Córas Trio | Interview | Debut Album
‘Córas Trio,’ the self-titled debut album from the acclaimed Belfast-based avant-garde folk trio, is set to be released on Friday, July 26, 2024, via the Coracle label in CD, digital download, and LP formats.
Comprised of Kevin McCullagh (fiddle, electronics), Paddy McKeown (guitar, electronics), and Conor McAuley (drums), the trio blends free improv, electronic music, and Belfast’s “seisiún” scene, exploring the intersection of tradition and avant-garde. Rooted in Belfast’s historical dichotomies, Córas Trio bridges diverse musical approaches, juxtaposing traditional roots with avant-garde experimentation. Their sound evokes a unique fusion where influences as varied as Schoenberg, Sun Ra, Seán Ó Riada, and Tommie Potts converge, creating an ethereal yet grounded musical landscape. The album features deeply atmospheric compositions reminiscent of Brian Eno’s discreet use of electronics, yet it resists categorization as ambient music, firmly occupying the foreground of contemporary experimental music. Drawing occasional parallels to modern masters like Supersilent, The Necks, Bill Frisell, and Jan Garbarek, Córas Trio pioneers a new path, harmonizing seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive and innovative musical expression.
Enjoy the exclusive premiere of the track ‘Jackie Fitzpatrick’s’ ahead of the album release:
“What you hear on the record is exactly what we created live in the room—pure improvisation”
How did Córas Trio come together, and what inspired you to blend traditional Irish music with avant-garde and electronic elements?
Conor McAuley: Kevin and I had been playing as a duo for quite some time. We shared an immediate interest in deconstructing the Irish tradition to explore its inner workings and reassemble it in new ways—opening it up to see what lay inside. We briefly performed under the name “Briste,” meaning “broken” in Irish. Kevin’s musical style is unlike any other I’ve encountered; he seamlessly blends techno, contemporary free play, pure Irish traditional music, and everything in between. It’s a fantastic mix where he stays true to each style in unique ways, sometimes all at once. As a drummer, I’ve always been fascinated by the ability to hear and convey multiple layers of meaning simultaneously—rich, complex emotions with intertwined attachments. My playing aims to convey what I hear and how I hear it, always embracing a multilayered, non-linear approach. When Paddy joined the band, our sound solidified instantly. What you hear on the record is exactly what we created live in the room—pure improvisation. It felt right for each of us to bring our true selves to the band, resulting in a sound that matched our intent and passion.
Kevin McCullagh: This album came together as Conor and I explored blending traditional and improvised music on fiddle and drums, particularly focusing on flow states as a musical concept. We aimed to create parallel streams of consciousness—distinct yet influencing each other. I find the juxtaposition of one of the loudest instruments with one of the most delicate particularly intriguing.
Paddy and I were heavily involved in gigs and sessions around Belfast, often reshaping sets to explore dynamics and phrasing in unexpected ways, which both puzzled and captivated audiences.
Bringing everyone together made perfect sense, and from the moment we began playing as a trio, we knew it clicked—a gratifying feeling given our ambitious goals.
Paddy McKeown: My musical interests span acoustic, electronic, contemporary, and experimental genres, all orbiting around my core as a traditional musician. My background in sculpture led me to treat traditional music as a malleable yet durable material, experimenting with electroacoustic composition and what could be termed as “musique concrète,” though I resist categorization. My solo work has involved drawing out elements like drone and repetition from traditional tunes, extending them into electroacoustic realms.
Kevin and I had already been exploring these “other” musical domains for years, influencing our approach to traditional tunes. Our forays into atonal explorations during sessions, while transformative for us, often raised eyebrows from other musicians. Recognizing our shared interests, we knew we needed to delve deeper and find like-minded collaborators. I had known Conor for years, having admired his dynamic drumming style and restless energy. After several sessions exploring and exchanging ideas, our sound began to soar.
Can you tell us about the journey that led to the creation of your debut album?
