HUMANS OF THE SESH & SESH FM INTERVIEW : SOLIDARITY VOLUME 1
08:30
What is your role in the SESH FM compilation?
SYL: G started to get really involved in the ISPC. I was aware of this and wanted to know more. By chatting about it with him over pints and researching I became really committed to the cause. I suppose it sparked a passion for Palestinian rights. I decided, what if I put a track online and all proceeds going to Palestine. Because I was involved with the first Humans of the Sesh Compilation, we still had a Facebook chat so I asked if anyone wanted to get involved and put it out. Everyone got really involved, I don’t want to say that I came up with it, I just had the initial idea that sparked it. I think it’s really been nice how communal it’s been.
What was the process behind curating the twenty tracks for the compilation?
SYL: I put them in order, I formed the track list. It was informal in a sense, more of like ‘Oh I really like this producer,’ and just a matter of asking them. I asked Mikolaj to be on it as I’ve been watching him flourish over the summer and he’s one of my best mates. It just formed from the core group of the Humans of the Sesh lads.
BUY THE COMPILATION^
Can you give an overview of the kind of genres that are on the compilation?
SYL: On the compilation, you’ve got everything from hard drum, tribal house, dubstep, ambient tunes, there’s really a mish mash of tunes. A bit of everything is probably the best way to describe it.
Why do you think it’s important for young people to learn about the Palestine/Israel conflict?
G, MIKOLAJ & SYL
G: I think in any sort of situation in the past where occupation has been involved, other countries have helped to resolve the conflict, usually not the countries involved are able to solve it. In Ireland’s history, we’ve had issues with occupation. For example, with the situation in South Africa and apartheid, that issue was solved by boycotting. So, in recent times, there has been a boycott of Israeli products in Ireland.
We began looking for charities to donate to also and MAP came up (Medical Assistance for Palestinians), they aid the people of Gaza who are largely restricted by a blockade. Very few charities are allowed in to help. MAP wanted to be involved, but they were afraid if they got involved, that they might not be allowed back into the Gaza strip.
What stance does Ireland have in relation to this conflict?
G: Compared to a lot of European countries, we would be considered one of the most pro Palestine countries. However, sometimes up north you’d see Irish flags being burned alongside Palestinian flags.
Which charity did ye ultimately decide to support?
G: ISPC, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Through culture nights, handing out flyers and bringing over Palestinians to play their traditional music, they’ve raised a lot of awareness. So showing solidarity and raising awareness by spreading information among Irish people.
SYL: The second one would be Addameer, a charity that support prisoner rights. They are based in Palestine. So,the charity would help a lot of Palestinians who are unfairly imprisoned.
Have ye noticed any backlash from followers of Humans of the Sesh?
SYL: The ratio of positive to negative cimments was like 90% positive to 10% negative but the people who were against it would comment, so it was kind of made more noticeable. However, the guys behind Humans of the Sesh themselves are genuinely pro Palestine. I remember sitting on a rooftop in Dublin, long before the idea had arisen to do a compilation, having a few cans and James (Numbertheory), pointed out the Palestinian flag. That alone, that nod of solitary pretty much told us that the lads were genuine in their support of the cause. Seeing James being vocal about it on Twitter is what made me think that Humans of the Sesh would be definitely up for doing this.
How did ye decide that music was the best medium through which to fundraise for the cause?
SYL: To be honest, most of the people involved had a music background, it was the only medium we really knew best. Music is how we communicate.
Why did ye want to get involved in the first place?
G: Syl would have had the knowledge of how musicians work and I would be able to answer most questions about Palestine and knew charities we could potentially collaborate with. So we decided to join forces.
Why choose Limerick as the location for the launch party?
SYL: Pharmacia was mentioned a lot in discussions as it’s very well known. There are a lot of heads down here, we knew a few of the WaGwan guys. They are very experienced at organizing events.
What about future events?
SYL: We definitely hope to do other events. Syn (Renée) had the idea to call it ‘Solidarity: Volume 1.’ We want to develop this idea for future causes. We’d like to do a compilation in aid of LGBTQ awareness at some point and get LGBTQ producers to curate the music.
Syl, talk to me about your track ‘Abir’?
SYL: The track name was inspired by a vocal sample within the track, it was an interview with a Palestinian man who spoke about his daughter Abir who was killed by Israeli soldiers during this conflict.
Were there many female producers involved?
Gadget and the Cloud (Kelly) and Syn (Renée) were the main two female producers involved with the compilation. There are the likes of the Gash Collective which is completely female-oriented, but we’d like to see more female producers on the scene.
What would like people to take away from the compilation?
Mostly, for them to enjoy the music but also to come away with a bit more awareness about the Palestine/Israeli crisis. We hope that they’d do some research into it and just keep it in the back of their minds.
Huge thanks to Syl, G and Mikolaj for speaking to me!
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