We chatted with Cork musician and artist bÚkl about the challenges of making music and getting it heard in 2025, as well as the joys of being based in the People’s Republic Cork. See more about them here bukl.bandcamp.com
Who are we talking to, is it a logical journey to what you do now?
bÚkl is my artist name. Pronounced like ‘buachaill’. I love Irish but we’ve always been in a bit of a twilight zone with it, and that’s ok. I grew up in Myrtleville, Cork, by the sea. Music was always exciting to me ever since my Dad played me ‘Live and Let Die’ by wings on our turntable when I was around 5.
I think it is a logical journey, even if I went about it arseways. I’ve been playing guitar, singing and writing songs and poetry since my early teens, and I have a degree in Music. In college I learned how to produce music with a DAW and MIDI. But I struggled for a few years mentally after leaving college. I stopped playing music and was afraid to leave my house. So music was shelved for a while, but thankfully I was able to revive myself and get back into it. Working in a record store with a very supportive boss was a huge help. I never stopped listening though. At the same time, mental health issues like anxiety and depression don’t mix well with social media, so that part is tricky if I want to try to promote my stuff.
bÚkl – Eclipsed (Official Music Video)
bÚkl coming through from Cork
What music did you love as a kid?
It varies quite a bit. I liked the boy and girl bands in the late 90s, Boy zone and Spice Girls, when I was about 5-8, also the charting dance stuff like ATB and Dario G a bit after that. Then my parents got Sky and I discovered Kerrang TV at about 12. I was mesmerized by rock and metal, it was the best thing I had ever heard. I think the first song I loved on Kerrang was ‘Links 1234’ by Rammstein. The video with the ants vs the termites is still vivid in my head. Then I bought my first CD with my own money from Ray in MusicZone in 2001 after he opened that year in Carrigaline. I wasn’t allowed to get Limp Bizkit because of all the language so I got The Offspring, ‘Conspiracy of One’s instead, which has less language!
What are you working on musically now?
At the moment, I’m rehearsing with my friend and colleague, Young Adam, to put the bÚkl music together in a live setting. We work with backing tracks and a loop pedal. Two guitars. I haven’t played live in nearly 10 years so my confidence isn’t great, but we’re enjoying our jam sessions, so fingers crossed. I’m also going through my old recording devices and transferring riffs and song ideas to my laptop so I can flesh them out and record them in future.
Do you feel it is easier or harder to create music now?
I suppose it’s easier for people to create music now because of how technology has progressed and that we have so many devices with recording capabilities. But I think if you have the passion you’ll always find a way.
I remember saving up for a camcorder when I was around 10 so I could make home movies. When I was about 14 I used a karaoke machine that we had to record songs simply at home on cassette. I got a Zoom H4 recorder in college. And in recent years I’ve used the DAW Reaper which is very reasonably priced compared to other options.
And how about to create awareness and a buzz about what you have made?
I have mixed feelings on this because there is more indie music out there now than ever and nearly everyone is on social media, where you can reach a lot of people. But it can be difficult to break through the fog. Also I find social media tough mentally, you never know what odd responses you’ll receive from people, or if you’ll receive any response at all! A lot of the time people are kind but the rare digs can stick in your head. But I think if you work at building a good following on your platform of choice it can be rewarding in the long run.
What are the pros and cons of being based in Cork for a musician?
There are plenty of music heads here who appreciate local musicians but the venue situation can be hit or miss.
It’s a class place to live though and inspiration can come from the landscape and characters you meet.
What else would you like to talk about?
I suppose I hope people get enjoyment from my music. I feel strongly about the album, so I hope people who listen also get a good feeling from it. I try to write music that I like to listen to. It’s the culmination of over a decade of mental health struggles, it’s about overcoming that and coming out the other side. A lot of the songs on the album are about those battles and low moments in life. The main thing is to keep going and the passions will resurface again, maybe in not the ideal way, but they will resurface.
On a side note, I suppose I should detail my recording set up. I used a fairly fast desktop computer, and as I mentioned, Reaper. I have a Behringer 4 input audio interface, and into that I would use an AKG C214 condenser mic for vocals and a Shure SM57 for micing up my Marshall DSL tube amp. I’d usually double track the guitar parts using a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Player Lead 2. I tried to record live drums but my playing is a bit ropey and the sound I got in my garden cabin wasn’t the best, so most of the drums on the album are programmed with a drum virtual instrument plugin. I plug my bass direct into the audio interface and use a bit of chorus effect on it. On another side note, the bones of track 8, Feckin Unreal, were written on Cape Clear Island back when I was about 17 which is a lovely spot to visit!
Talk to us about this, what platforms are you using to do this? What are the pros and cons of some of these? I’m thinking about Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube, Tiktok, and / or others?
I suppose my platform of choice would be YouTube. I enjoy uploading videos there, have been doing it since my late teens. I really like filming and editing in the same way as producing music. It’s the promotion side of things that I’m not really a fan of. It can be a bit soul destroying when the video doesn’t get much reaction. Sometimes if you’re lucky with the right thumbnail image and video title, the algorithm can pick the video up and get you more views than normal though.
Obviously, video quality helps but there’s more to it than that, social media is important, as much as I dislike it.
I use an email mailing list to send people the videos I’ve made, as well as including videos sometimes in my workplace newsletter which is music oriented anyway. I also don’t mind Instagram as it’s a visual platform, but it can be tricky figuring out the best way to promote links to YouTube, because you can only post links on your Story which disappears after a day. I don’t have a TikTok for bÚkl but I am thinking of starting one.
Spotify unfortunately is a necessary evil. Artists make feck all from it, especially if you don’t have a big following, but it is probably necessary to allow people out there to discover your music. To anyone reading, please buy music from an indie artist you like on Spotify. If you enjoy two or three tracks, you should go and buy a cd, vinyl or pay for a download from them on Bandcamp or in a shop.
The splatter coloured vinyl and CD will be available to purchase from musiczone.ie, bukl.bandcamp.com and Bunker Vinyl in Cork City from March 7th.
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