Richard BodinThursday 25th June, The Commercial pub in Limerick vibrated to the loud bass sound of Frankie Downbeat‘s set mixing a wide range of records from Dub, to Reggae or Hip Hop while DatQidExcel was on the mic. The two artists were performing for the Limerick Wild Geese Festival Cypher Event sponsored by Moet-Hennessy for Twilight Thursday.
A Meeting of Cultures
The Limerick Wild Geese Festival celebrates the long-standing historical and cultural links between Limerick and France. Those ties date back to 1691, when, following the Treaty of Limerick, thousands of Jacobite soldiers left Ireland for France in what became known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. Today, the festival honours that shared heritage through a programme of music, culture and community events held around Bastille Day.
For Twilight Thursday that sees multiple free cultural events taking place in the Treaty City, the festival was organising this Cypher Event at the Commercial. They invited Frankie Downbeat and DatQidExcel to perform. As The Hidden Track is based in Limerick and I happen to be French, I was invited to host a short conversation with Frankie Downbeat and DatQidExcel before their performance.
Building an Inspiring and Creative Space in Limerick
Frankie is one of the owners of the local record shop Downbeat Records, and of SÃbÃn Soundsystem. The man is a Reggae and Dub enthusiast and other bass-heavy music. He started his journey about twenty years ago when he and a few friends, founded the Roots Factory and started organising and promoting events around Limerick in places like The Wicked Chicken. But eventually around 2011 when the recession started to hit Limerick hard and many places —including the Chicken— closed down, himself and his friend Brigadier JC decided to move to London and later Bristol where they ran Roots Factory as a label.
Strong of this experience, he moved back to Limerick a couple years ago decided to foster a creative space so that “young people don’t have to leave Limerick —like [he] did— because there is nothing”. Downbeat Records is about to celebrate 2 years of existence, is a welcoming place for people to browse and have a friendly chat with Frankie. This is how, a couple of month ago, he and Excel met, and talked about music.
A Voice Finding Its Path
At the time DatQidExcel had just released his mixtape, Dat Qid From South. As I asked why he called it a mixtape and not album, considering the production’s quality, he took the time to explain. These twelve tracks were written and recorded over time, but without the bonding creative arc that would make an album. An album is definitely in the pipe, with singles leading to it. As opposed to his mixed tape tackling more personnal and serious subjects, he intends to imprint a lighter mood and let loose his creativity.
Excel has a strong head on his shoulders and is very grateful for all the support he has received so far. The Limerick hip-hop scene is very active and Excel has been receiving a lot of support from local artists, especially GodKnows. But above all, DatQidExcel is here thanks to his mother. Since he started writing poetry when he was eleven, she has been encouraging him. She also provided him with a musical background that shaped his musical identity from hip-hop to jazz altogether.
When the Music Took Over
Watching Frankie Downbeat build the atmosphere from behind the decks while DatQidExcel effortlessly rode the beats with improvised verses, it was hard to believe the two had never shared a stage before. Frankie hadn’t mixed a hip-hop set for a while and was thrilled to dust off his bag with a special selection of hip hop records for such an occasion. Their chemistry felt completely natural, bringing together different generations and musical backgrounds for a perfect evening at The Commercial.