Conor: We had been making sounds together for a while and a few people had heard about what we were doing. This led us to supporting Joshua Burnside with his project “Seácht Líne,” and also Aidan O’Rourke with Brìghde Chaimbeul. When we had enough material together and ways to systematically approach the music with space to breathe, we organized a recording session. It was perhaps more of an experiment than it was a recording. We didn’t plan on committing anything with the intent of a release, but instead took the opportunity to explore what we had been doing and how we might sound in a setting where audio is captured. Little did we know they were the shoots of our debut album.
Paddy: After putting a set of material together and releasing a single, we started to gain a bit of attention. A few great gigs led us to really find strategies and approaches that we could apply to any tune. A recording session then captured some of our best moments of playing, dissecting, and expanding – which upon listening, we quickly realized we had an album.
Your music has been described as a fusion of diverse influences, from Schoenberg and Sun Ra to Seán Ó Riada and Tommie Potts. How do you balance these varied inspirations in your compositions?
Conor: We don’t try to balance anything. At least that’s how I see it from my own perspective. I think what we do is try to create and open space where any of these things can flourish, so long as we are listening – listening to ourselves, and listening to each other, which includes the various elements of electronics that are shaping and being shaped by us. Who we are as people (all of us on earth) is one of the most beautiful things, I think it’s important to place that at the front of what you do as an artist and as a human, if you can, and if you are lucky enough to have that opportunity. For me, this inspirational mix of styles, which I don’t really see as a mix but just a natural state, reflects who I am if I’m being honest with myself, and so it just feels right to give it all space and allow the music to tell us what it wants to happen rather than enacting a balance on the whole thing.
Kevin: Haha, I love that description! My parents had the Seán Ó Riada live at the Gaiety album when I was a kid. I didn’t know how important or influential it was at the time, but I always return to it and love how it transcends some aspects of the tradition by arranging the music for a more formal ensemble that still embodies the rawness and emotion of what makes trad music so vital, to me anyway. Tommie Potts has almost the opposite approach, in that he takes influences from western classical music and embodies them in a highly personalized, soloistic fashion that sounds deeply otherworldly. I think in both cases, what is interesting is how the artists use Irish music as a vehicle for a deep dive into previously uncharted territories.
Schoenberg and Sun Ra, those influences came a bit later. All three of us (Paddy, Conor, and myself) at various stages, played in a group in Belfast called “QUBe Ensemble,” which is dedicated to modern music and improvisation. So we did pieces by loads of composers, Stockhausen, John Zorn, Sun Ra, Pauline Oliveros, and others. We would do these concerts a couple of times a year that were really out there with plenty of WTF moments for the audience! I loved how open-ended the scores were and that what really mattered was negotiating a shared understanding and vocabulary, creating opportunities for interaction and music making rather than fastidiously aiming to recreate this or that score.
So it is more about embodying the spirit of these influences rather than recreating them in an explicit manner.
Paddy: I must admit I have always had an issue with the term “fusion.” These artists are integral to our sound – I mean this in that we have loved their work, and it has directly informed our playing, but we aren’t necessarily trying to balance different inspirations in different compositions. In a sense, I guess the influence will just emerge at different points in the music as we have created some sort of space for that to unfold. I suppose that Tommie Potts has been a massive influence on my playing for years now, and it’s just subconscious. His approach to freeing traditional music from rigid dance structures and into a more improvised domain has always really excited me. Not everyone may enjoy the consequences of such an approach, but I find it hard to see the music any other way if I am being honest.
What drew you to incorporate electronic elements into traditional folk and free-jazz music?
Conor: Again, it is just something that has always been there. Perhaps initially it was a way of welcoming the “other” into the equation. The electronics are often quite unstable or chaotic; they bring another voice to what we are doing and push and pull us in certain directions. I think we all knew that with a heritage so rich as the Irish tradition, the wealth of knowledge, history, emotion that is contained within it, that it was ripe for exploration in terms of electronics, shattering understanding, meaning, and history into fractals. It burst the thing wide open.
Kevin: Some of the electronics you hear on the album are designed in max/msp. It is important to us that they (the electronics) respond very quickly and that they are constantly changing and always different. We use lots of envelope followers so the electronics can “listen” to what we are doing and react accordingly in real time. Of course, we also listen to the electronics and react to what they are doing in real-time, so it is a cyclical process, a feedback loop if you like.
