On The Pulse: DisTort Series celebrates its first birthday

Cork Techno Collective DisTort Series turns one this week, with a special show with Jon Hussey to celebrate. We caught up with founder RiaStartha to share some insights into the project.

What is DisTort Series? 

DisTort Series is a Techno collective based here in Cork. The collective was founded by Cork-based artist RiaStartha, and is set to celebrate its 1st birthday on Friday 18th October. The collective hones in on true Techno sounds and experiences, and tries to bring something original and inclusive to the City.

What inspired you to start the project? 

“DisTort Series was built in the back of my mind a long while back, but it always felt like something that may one day happen, but really was not based on any time-line or planning. I am lucky to have partied in so many amazing places all around the world since a young age and have taken so much inspiration from some of the grittiest underground parties to the most mind-blowing locations, and have always wanted to try implement these within the local scene if I ever did start running nights.

It just felt right at the time of running the first event, so many different things started to come together naturally at the same time. I always believe in trusting your gut feeling and just going for something that feels right, there were so many great nights already in the city and I felt I could potentially bring some of myself to my own nights and try put forth ideas from what I have experienced already and try build an inclusive community around that.”

What is the ethos of the project? 

“The Ethos for our night is to bring something original to the City, to create something visually different and authentic, and something that is special in a sensory aspect. I wanted to provide something to more mature party goers who may have experienced all these things abroad but may find it difficult to get that here in Cork. 

We have had such a bad time over recent years with closures, lack of social spaces and our nightlife has taken some big hits. So for us it’s just about doing what we can to start from scratch and help build on that again and create an environment within the city that at its core feels genuine. It has to feel loose, but still safe and relaxed and provide a safe space at all our events where nobody is left out and everybody feels equal. A strong part of our ethos is also to work with other collectives and venue owners to create a healthy eco system where we can all exist together, and all get the most out of creating a healthier nightlife industry within the city but also the country.”

We put so much effort into what we do behind the scenes and it is always to provide something better for our nightlife, something we can all enjoy together and be proud of, and push boundaries within our own scene.”

What has been your highlight so far?

“It is so difficult to narrow it down, because every event has been special in it’s own way, but being able to run events and host some of your favorite artist on lineups, artists that have now become great friends and that inspire you every day has been something that has always made me smile. 

Being able to take a moment on the dancefloor and realise how many like-minded people are there to have a good time, blow off some steam and just unwind from the day to day. Seeing people who have been supporting our nights since day 1 has also been the highlight, many have become a true part of the DisTort Series family now and that to us means so much.”

What are your plans for the future?

“The future is always unknown and we love not knowing what is around the corner, we have recently moved to the Liquid Lounge which we are really trying to work with closely and constantly help improve and give our input to try and make this another unique location in the city. 

We hope to stay consistent and try support new artists or those up and coming , try and build our community and do what we can to improve the nightlife within the city.

And we hope to just keep getting better at what we do, nothing is perfect and we always want to hear from the public and have conversations about what they would like to see and what we can do better. As for now, we look forward to celebrating our first birthday with the legend that is Jon Hussey, and we hope to see you all there.”

Thanks to RiaStartha for taking the time to chat to us. Tickets for the Distort Series first birthday are available via Eventbrite or pay on the door.