Jonezy from Riseup sound system brings a full roster of Irish bass heavyweights to Cork this Friday

Tell us about the history of Riseup? Where did it start?

Riseup started out as a club night in The Pavilion in Cork in 2010 which brought many big acts to the city like Mala, DBridge, Skeptical, Youngsta, Kahn, Pinch, Remarc, Pangaea, Objekt, Djrum and many more. I started building the sound system with my dad in 2014 and its first outing was in May 2016. I was going to a lot of gigs in the UK around this time and got really interested in sound system culture and wanted to build my own. Going to Irish sound system gigs with the Revelation and Rootical sound systems was also a big inspiration for building my own sound.

Tell us more about the design of the sound system?

The sound system is comprised of 6 x 18” scoop bass bins, 6 x hd15 low mids and 4 x mt121 tops. I built these boxes so I would have a full range with tons of low frequency pressure and a crisp high end.There’s a great online speaker building community called speakerplans.com where you can find out everything about building speakers and electronics for sound design.

When did your journey with electronic music begin?

I got into rave music in the mid 90’s when I was very young through listening to the Prodigy, The RatPack and the jungle and hardcore that was on London radio at the time. I started DJing when I was 17 and when I was around 19 I started playing gigs in Cork. I’ve also played many times at many major festivals in Europe like Glastonbury, Boomtown Fair, Outlook and all the usual Irish festivals, Electric Picnic, Life, All Together Now etc. 

When can people next hear Jonezy and the Riseup system?

RiseUp will be back this Friday with a big lineup of the best Irish bass music talent. EMA from Dublin headlines the event just back from playing Berghain in Berlin and Heavyweight in London. Rob Rua & Hannah Hession from Ar Ais Arís in Galway will be on chief support and I’ll be opening up for the first hour. I’ll be bringing in twice as much sound system as usual for extra sonic force. Tickets from Scope tickets.

Where can people find Riseup for equipment hire?

People can contact me through Instagram at @riseup_soundsystem_cork or by phone/Whatsapp 0858650586. I have all kinds of big and small sound, lighting and stage equipment for hire. Get in touch if you’re having an event and need any kind of equipment or advice. 

Any other big plans for Riseup in the future?

I’ve just started building some new speakers and I’m hoping to double what I have currently over the next couple of years. I’m also bringing the system to at least 5 festivals over the summer so I’ll be busy prepping for them over the coming months!

Catch Riseup this Friday, March 1st in An Spailpín Fánach.
Tickets available from Scope Tickets here