Paddy: It’s just always been there really, in all our backgrounds, I guess. We have all played in rock bands and had misadventures into various electronic music realms. We all have a shared love of more unpredictable electronics and trying to go along with this element.
“We use Irish traditional tunes almost as a score for free improvisation, and each tune tells a different story”
Can you walk us through your creative process when composing and recording this album? How much of it is pre-planned versus improvised?
Conor: It’s all improvised. We use Irish traditional tunes almost as a score for free improvisation, and each tune tells a different story. From the process of playing together, we have developed certain systems that we employ – ways in which we can approach our improvisations – that may dictate things like structure at a certain level. But we are always listening and trying to remain open to all pathways. It all comes very much from a collective feeling, and very often it’s the first time that you approach something different or new that gives the most exciting results. But then again it is our job to find new ways of listening to each other, and to the music we make in the moment. We are constantly changing what we do depending on the moment. It’s hard to talk about using words. The way we play, as soon as you try to recreate anything, you are essentially at a loss, because you are trying to tell the music what to do. It should be the other way around. Which is challenging in a live setting – each performance is totally unique, even if we have developed the same “set” so to speak. We are constantly changing things, throwing ideas away, developing new ones, all in the search for allowing ourselves to be as honest with the music as we can. It’s also hard when you record a piece of music, to fight the natural gravitation towards that thing, which is ultimately just a moment preserved in time. Listening to the moment right now, is the most important thing.
Kevin: So a big part of it is developing the vocabulary, the language we are going to use in order to improvise. A lot of this comes from our collective experiences of improvising and modern music that we have personalized and made our own and are often based on systemic interpretations of the universe, like chaos theory and dynamic systems. Then we agree on some strategies, defining some liminal boundaries in which an open-ended dialogue can take place, always aiming to stay in the moment, in touch with how the music makes us feel, not shying away when the direction goes contrary to our comfort zone.
When selecting material, we decided (for this album) to focus on Irish traditional tunes that are very well known. Tunes that Paddy and I have been playing for years and have an intimate understanding of their inner workings. Tunes that roll off the fingers without thought. These tunes are both an essential aspect of my identity as a traditional musician and also a springboard to improvisation. They are the core repertoire I use to express myself as a musician so the experience of using these tunes within the context of an improvisation is liberating but also grounded in life experience.
Paddy: Kevin and I have been playing these melodies in a more “straightforward” (for lack of a better term) sense for several years. We have built up different approaches that we can just drop any tune into really and a desired goal will emerge. In contrast to this, we can approach it in a totally freely improvised manner and just throw everything away. I think the important thing is to be listening to one another and not just immediately surrender to total immersion. This gives us space to be more open to what emerges and follow it clearly. In a sense, there is a structure to an extent – we will select a set of tunes we will depart from. By simply setting up a few parameters – we can work around a rough shell, and the more of it we do there are very few or no boundaries whatsoever, yet it’s all very tight. This is potentially the only way I think this music can be made. The moment we actively try to recreate a specific sound world, it will be contrived.
This can be challenging live, as Kevin and I are often reconfiguring our electronics to find new sounds to suit certain tonalities of tunes. We are mad for obscurity in what these configurations produce – no-input mixing-esque feedback loops, towards lush sheets of ambient sound, to harsh, angular, granular noise.
How do you collaborate as a trio during your improvisational sessions? Do you have any specific techniques or rituals to ensure cohesion?
