Ach I’m not keeping up a good track record on this clubbing
posting – I spent the weekend dancing at the fantastic Prologue night at Colony
in London instead. If I ain’t writing it about it, I’m already there.
Karnival return to the Edinburgh club scene at their new
venue, the Third Door, now the home to many Cab Vol refugees. Their new venue
launch party on Saturday 30 June for a circus of techno and house featuring Mike
Pinkerton, Stu Todd, and The Oxygen Junkies (10.30pm-3am, Free entry all night). Numbersmake their monthly nomadic travel to Sneaky Pete’s on Friday 29 June,
cutting techno with bouncing bass and dubstep, and this time featuring a
surprise mystery guest (11pm-3am £5 / members free).
In Glasgow, the schedule is a bit more packed, starting with
the higher consciousness himself, Josh Wink performing at Pressure (Sub Club,
10.30pm-3am, £13.50) to celebrate 25 years of the venue - a classic evening
lined up for you this Friday 29 June.
Extra heavy techno reigns supreme at the Stairway Club when Darkside
with debuts from Megashira and Bartoch, with Neophyte bringing the hardcore (9pm-3am,
£15) – gabber till you pass out on 30 June. Hacienda30 takes over the Arches on
the same evening, celebrating 30 years of the club featuring Todd Terry, Allister Whitehead,
808 State DJs and K-Klass, with Scots dance troopers Jon Mancini, Iain Clark,
Yogi Haughton, Craig Smith, Murray Richardson and Colin Barr (7pm-10pm
pre-party in Arches foyer, then club till 3am, £15). The night leans towards
house, but be sure that there will be some classic techno gems nestled
throughout the sets.
At Dundee, Book Club regulars can get their dance fix on
Friday 29 June with an even spread of genres – not too techno heavy, but great
if you suffer from 4/4 ADHD (Reading Rooms 10.30pm-2.30am, £tbc).
Aberdeen welcomes Alex Celler to bring his Freak N Chic
style to the Snafu crowds on 30 June, grooving you through a tech-house journey
rolling on deep waves (11pm-3am, £6 advance).
Jackhammer can’t resist hosting a club night it seems as
they’re back again with Detroit deck demon Kevin Saunderson on Friday 15 June in Edinburgh,
barely pausing for breath between stellar guests this month (The Annexe @
Liquid Room, 10.30pm-3am, £3 or £10 depending on who you ask!). Substance host
their free Summer Rave on the same evening with special guest Jerome Hill (Bongo
Club, 11pm-3am, Free / £7 after 11.30pm) for what Edinburgh people like to
refer to as their ‘wonk techno’ fix. The techno rivalry for your attentions
continues over at Studio 24, again on Friday with Animal Hospital, formerly of
Sneaky Pete’s (11pm-3am, Free / £4 after 11.30pm).
Glasgow’s Pi-Eyed Free Party annual rave guarantees you a
little bit of everything dance-wise, and for the great price of £0 you can
afford to dip your toe in the waters, with Dave Skywalker, Wombcorps and Dave
Shades captaining your night (La Cheetah, Friday 15 June, 11pm-3am). To
continue the Glasgow free vibe, head to the Courtyard on Sat 16 for Maneuver’s
free all-day second birthday party with Rebecca Vasmant, Terry Whyte, Anima
Farm, Unique, Lindsay & Kendal and more (1pm-11pm). Audio Assault’s label
boss Radial guests at Code on Saturday delivering robust techno delights for
your discerning palette (La Cheetah, 11pm-3am, £8 / £5 adv).
All quiet on the techno front in Aberdeen and Dundee this
week...
Glasgow’s Pi-Eyed
Free Party annual rave guarantees you a little bit of everything dance-wise,
and for the great price of £0 you can afford to dip your toe in the waters,
with Dave Skywalker, Wombcorps and Dave Shades captaining your night (La
Cheetah, Friday 15 June, 11pm-3am). To continue the Glasgow free vibe, head to
the Courtyard on Sat 16 for Maneuver’s free all-day second birthday party with
Rebecca Vasmant, Terry Whyte, Anima Farm, Unique, Lindsay & Kendal and more
(1pm-11pm). Audio Assault’s label boss Radial guests at Code on Saturday delivering
robust techno delights for your discerning palette (La Cheetah, 11pm-3am, £8 /
£5 adv).
All quiet on the
techno front in Aberdeen and Dundee this week…
Glasgow’s Pi-Eyed
Free Party annual rave guarantees you a little bit of everything dance-wise,
and for the great price of £0 you can afford to dip your toe in the waters,
with Dave Skywalker, Wombcorps and Dave Shades captaining your night (La
Cheetah, Friday 15 June, 11pm-3am). To continue the Glasgow free vibe, head to
the Courtyard on Sat 16 for Maneuver’s free all-day second birthday party with
Rebecca Vasmant, Terry Whyte, Anima Farm, Unique, Lindsay & Kendal and more
(1pm-11pm). Audio Assault’s label boss Radial guests at Code on Saturday delivering
robust techno delights for your discerning palette (La Cheetah, 11pm-3am, £8 /
£5 adv).
