Niteworks (also known by the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

''Obair Oidhche'') is an

Electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

Celtic fusion Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" music ...

band from the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

. The band are known for writing new songs in Gaelic and melding the

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

and Gaelic songs such as puirt a beul with

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

beats.

History

Niteworks came together in early 2008. Shortly after forming, the band won several awards including the

Rapal ''Rapal'' is a BBC Alba music television programme and radio show on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal recorded at BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay HQ. ''Rapal'' broadcast its first programme on the radio on 28 May 2001, presented by Niall Iain McDonald. It ...

song contest with "Nam Aonar san Fonn". Niteworks' name comes from a sample of an old Gaelic speaker referring to "Obair Oidhche" or Night Work. Niteworks have covered

Runrig Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...

's "Chi mi 'n Geamhradh", and actively write songs in both Gaelic and English. The band had toured across the Scottish music festival circuit, playing at Rockness,

Knockengorroch Knockengorroch is a world music music festival, festival held annually among the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills, Carsphairn hills in Kirkcudbrightshire Scotland. Originally there were two festivals held each year - the World Ceilidh, usually held aro ...

as well as frequent returns to

Tartan Heart Festival The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is a music and arts festival, held on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity near Inverness, in Scotland. It is normally held at the start of August. Founded in 2004, the festival has rapidly grown in popularit ...

. They've headlined

Hebridean Celtic Festival The Hebridean Celtic Festival (Scottish Gaelic: Fèis Cheilteach Innse Gall) or HebCelt is an international Scottish music festival, which takes place annually in Stornoway on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Headliners to date inclu ...

's Islands Stage in 2011 (described as the "band of the night".), 2012 & 2015 and sold out Glasgow's Oran Mor, in 2012 & 2015, as part of the city's popular

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...

Festival. They also DJ frequently, independently of their live act. Their debut release Niteworks : Obair Oidhche was released on 15 October 2011. This release has been acclaimed and is attracting a larger fanbase to the group. A regular sight at their gigs is the "One Man Island Raver". Niteworks launched their long-awaited debut album, NW, in October 2015 with a sold-out gig at Glasgow's SWG3 Warehouse. The album draws further on the band's Skye roots and Gaelic upbringing and is already drawing comparisons to the legendary

Martyn Bennett Martyn Bennett (17 February 1971 – 30 January 2005) was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and pro ...

. The band capped off 2015 by opening the show at the Scottish Trad Music Awards at

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

Caird Hall Caird Hall is a concert auditorium located in Dundee, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building. History The site currently occupied by the building was occupied by a series of closes and tenements. The foundation stone for the building was ...

. In August 2018, Niteworks released their second album ''Air Fàir an Là'' which was co-produced with

Alex Smoke Alex Smoke is a Scottish music producer and DJ, from Glasgow but based in London, making techno, electronic and classical music. He has released three studio albums, ''Incommunicado'' (2005) and ''Paradolia'' (2006) on Soma Records, and ''Lu ...

and included collaborations with other traditional musicians including

SIAN Sian or Siyan may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Siân, a Welsh girl's name; list of people with this name Places *Sian, Iran (disambiguation), various places in Iran *Sian, Russia, a rural locality in Amur Oblast, Russia *Xi'an, China, formerly roman ...

Iain Morrison Iain Morrison (born 6 May 1983), also known by the nickname of " Drago", is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer who last played for Featherstone Rovers after signing in October 2009. He signed for Hull Kingston Rovers from ...

, Ellen MacDonald (of Sian and

Dàimh Dàimh (pronounced "dive") is a folk band which performs in Scottish Gaelic. Its members are Angus MacKenzie (musician), Angus MacKenzie (whistle/Great Highland bagpipe, bagpipes), Gabe McVarish (Violin, fiddle), Ellen MacDonald (voice/Great High ...

Julie Fowlis Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1978) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic. Early life Fowlis grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gaelic-speaking community. Her mothe ...

and

Kinnaris Quintet Kinnaris Quintet is a Scottish folk band, founded in 2017, whose music is influenced by Scottish and Irish traditional music, bluegrass and classical. The group takes its name from the south-east Asian mythological creature, the Kinnaris, r ...

. In January 2022, Niteworks released their third album ''A'Ghrian'' which was shortlisted for the

Scottish Album of the Year Award The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by thScottish Music Industry Association(SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland Cre ...

Band members

Names also given in Scottish Gaelic: *Innes Strachan, ''Aonghas Strachan'' (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

/keyboards) *Allan MacDonald, ''Ailean Domhnallach'' (guitar/bagpipes/

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

) *Christopher Nicolson, ''Crisdean MacNeacail'' (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

) *Ruairidh Graham, ''Ruairidh Greumach'' (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

)

Discography

Albums

*''NW'' (2015) *''Air Fàir an Là'' (2018) *''A' Ghrian'' (2022)

EPs

*''Niteworks : Obair Oidhche'' (2011)

References

External links

Niteworks WebsiteNiteworks at the Hebridean Celtic Festival
{{Authority control Scottish folk musicians Celtic fusion musicians Celtic music groups People from the Isle of Skye Remixers Scottish Gaelic music