Conor: It’s different all the time. We all have music to offer. Often, we start out a session just playing free, no chat, and see where it takes us. There might be a specific thing we would like to develop, like improvising from a conversational point of view, giving the music space to breathe, or working on low dynamics with intention. Paddy and Kevin might play a tune that we find interesting, and we might start to pick it apart. Maybe a few things emerge as we play together. I might discover a new approach to moving around the drums in a way that suggests time that perhaps isn’t necessarily there. It’s always different. If there is cohesion there, it’s because we are listening. Cohesion can mean many things. Three people playing distinctly separate parts can still sound cohesive, and equally, three people playing the same thing can feel incohesive. It’s about the level of listening, occupying space (either with sound or silence), leaving room or not, having confidence with your own voice, and knowing when to make a sound, and when to stop making a sound. Sometimes I play off Kevin’s fiddle, other times I’ll play in and amongst what he is doing. Equally, sometimes I will move with Paddy’s guitar phrasing, and other times I will directly challenge what he is doing. It all depends on the music and where we might be heading.
Paddy: Often, we get together and just play. We might talk about a gig we went to or share some ideas we have been working on or some music we have been listening to. After some playing, we will focus on specifics that we would like to explore, and further pick those apart. At times, I will lock in with Kevin more and try to chop the tune like a deck of cards and play around with whatever melodic clusters we can throw about. At other times, I will follow Conor and try to play with phrasing and think more about timbre and space, in a vertical listening sense. The most rewarding moments, I feel, are when we are all really listening and showing that to each other. I often find that when we are playing together, I develop new techniques to achieve a certain sound. The best moments in your musicality can emerge when you must work quickly for the sake of the overall sound. I often refer to some oblique strategies in my head as well when playing, as these are always conducive to great music, in my opinion. Another massive part of this music for me is intention. Being present in why and what you are doing, sound after sound. It could be one note, played at staggered intervals, but if there is conviction, it will satisfy me greatly.
Belfast has a rich and complex musical history. How has the city’s cultural landscape influenced your music and artistic vision?
Conor: Belfast has always had much to offer outside of what makes the general headlines, and I mean that both culturally and musically. There have always been people here aware of what good music was and is, regardless of whatever political climate we were in. And I’m thinking specifically about those who brought some of the world’s finest musicians to Belfast pre and post ceasefire, like Brian Carson who founded Moving on Music. Directly and indirectly, Brian has shaped the lives of so many creative thinkers across the island as a whole. Then there is Queen’s University, which has always been pushing the boundaries of contemporary experimental practices and research. I’m proud to currently co-direct the longstanding improvising QUBe Ensemble there, a band of around twenty-five improvisers from all walks of life. We are the house band at a monthly night ‘Handmade Music’ run in conjunction with Queen’s, Moving on Music, and Accidental Theatre. It’s based around acts that are a little different and gives them a platform to take risks. Much of it is improvisation-focused but not always. It’s the best night in town. But there’s always been a big mix of stuff for me as a drummer, to get my teeth into. Local composer Brian Irvine (and his ensemble) had a huge impact on me as a young musician, a door to another world opened musically and experientially. Drummer Steve Davis (Anthony Braxton/Shabaka Hutchings/Alexander Hawkins) also played a significant role in developing my listening. He set me on the path to finding my own voice. And if I’m being deeply honest, it wasn’t until I started experimenting with Irish traditional music that I really felt I had a voice, a space I could inhabit with confidence and say, this means something more to me than just music. It gave me purpose. And in that sense, how we sound as a trio, for me, is just the natural coming together of people from the same place.
Kevin: What has always struck me the most about the Belfast music scene is the deeply held do-it-yourself attitude. Probably due to the fact that a lot of bands didn’t play Belfast back in the bad old days, coupled with a wider Irish culture that highly values music and musicianship, resulted in a local, homegrown music scene that is much bigger and richer than you might expect from a city the size of Belfast.
Both the trad scene and the electronic music world were very much an underground thing when I first experienced them, you would go down a back alley to get into a bar that looked otherwise shut and it would be rammed full of people listening to a full-on trad session. The vibe would be similar for the club nights, hardcore acid techno being the soundtrack for people to come together regardless of their religion or background or whatever, and pretend that we lived in a normal society for a few hours!
Today a lot of that has become more commercial of course, but while the venues are a lot cleaner and easier to access, I still think the countercultural approach shapes people’s attitudes.
Paddy: I was raised on traditional music, and playing in what I would call “jamming” groups when I was a teen. It occurred to me the other day that I had my first stage concert twenty years ago playing guitar with At First Light with a bunch of other 7-year-olds beginning on the path of music at An Droichead. It’s opportunities like this that Belfast gave me for which I am forever grateful!
This was all within walking distance of where I grew up, gigs, friends, and just generally a lot of great players around. There has always been quite a DIY ethos in Belfast, and that has directly informed what I do today – whether that’s setting up exhibitions and galleries or organizing more low-key concerts. There are so many incredible musicians in the city, and we have some amazing new nights for experimental music, such as Handmade Music, which I don’t think is happening anywhere else on the island.
Places like The Duncairn Arts Centre have massively helped me get to where I am. Ray at The Duncairn manages to pull off projects that just casually draw 30 musicians from across the whole island up to the city and put them in a room together for 4 weekends and see what happens. This is magic stuff, and it’s where I have met so many amazing musicians and great friends – including Lemoncello, who I have just recently supported on their Irish tour.
I currently run a session at The Errigle Inn every Saturday. It’s the first time music has ever been allowed in the Oak bar, other than David Holmes who trial ran the original Gods Waiting Room nights there. Some of the best players who have been playing in the city as far back as the 80s (apologies!) still show up every Saturday, purely for the love of playing. As well, I play with the experimental improvising QUBe ensemble, which is where I have met and played with so many colorful characters. We have the likes of Moving on Music who have done such incredible work for bringing music to Ireland – Ornette Coleman to name a few!
“Córas Trio is looking at the world around us through the lens of the 21st century”
How do you see your music fitting into or challenging the traditional music scene in Belfast and Ireland at large?
Conor: I don’t feel that what we are doing is part of the “traditional” scene, and I mean that out of complete respect to the tradition itself, and I think those musicians would agree. In terms of how we might challenge that scene, however, this is already happening all across the island. More and more young people are involved in shaping the future of the tradition, which will, should, and does include a global understanding. I think it’s only natural that as we collectively move further and further from colonialism, that we introspect. Ireland is looking at itself again and the tradition is being shaped by that. People from all “musical backgrounds” are looking to their roots, their heritage, their language, and rediscovering what it means to be Irish in today’s world, and with that comes change. We’re just another cog in the wheel of time.
Kevin: I think Irish Traditional Music is a deeply innovative musical form in a lot of ways, particularly as it places such a high value on individual style. The best and most highly regarded players have a sound that is instantly recognizable and irrefutably their own, and of course, you can’t be individualistic without challenging what came before.
Historically, regional styles played a big part in how an individual might play. For instance, the Donegal style or the Clare style or the Sligo style are still very prevalent today. Córas Trio is looking at the world around us through the lens of the 21st century, digitally connected and rich with diverse cultural narratives. We want to implicitly portray that in our music while also creating something that is both true to who we are and to the tradition itself.
Paddy: I’m not sure we necessarily fit into the traditional scene as such, and I feel the music we further develop will confirm this. Having said that, we love it, and it is where we depart from. I don’t intend to challenge it – more just expand on what’s already in there. We are a part of a whole wave of new musicians shaping and exploring these ideas and kicking them into the future. I think we will all look back and smile!
Are there any particular tracks on the album that hold special significance for you? Could you share the story behind one of them?
Conor: For me, it is ‘George White’s’. I had just nipped out of the room on the first recording session and upon returning heard Kevin and Paddy playing unfamiliar material. I knew immediately something special was happening and we needed to record it. And we captured it straight away – hand-delivered to us directly from the universe. For me, it was the birth of the trio. It captures all the beauty, sorrow, the darkness and the light, painfully joyous and chaotic in the face of it all, beyond reason or understanding. Another standout track would be ‘Julia Delaney’s’. I had just figured out how to get a particular snare drum harmonic I saw Etienne Nillesen developing. The harmonics I was getting sat well on the guitar in open tuning, so we developed a piece around it. The sound-feeling in the room is mesmerizing, all-encompassing. I could play a full set of this one piece. What you hear on the opening of this track is actually the snare drum.
