Aoife Nic Canna
DJ
Aoife Nic Canna has seen stuff. The Irish DJ and broadcaster has been playing in Ireland and collecting records since the 80s, building her craft while soaking up the highs and lows of Irish club culture over the years. Recessions, club closures, club openings, social media and the influx of new technology in DJing; she’s seen it all unfold before her.
Based in Dublin, Aoife got her first gig in 1993 and has since played a myriad of clubs, restaurants, bars and pretty much any space that has a decent pair of technics. No matter where she is booked to DJ, Aoife connects with the audience in her own subtle way. Pod, The Kitchen, The Rock Garden and many other legendary Irish clubs made up Aoife’s early agenda, and a previous residency in Dublin club Rí-Rá helped to consolidate her presence in the country’s dance music community. Pirate and community radio also played a big role in her trajectory, with stints at Jazz FM, Power FM and then Near FM, where Aoife produced and presented documentaries.
As well as bookings across the pond - Manchester’s Hacienda being one of the many highlights - Aoife has lugged her record bag from KnockanStockan, Body & Soul and Electric Picnic down to Dublin’s Ukiyo Bar, The Liquor Rooms and Berlin D2 and many more over the last 28 years.
Like her contemporaries Sunil Sharpe and Cailín, Aoife is a strict vinyl head. Real, physical records are very much part of her identity. This means her library is a plethora of tunes purchased with consideration, which in turn makes Aoife’s sets a rich trip through house, RnB and garage amongst other lush sounds for laidback listening.
Right before Covid-19 hit, the warm surrounds of Ukiyo Bar and The Liquor Rooms - where Aoife is a resident DJ - were almost as familiar to her as the four walls of her sitting room. While it has been a challenging year for DJs and venues alike, Aoife has adapted and thrown herself into livestreaming, and continues to engage with her audience in this way. Listening to music, buying records and mixing them all together is a massive part of Aoife’s life so it’s no surprise that despite everything, Aoife is still DJing religiously, albeit in a different circumstance.
The below memory encapsulates what most DJs are familiar with now - being at home and getting comfortable with a livestream. As well as sharing a snapshot of her space, Aoife also describes life in Dublin right now, her hopes for the future and more…
Photo: Aoife Nic Canna
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it? What was the music vibe at the time?
It was a selfie I took on my phone by my decks at home, I took it for an Insta story a bit before I was going to do a live stream. The music vibe was deep and minimal house music. I picked this ‘cause this is where I have been for the last 9 months. I was lucky enough to have DJ gear in a nice space, it’s always my happy place but in recent times it’s been my only sanctuary.
How have you been over the last few months and what is life currently like in Dublin?
Like everyone I think at first, I was in shock trying to digest it all. It was the first time in my life that I couldn’t find a solution or compromise. Back then I never knew how long this would last and I’m glad I didn’t as it has been never-ending. I didn’t feel alone in this crisis because it affected everyone, some even worse than me.
Some wise people told me early on that good would come out of this, which meant nothing to me at the time, but I do think that’s true…for now I just miss going out doing DJ sets to people or crowds. I miss live music as I went to a lot of live gigs. God I miss the Irish pubs, the randomers, the shite talk and the craic. I miss my very colourful social life.
We have had strict restrictions here and some lenient restrictions but it makes no difference to the dance music community, getting takeaway or going to the shops does nothing for me...I need to gig or go to a gig, for me this has been a never-ending lockdown for the last 9 months, we’re all trying to be patient for this to pass and hopefully things will come back the same but stronger - soon.
Although clubs have been closed since March, have you still continued to buy records and remain connected to your craft (and music itself) despite the upheaval of 2020?
Yes I’m a DJ, that’s what I do. The collector in me is afraid I might miss something. I buy records like a DJ and not a collector. I listen a lot before I buy. I ask myself ‘can I play this in my set?’ or ‘this is the perfect warm-up track…this will mix in lovely with my hip hop sets’ or what have you.
