IRELAND'S BURGEONING rap and hip-hop scene comes under the microscope this week in Celtic Grooves, a 50-minute documentary which is being screened by Network2 at 9pm on March 31st.

In keeping with the genre's fiercely independent nature, the programme has been made on a shoestring budget by Key Feature Productions, a wholly Irish-owned company which was set up in 1992 by Dublin Institute of Technology graduate Michael Clyne.

"I'd spent a couple of years beforehand working and studying in the States," he explains, "which had shown me that you don't need huge amounts of money to come up with quality programming. Celtic Grooves cost 4,000 pounds to make which by normal standards is petty cash but in no way did this mean compromising the quality. In fact, having a limited budget probably helped us because we didn't have the luxury of being able to paper over cracks in the content with special effects - every second had to justify itself."

Focusing on the way in which the dance scene here has drawn on traditional Irish music, the documentary features contributions from such a diverse range of artists as Davy Spillane, Donal Lunny, Sinéad O'Connor, Philip King, Luka Bloom, Scary Eire, Bumble, Marxman, Christy Moore and Moving Hearts.

"I went over in 1986 to study at Film School in America," Clyne continues, "and that's when I first got into groups like NWA and Public Enemy who've had an enormous impact on not just black but white culture in the States. Returning here in 1992 after a spell with a post-production company that made TV commercials, I was fascinated by the way in which rap and hip-hop had been imported and given an Irish slant. A large part of the documentary is spent examining that sort of musical cross-pollination."

With RTE originally giving the concept the 'thumbs down', Key Feature took the unusual step of making Celtic Grooves without a commission.

"We sent a pilot show to Claire Duignan, RTE's Head of Independent Productions, and she completely disregarded it. So, feeling that the moment would pass if we waited too long, we decided to press on with our own resources and eventually we bullied Adrian Moyans, the Head of Scheduling, into taking another look at it and he said 'yes'.

"Dreamchaser and Hummingbird have shown that Irish production companies can compete at the very highest international level," Clyne concludes, "and while we're not quite in the same league yet, I feel we're on our way."

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not written by me, I got this a couple of years ago from... i think it was hotpress online - can't be sure though - anyhow - its (c) whoever.