In 2025, Belfast trio, Deeply Armed made their recorded debut, and in the process launched their label, Echo Pet. The single, The Healing, was a sublime psyche folk / rock mediation, which also picked up series of winning remixes from Keith Tenniswood, Richard Fearless, Brendan Lynch and Andrew Innes, from Primal Scream. Each demonstrating the 3 friends’ wide range of musical influences. In 2026, there’s a whole lot more to come, including a Mad Professor dub which is rumoured to be amazing. I bumped into a couple of band members, Aaron O’Neill and Kenny Whaley, at this year’s Convenanza Festival, but here, the third, Michael McKeown shares a few of his favourite releases from last 12 months.
Magical music, and musings, care of Deeply Armed’s Michael McKeown.
Shimmering, harmonic transcendence from the Pan-Asian peripatetic musical family. Immersive, cloud-kissed drone-adelica that could go on for days, and I still wouldn’t want it to stop. Take me to the river.
No prisoners taken with this simmering slab of tech-menace from the original DJ Gigolo. A pounding, propulsive, panel beater with relentless kicks, searing stabs and a vicious streak that cuts through the smoke with a flick knife.
A swirling soup of acoustic funk strums, bouncing ping pong balls, rhythmic trash talk, scratch battle weapons and clanking sirens. A distorted bass loop drives into the red, loosely glueing the track together. Beautifully chaotic, with just the right amount of sleaze.
Deeply Armed / The Healing (Born To Go Mix)
A velvet glove gut-punches “The Healing” into an XTRMNTR-shaped sink hole. A glam-punk, do-wop onslaught, forced to exist as a breathtaking, clap-happy, hailstorm of catastrophic, angle-grinding riffs.
Intoxicating Parisian digi-dub that engenders some kind of woozy, paranoid euphoria. Froid Dub tick all the boxes here – a refracted Sleng Teng riddim, phantom synths and acid-dipped wobble. The perfect soundtrack to your next stoned séance.
Doechii / Denial is a River
A wild ’90s sitcom sketch, MF Doom beats, inner monologues on spiralling mental health, breakthrough success, sudden fame, unchecked excess, infidelity, corporate exploitation and inner resolve. This is old school but visionary hip hop hitting new heights – dark themes flawlessly delivered with irreverent humour, magnetic charisma and effortless charm. Denial Is A River feels like a trail has been blazed with Doechii shimmying ever closer to the illustrious lineage of Missy Elliott and Lauren Hill.
Elija Minelli featuring Dennis Bovell / Canaan Land
Elijah Minelli brews a unique blend of psych-folk-dub, but this is simply scorching, spiritual reggae music and a contender for track of the year. Guest vocalist Dennis Bovell comperes a melodica-heavy, Nyabinghi prayer ritual, channelling Garvey’s Ghost and The Congos to slay Satan himself. New spiritual heights from the undisputed Night Czar of Breadminster.
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