The Galway based music producer recording the sound of the streets

Pete Duffy of the Dreams Loft Recording Studio has launched a new project capturing the voices and music of Ireland’s street buskers.

Through ‘Songs from the Streets,' Pete is travelling to towns and cities across Ireland over the next three months, offering street performers the opportunity to have their music professionally recorded for free.

“I am going to be all over the place to raise awareness of the amazingly talented buskers that we have out there,” he said.

“They don’t get the leg-up they need.

"Many can’t afford studio sessions, and this will give them an opportunity to do that.”

The project celebrates Ireland’s extraordinary street music culture and provides emerging artists with access to professional-quality material that may otherwise be out of reach.

For Pete, the idea has been brewing for some time.

It brings together his passion for music with the unpredictability of taking his recording studio equipment outside.

“I have always thought about doing it and it gets me out of the studio,” he said.

“I was inspired to do something that bit different.

"I like the challenge, and recording outside presents a lot of that.”

Galway holds a particular fascination for him, as musicians from around the world arrive to perform on the city streets.

He believes that documenting the person behind the performance is as important as capturing the song.

“It’s interesting to hear their story and what brought them to perform here,” he said.

“People come from all over the world to show what they are doing creatively.”

He has encountered many of the city's street performers again at open mic nights in the Róisín Dubh, where he regularly performs.

“It’s interesting to learn who these people are and what their story is,” he said.

Galway is just one part of a project that will take Pete around the country over the next three months.

Dublin was the first stop, followed by Nenagh, but there is deliberately no fixed route.

“Watch out for us in your neighbouring town,” he said. “We could be going anywhere.”

Each performance is professionally mixed and produced afterwards at The Dreams Loft, and the finished recording is given to the selected busker free of charge.

For Pete, the project is about more than providing musicians with a recording - it is about capturing their creativity and preserving busking culture.

“I am very passionate about this project,” he said.

“These musicians bring life, soul and authenticity to our streets every day.

"This project is about recognising that talent, supporting it, and giving something meaningful back.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.