Yes of course I will indulge in a Tom Waits record too but my priority is to find and play tracks out…I really don’t care how much it will be worth in a few years time or if it’s going to be a collectors item. I’m blessed to have been record collecting since the early 80s so I would never be short of a tune. It’s important I play and share my old records, particularly the ones that stand the test of time (some don’t), I like to mix them with new tunes.
This year I got some great tunes, my favourites at the moment are Soma World ft. Falle ‘Want This’ (Ray Mang remix) and Norma Bell has a new track that I love ‘Got Me A Man’. Also MJ Cole ‘Strings for Jodie’ came out for Record Store Day, I love UK garage - not all of it - but nice to see people making it again. If you’re like me and play hip hop, RnB and house, UK Garage sits nicely in our sets. I love the hip house sounds from Bon Voyage ‘Higher Power’ also came out on vinyl which was a treat.
You’ve shared a few live streams from your home over the last few months, do you enjoy playing in front of a camera or does it feel odd at times?
I think I have done over 13 livestreams and recordings now. It was a surreal experience…I never thought I would do something like this, it was the young DJs that did it early that inspired me but it also terrified me.
When doing my first livestreams as a radio head, nothing brought me back to pirate radio days like a livestream did. Going back to those pirate days, you would lock yourself into a room alone every week and play, wondering was anyone listening on the airwaves. Back then we did have listeners, we got phone calls and letters and now with the internet, it makes it so accessible.
The music is the same for livestreams and pirate; you’re looking for tunes, not necessary to make people dance as they are listening from home (they can of course if they want) but you’re looking for rare or unusual and new records. Nothing beats a live band or DJ but there is space to add livestreams. I can see myself going back doing live DJ gigs in clubs and connecting my phone to the mixer and going live even for a bit of the night. I never would have done that before, I would have thought it would be too distracting.
A moment to shout about Irish independent businesses - any in particular that you’ve supported or admired lately?
A lot are ok with online business, a lot of businesses have adapted so well. They already had an online presence, like record shops or clothes shops, I really admire them. But my heart goes out to pubs and clubs mostly, and how this has affected them and when we see them open again. I hope we can help them recover - nothing prepared them for this.
As an artist, how do you currently feel about the future?
You’re calling me an artist? I don’t produce like some DJs but I do collect and blend other peoples music or records to create an atmosphere in a club, bar or restaurant so I will take that, thanks.
People only get this now. When Covid began and people talked about the arts, I didn’t think anyone apart from clubbers cared about our nighttime culture and we would get neglected, but in fairness, it hasn’t been like that. The Give Us The Night campaign has been strong as our licensing laws are very primitive and I think people outside our community are listening now and understanding our potential nighttime economy. There’s even talk about Night Mayors in every city, I think we will need this to open again.
As someone that did a documentary about Irish club history (Folklore from the Dance Floor) I get asked a lot about club history which I’m happy to do and to preserve our past. But on a personal level, I have no interest in going back or been stuck in nostalgia. After losing friends over the last few years, I like to live in the present…currently that’s not working out well for me at the moment. I think restricting us from clubs, bars and some of our cool restaurants with music will make us appreciate what we had.
This makes me positive and look forward to the future, I can’t wait to see what unfolds. For now I will take things day by day and wait patiently.
What has been a source of calm for you throughout 2020 so far?
Exercise was something I have always done and been into so I was fit when all this started. It really does help your mental health. At the beginning there was no way I was doing a Zoom class, I was just going to wait for the gym to re-open but that didn’t last long.
Now I can’t imagine not doing pilates or yoga through Zoom from my place, just like my livestreams. When I was young I was into cardio and aerobic work but now it’s all inner core yoga and zen. One thing I always wanted to do was meditation, I was always too busy or distracted to start but I reached out to it through desperation during lockdown. Now I can’t imagine not doing it, it’s great before my livestreams and just clears your head if your brain gets a bit fried from playing tunes.
Nature is also important, I got some Irish east coast sea swims in this year. It’s very popular over here, people like my Dad and friends do it all year around. They inspire me, I’d like to do that more regularly in future. I’m also near The Phoenix Park which is amazing to have on my doorstep.
Listen to Aoife’s latest mix for Cowbell Radio with Alice Palace here and follow her below: