Edinburgh and Glasgow Hogmanay Clubs 2009/10

A decision more difficult than writing your Xmas wishlist has ever been, the venue for your New Year celebrations takes time to mull over and get just right. Spend it at a houseparty; take in as many clubs as possible; choose your favourite and stick with it - picking your first born's name could be easier.

I'm not going to make it any easier by highlighting how much is on, starting with Edinburgh and Glasgow with more updated as the events are announced!

The Capital (Edinburgh to me and you)

Musika, The HMV Picture House, Thurs 31st December
10pm – 5am, advance tickets £29.50 / More thereafter
After Mylo plays out the City's Hogmanay he heads over to Musika for the official Edinburgh after party for an intimate 1500 people. Keep an ear out during his DJ set for hints of his second LP, released in 2010. Another Musika favourite, James Zabiela will compete for attention with either his breakbeat skills or by repeatedly flicking his mane of hair into other player's line of sight. Local talent comes from Dean Newton, Derek Martin, Alan Dobson, and Neil Bartley.
Top tip: If you purchase tix from St James Centre Customer Services Desk there is no additional booking fee charged.

Volume!, Sneaky Pete's, Thurs 31st December
10pm – 5am, advance tickets £5+bf / more thereafter
Volume!, For just about the only dubstep you're going to get in Edinburgh to bring in 2010 - like the Dude - Volume! abides. Twist in hip-hop, dnb, jungle and Baltimore with their new underground home in the heart of Edinburgh's bowels, and you'll joyfully shatter your kneecaps with the thundering sounds of Termite, Morphamish (Urge Mode), Kidill AKA Smooth Rider (Noizteez/Red Alert), Jonny Faith (Headroom-Australia), WolfJazz (StepBack) and Robtheft (Beta).

Departure Lounge, The Caves, Thursday 31st December
10pm – 5am, £24
Fancy squeezing dance music of the world into one room? From the Edinburgh Samba School to the dub monster of Big Toes Hi-Fi Soundsystem, the Haggis Horns to the Banana Sessions, and Astroboy, Jimenez and Mr Zimbabwe.... all continents get a look in at Departure Lounge, the meeting place of many nations. Afro, latin, european, house, we could be here for days just listing it!

Confusion is Sex, The Bongo Club, Thurs 31st December
11pm – 5am, £10 advance
Not for the faint-hearted, Confusion is Sex mixes burlesque, art, latex [no thanks, I'm allergic :( ], glitter and disco, house, pop, techno and much electronics! If you're there for the tits, they're unveiled 4-5am by Daiquiri Dusk, and at some point upstairs by the Freaky Brides.

Balkanarama, Studio 24, Thurs 31st December
10.30pm-5am, £tbc
Featuring Black Cat, DJ Grandma Staflash, Alejandro Toledo and Magic Tombolinos, Balkanarama brings you beats from the Balkan and gypsy punk coupled with belly dancing and Turkish food!


Glasgow

Death Disco, The Arches, Thurs 31st December
9pm - 5am, £28
The regulars and the club-curious have been baying for the full (and first ever) NY line-up of Death Disco, and here it is! Deep breath - Erol Alkan (playing the feted 12am slot), Aeroplane, Rex The Dog (Live), Mark Moore, Sammy Jo (Scissor Sisters Tour DJ), Den Haan (Live), Acid Girls, Burns, and the Fanklub Deejays, all set to a backdrop of New York City as the venue undergoes some serious decor change courtesy London-based artist collective Ebony and Ivory. The Statue of Liberty, Hudson River, the East Village, Coney Island... there's even speak of candy floss and fuck me do I love candy floss. Music for the evening follows the very traditional onslaught of disco, electro, italo, rock and anything that makes the spine tingle. Might want to adopt some tongue-in-cheek leg warmers to fit right in with the late 80s / early 90s theme!
Top tip: Reminder for ya's - a free DD tote bag and a XXXas ticket for £5 when you buy a ticket for their New Year show