Paddy: This is a great question – curiously enough, I was listening to ‘Jackie Fitzpatrick’s’ the other day. We had been discussing how we felt there was a need for more chaos and harsh playing when at the same time we unearthed this recording. It became apparent that this would work as a good introduction to Córas Trio, a bit full-on at times, unpredictable and constantly trying to go somewhere. We had all totally forgotten about it, and there it was! Up until about a minute and a half in, I just sit on a tremolo technique on one string. This relates back to what I had previously mentioned about commitment to a certain action or sound. I can only imagine that I must have felt a set drone was needed under Kevin and Conor’s stratospheric playing here, and it seems to have worked… I also love ‘Boys.’ It brings Brian Eno’s ‘The Big Ship’ to mind, a departure into a golden unknown. This is a piece of music I have always loved, to an extent where I started to listen to it continuously at half speed. There’s not much else I can comment on ‘Boys’ really, I just love it. It’s a perfect ending I feel. There’s a bit of flirting with chromaticism on it too, and I think I just let my thumb do a bit of wandering.
Your single ‘Jackie Fitzpatrick’s’ is set for release soon. Can you give us some insight into this track and why you chose it as the lead single?
Conor: This track was actually forgotten about in a weird way. We reviewed the audio from the first recording and had completely dismissed it. I’m not even sure why. I think it was Kevin or Paddy who sent it through long after we had recorded it. It’s amazing what time can do to your ears. For me, I actually think of George White’s as the lead track on the album, but Jackie’s is the first track in terms of running order on the album, and a great way for people to get to know a bit about Belfast. It has all the traits of being up there and in your face, restless, moving continuously, always leaning forward. We love exploring atmosphere, particularly when it comes to slower moving more ambient pieces, but ‘Jackie’s’ seems to have an air about it.
How does ‘Jackie Fitzpatrick’s’ reflect the overall sound and vision of the album?
Conor: I’m not sure if it does. ‘Jackie’s,’ I think, serves as an introduction to what we are about. The album is a journey, and ‘Jackie’s’ is just the beginning. It incorporates elements of free improvisation, harmony and dissonance, electronics, and converges naturally, so perhaps in some ways it does reflect the overall sound or feel of the album, but for me it is just one brush stroke of many throughout the album. The opening gambit so to speak.
Kevin: Jackie’s is special as it shows us at the more chaotic end of our spectrum. We chose to release it as a single because it contrasts so much from the more tonal ambient pieces, such as George White’s, and also the harsher, atonal moments such as ‘Julia Delaney’s’ or the opening passage of ‘The Roscommon.’ Also, we wanted to collaborate with local noise legend Barry Cullen, who does amazing stuff with handmade audio and video electronics, on the video, and just felt that the restless, unrelenting, exploratory yet focused energy of ‘Jackie’s’ made it the best piece to do that.
Paddy: It definitely reflects a part of the overall sound and vision, but not the total.
Improvisation plays a significant role in your music. How does this translate to your live performances?
Conor: Everything that we do is improvised. It’s also a little bit frustrating in a laughable way, as every gig we do, we scrap the set and start fresh. We work on things and get them to a place where we think certain ideas might flow well in a certain order, but we’re really just listening as much as we can, and trying to be honest to that listening. We’ve been lucky so far, as the audiences seem to understand what is going on, and they come with us on that journey. People are magic.
Paddy: We love the precarious nature of what we do. There are many factors that can contribute positively and negatively to this. Room acoustics, on-stage sound, temperature, the day we have had prior all contribute to how the music is going to present itself. If people can see that we are helming the ship in accordance with whatever is happening, then I am happy.
Do you have any upcoming live performances or tours planned to support the album release?
Conor: Yes, we have a few shows planned in Belfast, Dublin, and Derry, and maybe a few more in store. 2025 is set to be a big year for us, all being well. We’ve had the help of some lovely people and we’re very grateful for that.
What are your plans for the future? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that fans can look forward to?
Conor: There certainly will be some collaborations in the future but nothing we can talk about right now, you’ll just have to stay tuned. Multiple projects are hurtling their way towards us as we type, I believe.
