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Mondo.NYC 2021 Showcase Artist
R.S.A.G.
Kilkenny, Ireland
October 14, 2021 at 11:30:00 PM
Mondo Live Stream [Music From Ireland Showcase]
A storm of sound and an eruption of percussion mixed with hypnotic music and unique visuals! Since its conception in 2007, musical juggernaut "Rarely Seen Above Ground" has offered his tour de force -- one man show of sound, visuals and incendiary rhythm -- to captured audiences around the world. Known to his friends as Jeremy Hickey, R.S.A.G. has gained a reputation not only as one of Europe's most impressive drummers but as a celebrated producer and a talented showman.
Since the early days when he picked up a Choice Music Prize nomination, he has pressed two celebrated LPs, secured billings on the most enviable festivals in both Europe and America and made multiple international TV appearances along the way. Hickey's undeniable talent behind a kit has led to some very impressive collaborations at the request of Justice’s Grammy Award winning Xavier de Rosnay and Parisian electronic outfit Bot'Ox.
In his onstage vocal and drum performances, R.S.A.G. is set apart from his contemporaries. Combining frenzy with serenity, this human fueled energy also forms the core of his records.
Hickey's album "Chroma," released May 2020, is his best collection to date, working closely with long time co-writer and friend Jamie Walsh, who also painted two pieces for the front and back cover of the album. The idea was to create an abstract view of Hickey's studio, the front representing day and the back representing night.
According to Hickey, "'Chroma' started as a musical diary of sorts, an interior perspective of my life while recording from my home studio in Kilkenny. It is full of my daily challenges and experiences. I soon realized that these mood pieces, these colors, were part of a larger picture that might combine to form an album and so it progressed, regressed, changed and through frustration even nearly came to a grinding halt at one point. Each song reflects these different experiences, struggles and emotions, the realities of pursuing a creative goal whilst also trying to keep the wolf from the door. 'Chroma’s' evolution has inevitably been a long one. I've always been fortunate to have a great family and friends, the perfect sounding boards for my ideas. I am proud that my co-writer Jamie Walsh and I were able to merge our musical and lyrical ideas to produce songs of intensity and emotion.
"One of the best Irish albums of 2020" -- Lauren Murphy, The Irish Times
"'Chroma' is the kind of record that roots itself in your brain and doesn’t let you go until it’s finished its course" -- Hotpress
"'Chroma' brings to mind Primal Scream or Jon Hopkins, as they shift from hedonism to introspective" --- Steve Cummins, Sunday Times
"Textured layered instrumentation and richer sounds" -- Nialler9
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