All quiet on the
techno front in Aberdeen and Dundee this week…
At Aberdeen’s Snafu the weekend starts
early with a Thursday 7 June performance from Claude Vonstroke, undoubtedly
Snafu’s favourite DJ, US-flavour drenched house and techno beats, or so a
little dirty bird told me (11pm-3am, £8 adv / £7 early bird).
At Aberdeen’s Snafu the weekend starts
early with a Thursday 7 June performance from Claude Vonstroke, undoubtedly
Snafu’s favourite DJ, US-flavour drenched house and techno beats, or so a
little dirty bird told me (11pm-3am, £8 adv / £7 early bird).
How was everyone’s clubbing experience last weekend? No time to breathe as another weekend rolls in and the Jubilee-infested holiday rolls on out… correlating figures tell me that pageantry and massive techno nights must go hand in hand, so unless someone puts on a parade this weekend it’s a lighter selection of treats for Scotland.
Edinburgh is all worn-out after that massive line-up across the venues for the start of the month, all filled up on Landstrumm, Traversable Wormholes and Silent Servant. Take this weekend to a) recuperate b) visit another city for techno or c) broaden your music taste and slide some breaks, electro, and dubstep into your Sunday night with Coalition at Sneaky Pete’s (10 June, 11pm-3am, £free).
If you chose option b), invest some interest in Glasgow who never take a techno-breather. La Cheetah welcomes Tribute for a free entry dive through techno, house and electro (Friday 8 June, 11pm-3am) as an aperitif to the mighty Jeff Mills at Sub Club’s Subculture on Saturday 9 June with support from Telford (11pm-3am, £10). If you like a younger and deeper vintage, check out Eric Cloutier and John Osborn at Wax Works (Chambre69, 11pm-3am, free before midnight / £5 after) – some serious competition for your ears in the Weeg over the coming days.
At Aberdeen’s Snafu the weekend starts early with a Thursday 7 June performance from Claude Vonstroke, undoubtedly Snafu’s favourite DJ, US-flavour drenched house and techno beats, or so a little dirty bird told me (11pm-3am, £8 adv / £7 early bird).
It’s the first club listings of the year! Granted, I’ve started 6 months
into the year, but I was very tired.
Traversable Wormhole touches
down in Edinburgh for his Scottish
exclusive at Unseen (Studio 24,
11pm-3am, £8) on 1 June for some industrial darkness at the second and
widely-talked about Unseen event, with support from Neil Templar. Over at
Henry’s Cellar Bar on the same evening,
ETC explore electronica with a chopped buffet of jungle, techno, dubstep,
house, metal for their Grindhouse theme (11pm-3am, £5) with the Edinburgh Tekno
Cartel and special guest Jeff23.
Unseen goes head to head in scheduling with Jackhammer so punters might feel torn between these two – if the
bass-laden techno of Edinburgh legend Neil
Landstrumm supported by Hans
Bouffmyhre is more your style, head to the Caves (10.30pm-3am, £7). But
what’s this? Another Jackhammer, the very next evening? Hold on to your hats,
because I can’t think of a much better option than starting with Unseen and
then continuing on Saturday 2 June with the fabulous Silent Servant and his metallic-tinged techno at The Third Door
(10.30pm-3am, £10).
Saturday continues with acid house and techno from Musika, and their special guest, Hot Creations’ Denney (Liquid Rooms, 2 June,
10.30pm-3am, free before 11.15pm, £6-10 after). The gig is Musika’s warm-up
event before taking to the stage at Exit Fest in Serbia (and much more
reasonably priced for those of us trapped on this godforsaken isle unable to
make the jet-set Euro-trip). Speaking of Hot Creations, label boss, Richy Ahmed spins at Sneaky Pete’s just
down the road on the same evening with tech-house flavours with We Own (11pm-3am, £5), and a quick
visit back to Third Door for Do it Again
on 3 June with techno, house and electro for this Sunday social with Kenny
McAlpine and Steven Wanless (11pm-3am, £5).
There’s even more competition for your attention over in Glasgow at Chambre 69 with Zeroten and Palace presents: 50 Weapons label showcase with live
performances from Shed, Addison Groove
and Phon.O (Friday, 1 June, 11pm-3am, £12) with more edgy techno than you
can shake a stick at. Still contemplating the new Shed release; I’m undecided
about the level of white noise that pervades the album but I’m eager to hear
about his live shows, so comments please! Over in Paisley on the same night, Blink returns to Club69 with special
guest Andy Martin on his first stop
of his Creepy Finger Records showcase European tour – tech-house grooves
(11pm-3am, £6). If that’s not quite your pace, ramp things up at La Cheetah
with Banjax with crazy guest Shitmat guaranteed to explore the
extremes of what humans can sonically manage; rave, jungle, gabba and total
mash-up with support from Dave Shades (11pm-3am, £10 / £8 before midnight).