Paddy: Just keep playing and making the music, really. We have plans for 2025, which involve another album or two. Possible collaborations…
How has your individual musical background influenced your contributions to the trio?
Conor: I mean, who we are is how we play. And I have no idea who I am. Maybe who I am is different and ever-changing. I hope to think that I’m always working on and developing my sound, and hope I’m also doing that from a human perspective. There are teachers everywhere. In a more straightforward kind of way, musically speaking, I’ve been lucky to take part in a fair amount of recording, rehearsing, collaborating, directing, composing, leading, sharing, listening, releasing, touring, but most important of all, it’s all been learning. Anything I know I’ve learned from other people. I’m very lucky to have been surrounded by good and bad people who have handed me the world.
Kevin: Playing Irish music is a part of everyday life for a lot of people in Ireland, and I started as a kid, going to summer schools in Donegal. As a teenager, it became more appealing when I started to make friends who also played, and I found I could go on adventures through music, hitch-hiking and busking around Ireland with my instrument and winding up in all sorts of places and situations. I kind of knew back then that I wanted to make Irish music a part of my life. At the same time, I was crazy for techno and drum’n’bass. There was a culture of raves back in those days, in fields and forests, on beaches, and wee islands. I couldn’t wait to leave home and start all that stuff, secure in the knowledge I wouldn’t go hungry because I could play the fiddle!
So that was the start of wanting to incorporate electronics and trad. Around that time, I watched a documentary about Robin Rimbaud, aka Scanner, and the stuff that he was doing back in the 90s, and it just resonated. I found it really interesting how he explored political and social issues through sound and technology, particularly the AKAI sampler, which I had access to in college but was like some kind of mysterious box that held the secrets to making electronic music that I desperately wanted to decode.
What do you each find most rewarding about being part of Córas Trio?
Conor: Being honest with who I am musically. It’s a huge relief. It’s taken me a while to figure out what’s going on, but I think I’m a little closer now.
Kevin: Risk-taking, spontaneity, unpredictability.
Paddy: Having a space where I can make music that is true to what I want to make. It’s not often you come across that, I feel. There is freedom to push and pull and have no boundaries as to how far we can push the music.
Your music is described as “blazing a new trail” and “reconciling the apparently irreconcilable.” What does innovation mean to you as artists, and how do you see your work evolving in the future?
Conor: I don’t think we set out to blaze any new trails, we’re just doing what sounds right to us, and that’s important. We all have ears, and we can all listen. You should bring that listening along with honesty to everything that you do, and that’s just what I intend to do musically speaking, and artistically. I’m as excited as anyone else is for the future, but I’m not going to force any of my plans onto it; it will unfold naturally. If I’m out there and I’m doing the work, and I’m listening to what the universe is telling me, then I trust that the music will take care of itself. Who knows where any of us (you the reader included – hello!) could end up?
Kevin: That line “reconciling the irreconcilable” does chime with me on a personal level as incorporating trad music with these modern influences and electronics has been a lifelong journey for me, elusive, never quite able to grasp in any meaningful way that felt natural or true. Then it happened in a moment when we were playing one day, all the ideas crystallized into something open and meaningful, just like that, it was like magic!
Paddy: I think innovation for me is figuring out what you want to say in the world, and how. The comment you make on the state of humanity, and the space you give yourself to respond to it. Innovation in this sense is whatever someone creates while remaining true to themselves, I guess?
Are there any particular areas of music or sound that you are eager to explore further in your future projects?
Conor: I definitely want to explore some electronic sounds on the kit, both originating from the drums, and also live processing of the drums. Also, a full Córas album of pure electronics.
Kevin: Yes, I’m really interested in exploring the use of the studio more to make electronics a bigger part of the sound, while also keeping things live. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like, but both Paddy and I have been independently experimenting with feedback loops and self-oscillating systems recently, so expect some noisy results on future tracks!
