Capital of Northern Ireland and second largest city on the Irish island, Belfast has for centuries been the focal point of the conflict between native Irish catholics and protestant colonists stemming from Scotland and England - a conflict that had reached the dimensions of a guerrilla war for much of the recent decades. For the past 10 years the situation has deescalated somewhat, allowing a notable electronic music scene to develop, based around well known techno clubs like Shine or The Stiff Kitten.