Strabane artists sought for new musical collaboration

A call has gone out for Strabane’s talented musicians to unite for a unique album collaboration, one which aims to showcase the town’s diverse musical talent.

The project, led by local rapper Danny Houston, AKA HC Baby, is gaining momentum after the idea was first floated just last week.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Danny said, “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a good while now. Strabane and the surrounding area has so many talented musicians, it makes sense for us all to come together to make an album celebrating that eclectic mix. I released an album called, ‘Strabane’ back in 2019, featuring rap songs about my childhood growing up in the town and thought to myself, ‘Why not? I could make a great follow up.’”

With a healthy mix of different styles coming from Strabane musicians, Danny is hoping for a ‘fusion’ album featuring songs of different genres as well as a cross-pollination of sounds.

He continued, “I’m hoping we can have some acoustic tracks, rock tracks and, of course, rap tracks on the album but I’m also open to mixing the genres; for instance if someone wants me to come in on their track, offer up a verse or a chorus or I can lay down a few beats to their words, it would make for an interesting collaborative effort. I want to see how those different styles and genres collide to make interesting music.”

Danny says that a few different artists have already reached out to him so far but, as the idea is still in its gestation period, he is keeping the identities close to his chest. He did say however, that he hopes that fellow rapper Gerard I2 may come out of retirement for the album.

Danny has already begun writing some beats for the album and hopes to have a couple of tracks laid down by year’s end, with an eye to having a completed album by Summer 2025 and a potential launch around the same time.

He concluded, “It’s about getting as many people as possible on there to explore the musical potential we have, not just in Strabane, but in places like Ballymagorry, Omagh, Castlederg – to do something musically original. Anyone wanting to get in on the idea, please do reach me through my socials. Let’s make it happen!”