Melting Pot, The Admiral, Thurs 31st December
10pm-4am, £20 / £18 advance
Melting Pot love them some Greg Wilson, so it's fitting he appears during his Credit to the Edit Vol. 2 tour (Tirk) to help them count down the seconds. Wilson's name is practically interchangeable with the Hacienda club and the electro boogie sound in the UK, and he continues to showcase the sound to this day. Also on hand is The Revenge (Jicomusic), the Dance! Dance! Dance! DJs, Jamie Thomson, and Melting Pot Residents Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner to tip in the afro, house, disco and more... it'll be a - and I hesitate to say it for the pun factor - Melting Pot of sound.
Top Tip: No booking fee when you book through Aspecto (0141 248 5349)

Optimo Espacio, The Old Fruit Market, Thurs 31st December
10pm-4am, £28
Only Optimo seem to have picked up on the last-year-in-the-first-decade-of-the-21st-century theme for Hogmanay, and have fittingly bequeathed their party the title, “Celebrating the End of the Decade”. And they’re doing it in style in the less traditional venue of The Fruitmarket, complete with access to a swanky balcony. Guests for the event include Hudson Mohawke, Glasgow’s very own Warp star; back from the front lines of gigging with Peaches and Hot Chip, it’s Drums of Death playing a home game in rave; and on the newly set up bar stage, the No Wave successes Divorce and The Niallist perform live for your pleasure. JD Twitch and JG Wilkes complete the line-up for an it’s-anyone’s-guess evening of dance music, slaloming its way through the genres.

Numbers & Ballers Social Club, Stereo, Thursday 31st December
11pm-late, £15 advance
The two clubs which personify Glaswegian urbanism are joining forces in a ‘that was the year that was’ showcase of their favourite 2009 artists across two floors. Guests include Dorian Concept (Affine / Kindred Spirits) playing live, Planet Mu’s Brackles (Apple Pips), Guido, the Numbers and LuckyMe DJs and visuals from Retina Glitch. Both Ballers and Numbers have got their hands on the keyboard genius that is Dorian Concept at earlier events, and needed to hear his Trilingual Dance Sexperience once more time; Brackles (a FWD>> regular) meanwhile is a darling of the dubstep / future garage sound and RnB head, Guido (Purple Trinity) of Peverelist’s Punch Drunk label. The Numbers and LuckyMe DJs will play the bar for a hyper hyper party party.
Top tip: Free stuff! They’re giving away free, unspecified (as yet) stuff on the night!

Spectrum, Blackfriars Basement, Thurs 31st December
10pm-3am, £12 / £10
Electro, electro, electro! Yes, they're playing electro at Spectrum with the residents for NY.

Tictactoeclub, Templeton Carpet Factory, Thurs 31st December
2pm-2am, £26
In perhaps the oddest venue yet, the Tictactoeclub takes over the Templeton Carpet Factory (apparently modelled on the Doge’s Palace in Venice) for a 12 hour party with Matthias Tanzmann(Circo Loco / Moon Harbour), Broken & Towie (No Dough),Harvey McKay (Soma), Andrew Doran (Tictactoe), Simon Stokes, Daniel Hedley (Hotbox), Bobby Wilson (EQd), and Terry Whyte (Optik). It should perhaps be noted at this point that they haven’t produced carpet at the factory for nigh on 50 years, but we’re sure it will be comfortable on the feet nonetheless!
Top tip: There’s an afterparty running till 4am – no much details here but it’s located at the Big Joint, Whiteinch, and the club have mentioned coaches to whisk you away after the bells!

Sub Club NYE, Thurs 31st December
10pm - 4am, £20 advance
To be honest he looked like a Jean Paul Gaultier sailor last time I saw him play at the Sub Club with Daniel Bell, and I really hope he looks like that again this time: Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts (live) will join Ralph Lawson and Harri & Domenic (for what I think is a Subculture NYE party, but details are scant at present). With the addition of residents Harri & Domenic then it’s exceedingly likely the latter subtext is true and top-notch house will be flying off the decks!

THIS POST IS DEFINITELY NOT COMPLETE, BUT WHY DENY YOU WHAT IS? KEEP READING FOR MORE CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS TOMORROW - I HAVE THE WORDS BUT NOT THE CAPACITY

Local artist love

In a bid to sate your need for tunes, assembled into a clever mix by the hands of a local artist, Lo-quality Music is pleased to bring you 'Some Smartass Pawns' by Production Unit of Marcia Blaine School for Girls fame. Click the links above for info and beats!

Tracklist:

1.  Flying Lotus - Bad Actors
2.  Koushik - None In Mind
3.  Mike Slott - Knock Knock
4.  Erykah Badu - Soldier (acapella)
5.  Quasimoto - Axe Puzzles (instrumental)
6.  J Dilla - Love Movin feat Black Thought
7.  Aloe Blacc - Find A Way
8.  Karriem Riggins - 12s in 8
9.  Harmonic 313 - Cyclotron
10. The Pharcyde - Passin Me By (acapella)
11. Dabrye - Evelyn
12. Fulgeance - Rubiscube
13. DJ Design - No Games (instrumental)
14. Slum Village - Players
15. Guido - Way You make Me Feel
16. Harmonic 313 - Wobbz
17. Ward 21 - Anti-spy
18. Steely & Clevie - Nightcrawler riddim
19. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Marcus Garvey
20. Production Unit - Dem Sirens
21. Brandy - What About Us? (instrumental)
22. Roots Manuva - Witness (acapella)

December 2009 Club Listings: Edinburgh

If you're a sucker for the masked look you'll love Devil Disco Club's Masked Dance Party on Friday 4th December with live music from Digital Jones. The Devil Disco Club DJs will also be attendance for the throw-down of cosmic, Italo, boogie, New York, and electro disco, with a dash of proto-house, soul and rap to get the feet hot-stepping.
Time tbc, £5 / £3 before midnight

Here's some tasters from October's Devil Disco Club:

PEAK TIME SET

http://mixcloud.com/hobbes
http://soundcloud.com/hobbes

WARM UP SET
http://mixcloud.com/erikdaviking

The very next evening the groove continues at Cabaret Voltaire with Honey Dijon at Ultragroove, alongside Gareth Sommerville, Nick Watson, Lel Palfrey, and Carina Ramos. Dijon last played Ultragroove in spring 2008 with a Chicago house (and further) set, and since then has been playing for the fashion crowd. Couldn't stay away from Edinburgh's underground for too long though, and she returns to show the boys how it's done. 11pm-3am £10/£8 b4 12am/£5 students. Ultragroove will return on Saturday the 19th for the Christmas Classics Party with Craig Smith, Gino and Gareth Sommerville, with hip-hop twists and soulful funk. 11pm-3am £8/£5 b4 12am/£5 students

And if you're like me, you'll love a free party - one with flushing toilets, a bar, and bigger speakers. Volume caters at Sneaky Pete's on Saturday 5th December after losing their home at Ego./ Luna earlier this year. The bi-monthly residency will rumble the Cowgate with dubstep, jungle, dnb, and bass, bass, and more bass. Special guest for the event is Victor Q (Axis / Nu-Fire).
11pm-3am, £0

Edinburgh is a bit front-loaded so far on the December side of things, but more will be posted as it is announced.

Free Tunes Part II

What's that? You want free music? Aye, alright, get stuck in!

From Glasgow's Cotton Cake club comes their remix of 'Bangkok' by Boris Dlugosch - check it out on Soundcloud where many more Cotton Cake tracks are located, or take a swift click here for another high res 320kbps version.

Next we up have tracks from across the French channel courtesy of 69db on Dub Technic, including 'Youpi' and 'Look To The Positive' and a free improvised 'mix'.

69db looking all moody

December 2009 Club Listings: Glasgow

First up in the month we have not so much a club event, as a club venue event - the SWG3 Fundraising Dinner 2009, on Thursday 3rd December. Not for the moth-pocketed however as the point is to give money! Starting with a champagne reception in the +44 141 Gallery to view an exhibition by fashion designer Pam Hogg, before a tour of the building, and then dinner and entertainment, including an auction and live music. The deal is you pay £200 for a seat, and £2000 for a table of ten, with tables hosted by Colin Barr, Martin Boyce, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Copper Barr, Pam Hogg, Jim Lambie, Scott Myles, Optimo, Lauren Tempany, Hayley Tompkins and Deryck Walker. So it's basically a fight to sit next to Optimo and drool. Given that SWG3 is home to over 120 artists and works as a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts space, fundraisers like these are important, especially for the development of creative spaces for music and live arts. If you haven't winced at the price tag then put some thought into supporting local venues! Get in touch (work@swg3.tv) quickly as seats need to be reserved by 27th November.

The next evening, head on over to The Arches for Supernova featuring Popof, James Harcourt and Hell Boys for rubbery electronics, throbbing techno and no-fucking-about house. 10.30pm – 3am, £12 advance

Speaking of Optimo, JD Twitch joins Andrew Divine for Divine!'s 19th Birthday Party on Saturday 5th December at the Victoria Cafe, Glasgow School of Art. Soul, funk and psych your way through 19 years of memories (if you're the hardcore attendee) or check it out for the first time! Twitch will celebrate with a 60s and 70s psychedelic set, which can also be caught here. Extras: Free mix CDs with rare Divine! 'vinyl excavations' available on the night. 11pm-3am, £5 / £6

Ballers Social pwns Friday 11th December at Stereo when Seiji (Sonar Kollectiv) and Shortstuff (Blunted Robots / Planet Mu) tear up the basement with beat delights. Seiji has provided a solid platter of beats for many DJs with 2007's 'DJ Tools', including Glasgow's own Benji B, Hudson Mohawke and Mweslee and Shortstuff's twisted dubstep and garage blend can soon be heard on a new Fabric complication, but catch it in person first! 11pm-3am, £5 before 12am / £7 thereafter


UPDATE: Given that the Arches will be taking a quiet break while part of Glasgow is ripped up in 2010, they're certainly cramming in the line-ups to please fans. Starting with Death Disco on Saturday 12th September, GRUM, Brodinski, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Filthy Dukes DJ set, We Have Band (live) and more tbc will tout a mixture of filthy electro, disco and rock to add dirt and sparkle to your night. As an added bonus there are DD canvas tote bags for the first 200 through the door, so you can do your environmental shopping in true clubbing style. Also handy for carrying ruined clothes or your brain after a hard night's dancing.
10pm-3am, £14 / £7 with half price pass or £5 with a Death Disco New Year ticket

The following Friday 18th, White Label does exactly what is says, showcasing the best up and coming DJs from the Glasgow area; Hologram Hookers (live), Tw-onko and Pasty, Rebecca Vasmant, Kill the Kid, and Michael Watters take to the stage for your critique, support and enjoyment. Minimal, techno, electro, house and more.
11pm - 3am, £8 or £6 (b4 11.30pm) on the door / £5 advance

Colours rake out the club groovers for their Winter Party on Saturday 26th with Armin Van Buuren, Gareth Emery, Dave Seaman, Paolo Mojo and Hacienda Classics with Graeme Park, Jon Mancini and Boney. Time tbc, £31 + BF

Mamasan is keeping the dancin' regular as oat bran suppositories with 4 upcoming nights this month to suit many tastes. First on the 11th, it's a Glasgow label showcase by Seinan Music, with four hours of house, hip-hop, techno and electronica. Seinan is formed by Sei A and Gary Logan. Next up is Dance Dance Dance on the 18th with funk, boogie and house, then Diskodanser on the 19th with cosmic sounds, italo, funk, and sleaze to whet your appetite. Finally Glasgow house label Tronicsole host their own event with resident Hiro. 11pm-3am, £prices vary

Off The Record host their last night at The Soundhaus on Saturday 5th, and did I mention it's their 7th birthday? To celebrate Sei A (live), Andro, Animal Farm residents, Simon Stokes, and Mr Copy are visually backed by VJ Scotchtape, bring a mix of sounds from labels such as Soma, Darkroom Dubs, Turbo, and Missive. 11pm-3.30am, £8/£7 members

Hawnay Troof (Chicks on Speed) spins with Streets of Rage and The Niallist (he is a busy boy) on Sunday 6th for a rather early Xmas party with Cry Parrot, the 'diy collective for colourful gigs'. Head on down to the Black Sparrow basement for electronica, dance-punk, and just plain, titillating noise, and before you do, click here for two Cry Parrot compilation albums featuring local artists to download and listen on yer way. 8pm-late, £4

