NI flute band team up with electronic artist Ryan Vail, Clubland’s Micky Modelle also involved in youth project

At an event tonight in Carrickfergus at 7pm, musicians from Ulster Grenadiers Flute Band will showcase their work with renowned artist and producer Ryan while other young people from the area will premiere a dance music track made with the help of DJ Micky Modelle, a favourite at the famous Clubland nightclub in Cookstown.

The Grenadiers spent the last number of weeks working with Ryan to record a reinterpretation of the track ‘I Wish I was in Carrickfergus’, bringing together traditional instrumentation with elements of electronic dance music.

They also worked with Ryan to develop a visual installation which will displayed tonight using three interlinked large-scale projections on the side of Carrickfergus Castle.

Jonathan Hodge, who has been co-ordinating the creative programme, said: “It has been wonderful to see how the artists have worked with Ryan to take a traditional track that is synonymous with Carrickfergus and bring contemporary elements to it.

“When it is shown alongside the video installation it will be a real spectacle and testament to the talents of all those involved.”

Another group of young people were working with DJ Micky to develop a new dance music track featuring their own compositions and vocals.

The track also includes lyrics and vocals from local rapper Ashton Hamilton.

Lighting and production firm Visual Spectrum developed a series of special visuals to accompany the track as part of the projection show.

The final part of the showcase involved large-scale projections of the acclaimed exhibition ‘To the Beat of the Drum’, featuring images of young people from the area who are involved in marching bands by acclaimed London-based photographer Gareth McConnell.

The exhibition was first commissioned as part of the Communities in Transitions project and shown for an extended period at the Ulster Museum.

Jonathan continued: “All the participants will really proud to see the work they have produced on such a large scale and as part of a major event.

“The project is the culmination of work that has been undertaken in Carrick for the past number of years and hopefully it is only the beginning of a series of creative projects that encourage our young people to achieve their potential and become involved in the creative arts.”

The project was delivered with the help of funding from the Executive Office’s Communities in Transition project managed by Intercomm.

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