“We see ourselves as a team, there is no hierarchy: we all contribute creatively.” Sam Fitzpatrick and Will Fitzgerald are two members of Wriggle, a group which includes the producer Shriekin and the visual artist Z-Machine among their ranks. They held their debut night of the same name at Izakaya Tengu last December. Sam said how the Wriggle group started out as friends: “Once we realised we were all on the same buzz it went from there.” He also explained the aims of the group starting out; “we want to keep the venues intimate, focus on the soundsystems, and get MCs.” Will added, “we want to get people to dance and enjoy themselves.” A number things set Wriggle apart from a lot of club nights in Dublin. Firstly, the two are eager to point out that the night is not tied to one sound or style with Sam stating, “we just play whatever we like from dub to bassline, garage, dubstep or grime”, but he asserts, “it’s the atmosphere and the experience we want to keep consistent” adding, “as selfish as it sounds, it’s about playing the music that we like.” Secondly, they underline the importance of MCs to the experience, Will said that “They give the music more of a face.” Speaking about the last event Sam added: “We know some guys who rap and we just convinced them to do it. We think it is really important because of the energy it brings.” When asked about whether they would host acts, they said they would but that it was not their top priority; “We want it to be affordable and we want to bring in acts who represent all that is good about bass music, rather than people who would make us a lot of money.”

The pair explain that the night is about more than just the music, Sam explained, “Something we didn’t talk about was the visuals, our mate Dylan [O’Sullivan] at Z-Machine is super talented. It was so impressive we had to showcase it.” Will spoke about the importance of visuals in Wriggle events: “Visuals should be on a par with DJs. The visuals should set the tone as much as the music.” Importantly, the guys want Wriggle to be a safe space (as included in their event description) and Sam elaborated by saying, “We don’t want anyone to think that anyone will be open to harassment, wherever we are and that if there is a problem, that people can come to us.” Speaking about the issue in broader terms Will said, “The biggest issue is that it is hard to tell if it’s going on or not. We want people to dance and enjoy themselves and if you don’t feel safe or secure you’re not going to have a good time.” Rather than just being about DJing – though there’s no shortage of talent there – the two see the Wriggle events as a fuller experience whereby MCs, visuals and soundsystems play an equally as important part.

On the success of their first event Will said: “People really seemed to enjoy themselves. It doesn’t matter about the money for the first one, it’s more about making a name [for ourselves].” Sam agreed, “The first night was about showing people what we’re about.” When asked whether they would use Wriggle as a platform to promote their own individual creative output, they dismissed the idea, and Sam argued that “trying to plug stuff kind of just annoys people, and Jack (Shriekin) doesn’t need it.” Will agreed: “Not a platform, we’re just working towards having a really good party.” Wriggle seems to be a night run by people who know the Dublin club-scene and know what it’s lacking in. This is an event where the music is important, but not restricted to one particular sound and is only one element of the overall experience. The commitment is to an affordable, personal, and safe experience where everyone is welcome. It seems for Sam and Will, Wriggle is a reaction against the increased industrialisation of the club scene in Dublin, with the crowds getting bigger, tickets getting more expensive and the sound becoming more homogenous. Expanding on what they think Wriggle should be, Sam finishes with, “We want it to be a comfortable space, where people can be themselves and not worry about all the other bullshit that can come with clubbing in Dublin.”

 

You can like Wriggle here, details for their next night will be released in the near future.