Paddy: I was always wary of getting into the ‘pedal world’, but I have found myself in the last few years having to go down that route to achieve specific sounds that I hear in my head. In my solo work, I am really interested in exploring the extent to which an acoustic instrument can be extended into the electronic world. I also need to practice the fiddle more, too.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Conor: Nice question – yes, I have recently enjoyed Nick Dunston’s new album ‘COLLA VOCE.’ Also, Tyrone Isaac Stuart’s album ‘S!CK.’ Some albums you put on and straight away realize you can’t turn off. And Ethan Iverson’s recent album ‘Technically Acceptable.’ I love his playing. Also, Shane Latimer from Ireland has a great new release, ‘Residuum.’ I absolutely love the opening track, ‘Ebb.’ I’m also desperately waiting for an album from Róis, another incredible Irish musician; you should definitely check her out. She will be playing alongside us in Belfast for the album launch. Another recent one is Jeremiah Chiu’s ‘In Electric Time’ – lovely sounds. As for old albums that I love – there are too many from way too many different backgrounds. I did recently get into playing some Mahmoud Ahmed, and I will happily say that The Bronx kick ass. Actually, a lovely go-to album for me has been ‘Aldoc – From Tallaght to Halle.’ There’s another great opening tune on that album that I usually listen to in the shower. I also listen to a fair amount of music that involves introspection, you might call it spiritual or worship, but it guides us on this journey and helps us maintain a connection – I mean, the deeply profound stuff from all walks of life. When I’m out walking, I like to just listen to the world. When I’m cooking, it’s always different. And when I get up in the morning (possibly hungover), it’s usually John Prine or Kris Kristofferson, or the morning show on NTS by Maria Somerville. What I really love, though, is live music. All of my favorite musical experiences have happened in a live environment.
Kevin: New and recent discoveries that floated my boat include the French improv trio Nout! and Baltimore avant-rockers The Horselords. In the trad world, Lau are still killing it with their live sets that set surrealism and unbelievable musicianship on a head-on collision. Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh always pushes in new directions, and Martin Hayes has made some of my all-time favorite albums. I love The Thing, just how visceral and unapologetic they are; also, seeing Arve Hendriksen perform with Supersilent was a seminal experience for me. There is also a lot going on in the Belfast trad-adjacent scene, with artists such as Landless, Úna Monaghan, Huartan, Róis, and Múlú all doing really interesting stuff.
Paddy: I’m not sure if I have found anything new recently, and the only real time I get to actively listen to music at the minute is when I am driving somewhere, but I will give you a list of what I have been enjoying: Nathan Gourley and Laura Feddersen’s ‘Brightly or Darkly’ – lovely drone-heavy Bb-tuned double fiddles. ‘Anoyo’ by Tim Hecker – the microtonal madness of Horse Lords – I saw them live at Sonorities fest here in Belfast and it was great. I picked up the classic ‘Spirit of Eden’ by Talk Talk on LP recently – anything that opens with a heavy feedback-laden harmonica must be a winner. One of my dad’s old Clannad records for its pairing of 80s synthesizer and flute. Oren Ambarchi, Henry Flynt, Beak’s new album, Mary Lattimore, ‘Roithleán’ by Saileog Ní Cheannabháin – too many more…
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Be kind to one another, for you’ve no idea what someone else is dealing with. Be kind to yourself, because kindness starts there. Relax yourself; it’s never as big a deal as you probably think it is – it’s just hard to see sometimes. Take it easy whenever you can, because odds are we’ve probably been on this journey a thousand times. Relax your face and shoulders; there you go, that’s much better. None of us have a single clue as to what this life is, and that’s okay. I really hope we all get better at listening. There are so many reparations to be made in this world – we are only at the beginning of the work that needs to be done. Please keep fighting the good fight. Don’t be afraid to let go of old beliefs, especially if they aren’t even really yours. Question your beliefs. Read good books, cook good food, and spend time with good people; it makes everything slightly better. Keep on going; you mean the world to a lot of people, whether you know it or not. We’re all just skipping stones on the golden lakes of eternity’s moon. I hope you find peace, comfort, and warmth wherever you may wander. You should wander your way over to Ireland; it’s class craic. Come and see us play; that would make us happy. Cheers, garaibh míle maith agat.
Klemen Breznikar
Córas Trio Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