Huntleys and Palmers Audio Club celebrate their 2nd birthday (six days shy of a Christ-like birth) with Four Tet '& friends' on the 19th. This is the last H&P for a while as they jet off to fix sea turtles, or some other thing - they didn't specify - but before that they wish to welcome you with open arms, free Sambuca, (maybe) some H&P biscuits, and previous party posters for the fanboys amongst you. 11pm-4am, £11.50 incl. BF

Never under Pressure, the Arches stalwart returns on Saturday 19th with Gaiser (live), Lee Van Dowski, Optimo, Dusty Kid, Vince Watso, and Harvey McKay. There will absolutely be no fucking country line-dancing - this is all balls out house and techno; some shades of minimal, funky electronics, deep and glitchy. 10pm-4am, £ 13 advance.

Stay tuned for more listings, and the Hogmanay round-up.

NB: This post will be continually updated

Hell is huffin'

... poppers, I thought at first. I was revving up for a slating; donning some shades, lighting a fag, cracking knuckles and readying myself to set aboot it - and then it goes and starts toying with my secret liking for the dark side of the 80s (and aye, I have that compilation album, I bought that album).

DJ Hell feat. Bryan Ferry should be a combination you only see in nightmares, and lo and behold when Ferry's creepy uncle lounge singing and Hell's furious masturbation of the synth snake recreate the vision of enfant terrible...

Except, it doesn't go that way - Ferry's voice builds in grandeur and lament, Hell flips open the cage door to his electro behemoth, and the beats steadily tick off the cheese factor. From the heart-tugging melancholics to tonal chord steps for the kind of graduating descent we all love to hum to, 'U Can Dance' is an unashamed invitation to squiggle around in lace and leather. I won't hate you if you love this....


and I'll probably just continue jigging behind closed doors.



Released 28 January 2010 on International Deejay Gigolo Records with remixes from Carl Craig, Tim Goldsworthy, and Simian Mobile Disco.

Free Tunes!

... Courtesy of Ninja Tune, Scuba, and new signing Emika.

Blending Kate-Bush-lovin', Portishead-thinkin', and La Roux-dabbling, dark, staggered pop, her first EP features one original track ('Drop the Other') and three remixes by Scuba and GeRM.

And I largely have an uncontrollable urge to give away someone else's free dubstep.

So, in the run-up to the Emika's 'Drop the Other' EP out on Jan 18th 2010, Scuba's 'Vulpine Remix' is available free to download at the link below. It's a swap-your-email-address-for-the-track deal, so fair's fair and no sweat on legality or agressive ISPs.

Clicky clicky

Arches closing for 2 months

In case you hadn't heard, or weren't sure why there was a noticeable lack of listings for Glasgow's infamous Arches venues aka the tunnels of sound (and super-tight security) will be shutting its doors for Jan and Feb 2010 while two platforms are added to the Central railway station.

Pressure and Inside Out will move to the O2 Academy, while Colours and Death Disco will take the two month break and return in March 2010.

Downer for the clubs, but better for Ayrshire and Inverclyde fans who will be able to take better advantage of transportation to Glasgow city.

The Arches

Jammer... it up your arse

Thanks to the honourable Production Unit for his cough in this direction. Brought to you with production by Toddla T and overwrought vocals from Jammer, this shits directly onto your face on January 11th 2010, so be sure to contract some sort of viral ear infection which may help deflect this offense to the grime scene.


"Give back the video monkey to Modeselektor!"

Or maybe I don't understand grime, but Big Dada don't always make bad decisions like this. From the annoying, loutish chant of 'I'm a party animal' to the bland laydee oohs, it sounds like it tried to make the beast with two backs while Toddla T was wiped out on GBL.

Quite frankly I'd rather truck it down to Maccy D's and have the Blackout Crew play me their selections of donks.

Intro in the ductions

The declining economy has served a steely boot to much of the freelancer community, and this logically impacts upon the range, quality and depth of content across print and online publications. So, fed up of staring at my wall in impotent rage and telling the cat about all the music and clubbing (especially in the Scottish quarters) that is being lost to the email trash can with no suitable outlet, I'm making my own blog / dumping ground for thoughts, ponderings, listings and tips.

Stay tuned for more on dance music, self-indulgent musings, and essential Scottish club listings (though I may raise a glance to further afield whenever I have time / it isn't mind-numbing shite).