Tuesday 31 May 2011

June (Week 1) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

 Featured Club of the Week: Divine
Venue: The Art School, Glasgow
Date: Saturday 4th June

Amongst heavy protests, Divine calls time on its life at the GSA when the venue closes for refurbishment in June. This year the club celebrated their 20th anniversary and there are plans afoot to reawaken the club at a different venue in time, but for now, here is your last chance to groove to ska, northern soul, funk, motown and psychedelics in the unique Vic Bar. Oh, and did I mention that mash supremos Optimo are also running the upstairs floor?

Sounds like: Divine Mixes online shop

11pm-3am, £7 / £5

Edinburgh

Club: Substance
Venue: The Store
Date: Saturday 4th June

Substance launch their Ten Tracks compilation with the freshest acts representing Scottish techno, including Neil Landstrumm and Forward Strategy Group, with a special show this Saturday featuring live material from Subhead, Dave Paton, Stick 430, and resident Gavin Richardson.

Sounds like: New Ten Tracks compilation

10.30pm-3am, £8

Club: Big N Bashy
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Saturday 4th June

£1! A quid. A British dollar. Ok, maybe I’m stretching it there, but there are few clubs in Edinburgh touting this kind of door price.It’s the Big N Bashy sale with DJs Beast, Era, Deburgh and Decoy Roy spinning dubstep, jungle, grime and reggae, flowing through the Messenger Sound System.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £1

Extra: Catch Era and Deburgh every Thursday, 4-6 pm on Nasty FM playing grime and dubstep

Club: Dirty Pitch
Venue: Liquid Room
Date: Saturday 4th June

Dirty Pitch is the newest house and electro club to hit the revamped Liquid Room, launching with Jason Cortez, Dean Newton, Jordan Cochrane, One Dollar Dave and Theo Kottis.

10.30pm–3am, £8 / £6 Students


Edinburgh Round-up

Po Na Na have a new midweek electronica party on Thursday 2nd with Filthy Rich hosting Fraktured (10.30pm-3am, £2), or if you prefer a stronger mix of liquid dnb, garage and dub, head to the Bongo for Say it Loud with Nu-Guru, Fionn Gaze, Owen Rothwell and Mc Willi$ (11pm-3am, £3 / Free before midnight). On Friday 3rd, the Fort Knox Five from Washington take the Voodoo Rooms for a live electronics show (9pm-1am, £6 adv.), while Az-Tech and the Small Mammals Audio Club host the charity fundraiser, Aartvark Afterparty with breaks and techno from the likes of Compakt, JakN, and Homegrown at The Caves (11pm-3am, £5). DJ Simonotron has another Hot Mess at the Wee Red Bar, spinning disco, acid, house and nu-grooves (10.30pm-3am, £5 / £3), and the funky and soulful Four Corners hits the Bongo for another round of house, reggae, and electronica (11pm-3am, £5 / £3 before midnight).

For something a bit different, check out Mad Caravan at Studio 24, featuring Gypsy, Balkan, and Caribbean beats with live Balkan dancers (11pm-3am, £4), or relax with Tokyoblu’s fusion of house grooves at Cabaret Voltaire with John Hutchison and Niall & Denis McKervey (11pm-3am, £tbc). On Saturday 4th, return to the Cab for Ultragroove with Carina Ramos, Lel Palfrey and Gareth Sommerville for even more house goodness (11pm-3am, £8 / £6), or feed your bass urge with another free Volume! event at Sneaky Pete’s with the freshest cuts of funky, dubstep, and garage (11pm-3am).


Glasgow

Club: Walk'n'Skank
Venue: Club 520
Date: Thursday 2nd June

This month is the first that Mungo’s Hi Fi will be focussing all their Glasgow attention on one event – Walk’n’Skank – the new weekly reggae, dub, jahtari, dubstep, dancehall and ragga club for 520. With DJs on rotation, there’s a different experience every week.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £4 / £3


Club: Distortion
Venue: La Cheetah
Date: Friday 3rd June

Mark Broom joins Distortion for The Recession Sessions, touted as a techno and house party for tough times, and a banging party for 4/4 beats this weekend. Residents Doug and Andy support Broom.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £10

Club: David Barbarossa's Thing
Venue: Nice’n’Sleazy
Date: Friday 3rd June

Who runs a club called David Barbarossa’s Thing? David Barbarossa of course, striking out alone from his many Glasgow DJ slots and residencies to carve a new night at Sleazy’s, full of dance fusions.

Sounds like: Fun Size Volume 2 Showdown at La Cheetah by funsize

11pm-3am, £3

Club: No Sleep
Venue: Chambre 69
Date: Friday 3rd June

Ostgut Ton artist and Panorama bar resident Steffi released her debut LP of underground, deep and warm house earlier this year, and No Sleep are making sure you don’t retire to bed to miss her appearance on Scottish soil. Support comes from 2-step, garage and techno blender, Midland (Aus Music), deep dubstepper Youandewan (Disfigured Dubs), and residents Adam Watt and Why Eleven.

Sounds like:

10.30pm-3am, £10 / £8 advance

Club: Numbers
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Friday 3rd June

Blawan makes his appearance at the futuristic dance blender that is Numbers to show you how Yorkshire does acid-tinged house and dubstep. Support comes from Dirty Larry of Wrong Island and Numbers resident Nok La Rok.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £tbc


Glasgow Round-up

The weekend starts off with Co-Op, at the Sub Club (11pm-3am, £3 / £2) with rotating DJs from Glasgow clubs on Thursday 2nd and continues with Cryotec at the Classic Grand, taking a darker route through EBM, industrial and electronica (11pm-3am, £3 / students free). Jurassic jungle and dnb shudders the School of Art on the same evening, hosted by Djamba (10.30pm-3am, £4 / £3 before midnight), while Mixed Bizness are next door in the GSA Assembly Halls with S-Type, Sam and Shaun Vitamins for a wide range of beats, breaks, and bleeps (10.30pm-3am, £4 / £3 before midnight).

On Friday 3rd June, Croc Madame vs Croc Monsieur bid a special farewell party with eight live bands and a foam party, including Cut Hands, Ben Butler & Mousepad, Gummy Stumps and Iain Campbell, as they say goodbye to the Glasgow School of Art’s Vic Bar, the week before it is renovated (10pm-3am, free). Melting Pot present a ‘Best Of’ event, before their 3 month summer hiatus, with a special selection of disco and house by Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner on Saturday 4th (The Admiral, 11pm-3am, £8), and Slabs of the Tabernacle delve through italo, house, techno and more with a live set from jackin’ house guest Lone at La Cheetah (11pm-3am, £10 / £8 before midnight). Squelch take the Soundhaus with a Scottish techno exclusive from DJ Van D (11pm-3am, £tbc), and dependable Subculture secure your Saturday night with classic house at the Sub Club (11pm-3am, £10).

Dundee 

Club: Renegades
Venue: Kage
Date: Friday 3rd June

Renegades start the weekend for the Dundee taste-makers, featuring electro, trip-hop and funk with CB and Pictux. Your best choice outside the mass of drinks-voucher fuelled student nights.

11pm-3am, £4

Club: Slam
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 4th June

Slam make their way to T in the Park in July, but for any Dundonians who may miss the experience, they’re playing a special DJ set.

Sounds like:   The Monopods by soma

10pm-3am, £tbc


Aberdeen

Club: The Mothership
Venue: Snafu
Date: Saturday 4th June

Another techno and house special from the Mothership crew with guest Junior from Glasgow’s Sensu and Subculture clubs.

11pm-3am, £4 / £3 before midnight

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Vinyl and Digital Reviews: Echologist and Various Artists

The backdated reviews continue - splurge on the aural feasts provided by Steadfast Records and Poker Flat...

LPs  

Echologist - Subterranean (Steadfast Records)
… the scapeside of Brendon Moeller

3.5 out of 5

‘Subterranean’ is an album that throbs, moving through bass-scapes with a wob-wob of subs and whisper of white noise to capture the emotive underground sentiment. It’s a slow burner for set breakdowns and bedroom philosophising, punctured with dub swells and an amalgamation of minimal, techno, ambient, IDM and deep house. The overall imagery summoned is that of pouring a cold glass of fizz; with building foam and pressure broken by dissipating bubbles - all at once chaotic and restrained by the nature of it’s structure. ‘Junkyard’ is an interesting highlight, like hearing dark, heavy techno from an adjacent building, and teasing with surfacing peaktimes.

Release date: 25th April 2011


V/A - Forward To The Past (Poker Flat)
…Modern takes on 20th century Chi-town

3 out of 5

Taking its cue from 90’s Chi-town jackin’ and acid house sounds, ‘Forward To The Past’ is the new compilation masterminded by Steve Bug. Featuring 12 tracks from the likes of Martin Landsky (tech-house minimal funk with ‘V2U’), TJ Kong & Modular K (the Chicago acid ‘Jack Shit’), Redshape (leaning heavier on techno and acidic bleeps on ‘Funny Green Hat (Altered mix)’) and of course Steve Bug, opening with ‘Jack is Back’, pushing pounding tech-house and heavy electronica. It’s a great compilation for Chicago jack fans, but there is some thematic similarity with International Deejay Gigolos CD Ten which is a little hard to ignore.

Release date: 4th April 2011


Available to buy:
    

Vinyl and Digital Reviews: Dorian Concept, Jargon V.A, and Ricardo Villalobos

I'll soon be back on regular posting duties, but as I know you'll all be looking for hot new music - overcome by an urge for relentless beats and spine-tingling melodies - have a mull over the latest releases from April onwards in the upcoming posts. All reviews were submitted to Clash Magazine.

Singles

Dorian Concept - Her Tears Taste Like Pears (Ninja Tune)
…futuristic dancehall-electronica

Fans of Modeselektor’s ‘Hello Mom!’ and Warp electronica will find deep satisfaction with Dorian Concept. Futuristic dancehall infuses the backbone of these tracks, with splashes of funk and progressive that engage you in uplifting dalliances. ‘Toegames Made Her Giggle’ and the title track spark most listening delight.

Release date: 28th March 2011


Jargon V.A Ft Tinie Tempah - Disappoint You (Cheese On Bread)
…Charts and dancefloor destined

Borrowing the guitar and vocals of Kaiser Chief’s hit, ‘Love’s Not a Competition...’, Jargon V.A infuses with electro, grime and the lyrical flows of Tinie Tempah. It’s destined for the charts, while High Rankin’s remix with thunderous stabs of dubstep takes it to the dancefloor.

Release date: April 2011


Ricardo Villalobos, Los Updates and Anthony Collins - Joli Chat EP (Nice Cat Records)
… dissociative dance

Hook lovers will find themselves clinging to the murky vocal repetitions of this trippy and disassociative electronica like an adrift raft, a fitting theme for the slow, overwhelming and warped traversal of ‘I Throw Water Into the Lake’ and DJ tool-esque ‘I Miss You So Much’.

Release date: 3rd April 2011




Available to buy