Why Is Everyone In Dublin Talking About DÍON

October 12, 2018 Off By Editor

When Blackwax Records meets Deep House Dublin the Underground scene rises above Dublin’s rooftops…

Why is everyone in Dublin talking about DION?

SUBTITLE: Since last Thursday Dublin has been awash with talk of a secret roof party that took place within the very heart of the city centre, hosting the finest quality of Dublin’s house and techno scene in a truly unique venue, and promising more to come

DÍON // [DE-ON] // s. roof // shelter

Dublin, Ireland. As rain clouds dissipated over Dublin city last Thursday they were replaced with the soft tones and atmospheric beats of deep house and moody techno in one of Dublin’s preserved Georgian sites. Located 50 feet above street level on a roof of a stunning Georgian building the first DÍON event was taking place; a gathering of Dublin’s finest music selectors and artists playing to a stunning backdrop of Dublin city’s skyline.

DÍON is the brainchild of DJ and producer Adam Keni, and is a simple one; to showcase the true artistry and quality Dublin has to offer in terms of music, whilst using Dublin itself as his platform to display this. Díon means ‘roof’ in Irish, a fitting name for the scene and setting of the first event; a flat space located on top of a Georgian building, dressed in an array of fairy lights, candles, and exposed filament bulbs that made a feast for the eyes as the darkness spread over the Dublin skyline, the twinkling fairy lights a mirror match for the thousands of lights coming to life in the skyline vista.

The intimate venue housed approximately thirty viewers, a mish-mash of fellow artists, passionate listeners and industry involved parties. Due to the intimate nature of the event, the key point was to have it live streamed directly from the rooftop.

The event was partly organised by the Blackwax Records Dublin collective, of which Adam is a member of, in the days leading up to the event, building and dressing the venue setting from scratch as well as providing most of the audio equipment and instruments. As well as Blackwax Records the event was coordinated with Deep House Dublin, who were able to provide their knowledge and equipment in Live Streaming to broadcast the event Live, including HD drone footage. Also involved in the night were FEND Media, a team who’ve been making a name for themselves throughout the Irish electronic music scene for their stunning after movie clips and videos of festivals and club nights.

Despite the threatening Irish weather, the music began and the DJ’s stood up to a stunning custom-made DJ booth, which was strewn with small sparkling lights and candles set amongst a slew of old wine boxes, dressed in an assortment of ivy and olive leaves. As the sun disappeared behind dramatic clouds, and the journey started with the deep and hypnotic beats of the Deep House Dublin crew, Viktor Marina and Fizzy Waters took control for the first hour, playing a eclectic mix of deep house and minimal melodic beats, an ideal combination as homemade vodka cocktails flowed freely around the party in white paper cups.

As the sky grew darker so did the music, as Adam Keni took over for the following hour, mixing together a soundscape of atmospheric techno and ambient beats, creating a mood to match the moody cloud filled sky which turned shades of deep purple and midnight blues.

Next up on the decks was Sarah Mooney, a Dublin based DJ and head honcho of weekly club night The Balance Series, who has been making waves all over the country and overseas with her ability to fill a festival tent and club alike due to her skill set and understanding of finer points of melodic house and tech. True to form, she brought the music to a more energetic level as darkness completely took over.

The night was ended with a superbly ethereal and climatic set from none other than Vlad. A Dublin based Croatian DJ who has been filling clubs like Berlin and Tengu over this summer, as well as supporting some greats such as Recondite and Gnork in the coming weeks. His set was filled with energy and yet matched the intimate close nature of the party perfectly, the ideal way to top off an evening of perfectly curated music in a uniquely special rooftop venue.

As the music closed off, Adam Keni applauded the crowd for their support and the team and crew involved in bringing Díon to life, and with that, he teased that this would be the first of many to come, with the live stream event being brought to other interesting and unique venues in Dublin… Watch this space.