The Mariner // 28 Oct // 22:00
Dónal Dineen’s Backstory Dances have gone from strength to strength recently with a new residency at the Commercial Rowing Club in Dublin and a series of acclaimed stages curated by him at Irish festivals making it a year to remember.
The impetus to start the night back in 2015 stemmed from his desire to find a home for the kind of dance music fire that he was unearthing in his search for tunes in dusty basements of record stores worldwide to write about for his Sunken Treasure column in the Irish Times.
It began as a project to gather together all the sounds he was collecting on vinyl from every part of the world and became a place for the like-minded to revel in the joy of music and the uniquely special experience of discovering it together on a dance-floor. The unerring attention to detail on the quality of the music has seen its reputation soar to become something of a touchstone for discerning dancers both in Dublin town and further afield.
The Backstory motto “All the colours, every dancing mood” has served it well and the atmosphere generated on one heady night after another has become the stuff of legend from its genesis in its spiritual home of the much-missed Jigsaw in the north inner city to its current incarnation by the Liffey Banks.
For his inaugural trip to Westival, Dónal will be digging deep into his box of wares to make a set that spans the world of dance music from the Caribbean to South American through all parts of Africa and various other musical hotspots in-between and beyond.
On the night, Donal will be joined by Negro Impacto, a Dundalk duo comprising of vocalist-songwriter Chi-chi and producer, multi-instrumentalist Laurence (aka Strangelove). The pair quickly gained attention in the Irish music scene thanks to their unique neo-soul sound, impressive musicianship and fun live sets. Named as part of the '2FM Rising' class of 2023, finalists of 'A New Local Hero 2023' with Hotpress and ones to watch across many outlets, the duo are in for another incredible year.
So far in 2023 they have played at Primavera Pro, with Other Voices, at Forbidden Fruit
and Body & Soul. The busy tour schedule will see them open for Madness in Trinity
College, at All Together Now and at the main stage of Another Love Story.
The sound of Negro Impacto is alternative neo-soul with elements of RnB, rock and
funk - as heard in their self titled debut E.P. Their music has been compared to the likes
of The Internet and Steve Lacy and you can hear elements of inspiration from Erykah Badu and WILLOW in Chi-chi’s dreamy vocals. In terms of production, multi-
instrumentalist Laurence quotes DJ Harrison and Arthur Verocai as a definite influence on his style.
Negro Impacto's live set is an eclectic mix of incredible musicianship, inventive live
arrangements by Laurence and infectious vocals and interactions by Chi-chi.
2022 saw the band's first festival season, where they wowed audiences across stages
at Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit, All Together Now, Another Love Story and more.
Negro Impacto were also selected for Ireland Music Week 2022 and have played at
showcases with District Magazine, Nialler9, Mo Cultivation, Artists Against
Homelessness (curated by Kojaque) and opened for a range of artists such as Ojerime, Denise Chaila and The Mary Wallopers.