DIY music label PX Music is at the forefront of a thriving music scene here in Limerick. The label’s roster of rapping and production talent has released a steady flow of quality hip hop in the last two years.
Acts like Hazey Haze, Gavin DaVinci, Citrus Fresh, Krome, Aswell, and producer Mankky have all released quality product and are sought after for festival slots as a collective and individually.
At the recent Wired FM show in the Record Room, PX Music showcased the raucous and infectious energy that the crew generate onstage as a collective, all bringing their own unique style and flows to the party and backing each other up on their label mates tracks.
Limerick Post chatted with label founder Sean Murray (aka DJ Replay).
As with everyone today, Covid-19 is playing havoc with the label’s plans right now. In just one weekend alone, the PX Music crew had multiple cancellations, a Dublin showcase gig, an appearance at The Guinness Storehouse, a festival with Limerick label Cabal, and a festival in Portugal.
“Everybody’s the same. It’s out of everybody’s hands,” he says.
And it is a double hit for many of the creatives here as they work in the bars and restaurants to fund their passion for music.
“So many people in bars are central to the Limerick music scene. it’s an eye opener for everybody.”
PX Music grew out of a radio show on Wired FM, a student radio station based on the campus of MIC (Mary Immaculate College). While studying Music Technology at LIT, Sean was invited to the studio. Thanks to Wired FM manager Ray Bourke, a new weekly hip hop radio show called Hip Hop Nation was set up. The show featured local rappers such as SameD4ence and Willzee coming into the studio and recording live.
“Rappers from around the country were getting in touch.
“Ray was delighted because everything in the studio was being used, taking advantage of what we have here.”
The show picked up awards for Most Innovative Radio Show and Specialist Music Show in 2016 and 2017.
The show led to a network of producers and rappers that wanted to play live and release their music and for that purpose PX Music was created by Sean.
Now working from a studio in Limerick city centre, the PX Music label have released over 20 projects, it is Limerick’s hip hop factory.
“As a label we always have somebody pushing something.”
Is Mise, an epic 19 track debut album from Hazey Haze is their biggest project to date.
The album chronicles the tales of a young man growing up in Limerick and the productions behind the flows were all created by Irish beatmakers.
While many rappers can trawl the internet for productions for their flows and lease the tracks, it does lend extra credibility and longevity to the music when the backing tracks and productions are original creations.
Limerick producer 40Hurtz (Eoin Bourke Maguire to his parents) worked on tracks on the Is Mise album.
“Using Limerick beatmakers you have the option to go sit with the producer.
“40Hurtz will actually sit down in the studio with Haze and Hazey will be mouthing words beside him and Eoin will actually start to build a track together.
“Haze has a say in the actual workings of the track and produces the instrumental rather than the way we do it sometimes when they just send in an instrumental and Haze has to mould his words to that.”
Hazey’s track ‘What’s That’ drew a lot of attention to his rapping talent in 2018 and it featured in the Somewhere in Ireland documentary on Ireland’s hip hop movement. The backing track was created by a producer in the US and leased to the label.
“When we first released ‘Whats That’, it had a beat that we actually purchased from a guy in the USA. We leased it – It is not exclusive to us.
“Someone else can go and lease it. As soon as the video came out, a fella from Dublin had done another version with the same instrumental.
“It was an eye opener for us – OK we shouldn’t even chance that.”
The PX Music live show is a joyous, rabble rousing experience as the PX family vibe off each other’s flows and make for a formidable force on stage.
“It’s not what you expect it to be. With a gang on stage you immediately think of something a little bit intimidating.
But it’s really not, it’s just a gang on stage all jumping around roaring and shouting. It’s very much a love thing.
“It’s a family thing.”
“Everybody loves each other’s stuff.
Hazey himself would tell he doesn’t listen to any other hip hop only his and the lads stuff.”
The future for PX Music is to keep making music, releasing projects and getting back to live action as soon as possible.
Festivals like Body & Soul and All Together Now are interested in featuring the crew.
You can pick up the label’s music on their Bandcamp site which has more favourable returns for artists over other streaming sites.
“Bandcamp has given us more revenue than Spotify ever has. We have a fairly strong fanbase of music heads and musicians. They understand what it means to purchase the tracks on bandcamp.”
So as we all wait for Covid-19 to be consigned to future ‘Reeling in the Years’ archives, PX Music is already making plans for the bloc parties and celebrations
“As a punter who enjoys music and enjoys going to gigs we will be delighted when this blows over.
“Everybody is going to go mad throwing gigs. Every artist in the country is going to go crazy running stuff.”
Check out PX Music roster of artists at https://pxmusic061.bandcamp.com/
PX Music on Bandcamp
Hazey Haze on Bandcamp
Gavin DaVinci on Bandcamp
