KÍLA (IE)

Spanning 5 decades, Dublin octet Kíla have been vanguards of trad-fusion since they began in 1987. Such is the multi-faceted nature of their music that they’ve performed at Jazz, Rock, Celtic and World Music festivals in 35 countries on 5 continents; They’ve released 20 CDs, co-composed music for 3 Oscar nominated animation films and composed Emmy nominated, IFTA and Greison winning scores.

While rooted in Irish Trad, their music has absorbed influences from a multitude of other genres such as Latin, Reggae, Rock, Classical, Funk, Jazz and World Music in general. They formed in Coláiste Eoin - 
a school famed for musicians such as Davy Spillane, (Moving Hearts), Liam Ó Maonlaí & Fiachna Ó Braonáin (Hot House Flowers), Cormac Breathnach (Deiseal), Colm Mac Con Iomaire & Dave Odlum (The Frames) etc. On weekend afternoons they’d busk then later on perform at pub sessions, book launches, exhibition openings or political rallies.

Their earliest Ep Groovin’ (1991) and follow up Handel’s Fantasy (1993) demonstrated their gifted musicality. Here their own melodies danced alongside traditional ones, The varying musical atmospheres alongside the contrasting singing styles; of Colm’s full ranged romantic delivery and Ronán’s unique percussive chant like style blended to form a new yet cohesive musical expression. By the time they released Mind the Gap (1995) their musical creativity was in full bloom and they could boast that it was the first self-composed album from the Irish Traditional genre. Their follow up Tóg É Go Bog É (1997) attracted huge positive attention and after palying at the WOMEX, convention in Marseilles, the world embraced their unique take on Irish melodic music.