issues it’s probably no wonder I’m single!

You’ve had a mixed year, with the demise of TXFM.  What’s next for you?

It’s hard to know really, I have really missed doing the show these past two months. One thing I’ve realised is that I’m missing having a dedicated 3+ hours a week where I just listen to music. So I’d like to think I will do something in that regard again soon. Broadcasting wise I’m doing some news cover for Nova over the Christmas period which is great. I’ve also been chatting to a few people about podcasting although the live element of FM radio is a bit of an addiction I fear.