Vinicius Cantuaria & Tarif de Haidouks at Analog Festival this year.

Dublin Docklands Authority again put on the Analog Festival at Grand Canal Dock for the second year.
The main event was Rogues Gallery, featuring Tim Robbins, Lou Reed, Shane McGowan, Neil Hannon and Gavin Friday (singing sea shanties?).

But for me it was Note Productions, who pulled off the coup, by bringing in Vinicius Cantuaria (right), from Rio via New York, on Sunday. This event was free.

When I was picking up my tickets from CHQ at the IFSC the previous evening, I had visited the urban beach, and shaken off some gloom by watching a kid beat his mum at chess with giant-sized chess pieces, saw a young girl meditating on the sand and had been explained the rules and played a French board game ‘quivive’, followed by salsa for two hours on a dance floor where the DJ saved my life, finding for me my inner Latin spirit.

The sun tried to shine again the next day down at Grand Canal Dock, where the skyline has been changed due to a brand new building going up on the north side of the square. The atmosphere is very relaxed down there with apparently no hurry, and some whizzing around on bicycles enjoying the expanse and routes on the square.

But not as laid back as Vinicius Cantuaria and his quintet, whose music is both cool and beautiful. Bossa Nova speaks to me of sunshine and love and the singing was light and gorgeous. This music is progressive.

The band was immense. The crowd were astonished and delighted as they were grabbed by the neo-Brazillian groove and the quality and guts of the playing. The set was perfect and the drumming was kicking and cascading as Vinicius kept rhythm on his electric guitar.

Cantuaria stresses the importance of the acoustic guitar where every song is worked out and written. He is more commercially successful than his modest demeanour might suggest, with platinum sales and an incredible discography. His 1996 album, ‘Sol Na Cara’ both predicated and helped influence a new supercooled world of neo-Brazillian music.

The next band Tarif de Haidouks (above) almost defy description. I had heard they played Eastern European klezmer ‘wedding music’. There were nine of them in the band, which included three accordians and a very high-pitched flute, which was ridden with cruelty. The men sang with soul and sadness. The crowd loved it. I was bewildered.

The music was so fast that I could no longer keep up the dance. I tried dividing the music so as to be a waltz, only to be jolted to a new and accelerated speed in a different direction.

The crowd seemed to have doubled in size, however, and groups of girls started jumping wildly and with abandon. I felt only pressure and intensity.

It was for a moment, with the dancing, like being at a Pogues’ concert. I knew I had to leave before the climax. This music should carry a health warning!

Lunfardia at Farmleigh

I went to see Lunfardia, a world music outfit built around the enduring partnership of Dermot Dunne (accordion) and Ariel Hernadez (guitar and vocals) as part of the Salonmusic series.

Playing in beautiful surroundings, this quintet offered us a whirlwind tour of South America.

Countries visited included Hernadez’s native Argentina. The sound of tango filled the room, dark, dramatic and passionate, and extremely well executed.

Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay and Peru are also called on. This is folk music with variety and assurance. Frank Vidal from Peru joins them on percussion; Malachy Robinson is on double bass; and Ioana Petcu-Colan (Romania) is on violin. Each brings their understanding of native folk music on this world tour.

They recently released their debut album ‘Picada Pa’ Cinco’ to great critical acclaim. Picada is a type of canape, of which there can be many types and flavours.

Farmleigh, is an estate of 78 acres situated to the north-west of Dublin’s Phoenix Park. It was purchased from the Guinness family by the Irish Government in 1999 for £29.2 million.

The house has been carefully refurbished by the Office of Public Works as the premier accommodation for visiting dignitaries and guests of the nation, and is the rumoured future residence of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The OPW also opens up the house and grounds for public enjoyment.

Farmleigh house and gardens are open to the public from March to December each year, and there are many events remaining on this year’s calendar, such as the Irish version of Octoberfest to be held in September!
Tickets for all events are free and are issued on a lottery basis. For all information www.farmleigh.ie