This Sunday, 1 December, Pygmalion Dublin is hosting ‘Dance For Ashley’ to raise money in support of the recovery of electronic music pioneer Ashley Beedle, who suffered a brain bleed and stroke earlier this year.
The dance music community is coming out in force across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England to show their love and admiration for this unsung hero, who has given so much during his extensive 35-year career. Ministry of Sound hosted the London fundraiser last Wednesday, where Fatboy Slim topped the bill of over 40 internationally renowned artists.
The Ulster Sports Club in Belfast will go head-to-head with the Pyg in Dublin this Sunday from 6 p.m., so grab your favourite dancing shoes and get right on it!
Dublin dance music maestros on the night include Aoife Nic Canna, Arveene, Dandelion, Glenn Davis, Hugh Scully, Muggy, Pablo Fatty Fatty, Pat Hyland, Pauly Doyle, Shay Hannon, and Steve Manning, going b2b all night long for what’s bound to be a belter night of sublime choonage.
Belfast’s ensemble of virtuosos features David Holmes, Ryan Vail (live), JC Williams, Timmy Stewart, Iain McCready, Twitch DJs, Chris Frieze, and Turbo, who promise to bring their A-game for all to get amongst it.
Immortalised as one of the Teachers in Daft Punk’s 1997 track of the same name, Beedle emerged during the acid house era, releasing hits such as Where Were You?, Strong, and New Jersey Deep as one-third of the group Black Science Orchestra. Beedle went on to form another band, The Ballistic Brothers, with Dave Hill, Uschi Classen, Rocky and Diesel, releasing several acclaimed albums fusing jazz with dance music.
Most ravers in Ireland will know Beedle for his role in X-Press 2, the group he founded with DJs Rocky & Diesel. They created the chart-topping global hit Lazy, a collaboration with Talking Heads’ David Byrne, which earned Beedle the highly coveted Ivor Novello Award.
I’ll never forget seeing X-Press 2 play Creamfields UK way back in 2001. The boat leaving Dublin was delayed, then broke down in the middle of the sea for a few hours. Afterward, we got the train from Holyhead, and that broke down too—you couldn’t make it up! We eventually landed at the Old Liverpool Airport at 3 a.m., tearing our hair out. Thankfully, X-Press 2 lashed it out across their six-deck set-up, putting silly big grins back on our faces as we danced our asses off until the break of dawn.
Everyone mentioned above undoubtedly has a brilliant story or two about their magical encounters and madcap adventures with Beedle and his wife, Jo Wallace, Ramrock Records label boss and stellar DJ. It’s no surprise so many top DJs on both sides of the Irish Sea pledged their unconditional support for these fantastic fundraisers.
Show your support this Sunday, 1 December, in whichever gorgeous city you may be. All proceeds go to Ashley and his family for his sound therapy treatment and other essential care needs.
Details about the Dublin event can be found here, and Belfast here. Words by Emer O’Connor.
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