Keep to La Cheetah on 2 June to check out new night Synesthetic, with first guest Mobilee’s Dan Curtin for minimal tech beats and Detroit stylings (11pm-3am,
£8). Supported by Scott Rowan and Stuart Reedie.
At Aberdeen's Motown Rooftop at the Beach Esplanade, Minival is celebrating the festival's fourth birthday - injecting frivolity amongst the beats with Matt Tolfrey (Friday 1 June, 11pm-3am, £8). The night continues over at Snafu from even more stripped techno and jacking house beats from Matt.
There's a cupboard in my flat that I do not dare open. I opened it once when I first moved in, and the horrifying level of grime, smears and smells made sure I close the door and never look again. I walk past that door every day and feel a squirm in my stomach as I uneasily think of it festering; knowing one day I'll have to venture there.
I have to confess a similar feeling towards this blog. I went away on holiday and never came back - each time I felt I should go back to it another work project got thrown up, and the slippage of time between posts started the uneasy squirm all over again. I've spent months thinking about how much time I can actually dedicate to it, and what direction I want to take given the bounty of music blogs out there.
I have to write about what I know; what I spend most of my time doing, and in recent years, that's techno music. I was hesitant to narrow my sights when I first launched this little corner of the internet, but I also know I need to make this a strong blog if it's going to have any more than a brief ripple in time.
With that, I leave you dear reader(s) with the newest product of the Scottish techno music scene, and hitting shops on 28th May - new LP Labour Division by Forward Strategy Group (Perc). Shiny metal CD tin, fantastic artwork, and an industrial and dark exploration of electronic music for this ominous age. Brutal.
I'm off on holiday! For once.. but that means I leave you in the lurch with listings and content. Please note there will be no club listings this week or next week, but I cannot leave you without something, so here is the world's shortest club recommendations for your weekend ahead:
Starting on Friday in Edinburgh, you have James Ruskin and Neil Landstrumm over at Jackhammer (Lane,10.30pm-3am, £5), and the Plastician (Rinse FM) debuts at Xplicit on the same evening at the Bongo (11pm-3am, £8 adv). Cabaret Voltaire host Bed Bug with dnb hero Shy FX on Friday 14th (11pm-3am, £10 /
£8 adv).
In Glasgow, Return to Mono welcome Cassy at the Sub Club on Friday 14th (11pm-3am, £12 /
£10 students), and over at La Cheetah's Cut Down on the same evening, there's a rare appearance from Maurice Fulton (11pm-3am, £7 / £5 before midnight). Friday also sees the launch of Rustie's debut LP on Warp, Glass Swords, at Stereo under the Numbers x LuckyMe banner (11pm-3am, £8). Death Disco reach to Canada for filthy-mouthed electro star Peaches on Saturday 15th (11pm-3am, £14).
Dundee welcome Mungo's Hi Fi with special guest Marina P at the Reading Rooms on Friday 14th (10.30pm-2.30am, £7 / £5 before 11.30pm), and Aberdeen's Let It Bleed have a hairy special with the 2 Bears aka Joe Goddard and Raf Daddy on the same evening (11pm-3am, £tbc).
Glasgow's Osmium club got in touch with the blog recently to give the lowdown on their night held every second Saturday of the month at Blackfriars on Bell Street, spinning a "mad mix of Italo, synth, funk and other madness" - as an extra bonus they casually dropped in a four month back catalogue of Osmium mixes. Dig in and enjoy!
The Cab Vol Stars return with another venue crew inspired night and a few handpicked guests, in the form of Jackmaster, Al Meldrum and Dickie Drysdale, exploding the latest and weightiest electronics for your listening pleasure. Jackmaster is readily associated with Glasgow’s Numbers by the Scots, but he is better known around the world as the Fabriclive 57 selector and a current hot topic on the techno, house and electro scenes
Club: Wonky Venue: Bongo Club Date: Friday 7th October
To celebrate Wonky’s first birthday, they invite Grandma Staflash and The Furious Grandads for a live special of Balkan-styled electro-swing, breaks, hip-hop and some serious tongue in cheek. They Wolfjazz and Hobbes bring up the rear with dubstep, heavy bass, hip-hop, and worldwide flavours.
Club: Electrikal Venue: The Store Date: Friday 7th October
If
you like your bass music rough and ready with a moody attitude, turn
down that dark alleyway into Guthrie St and visit Electrikal for special
guest booking, 16-Bit. The London-based DJ and producer has been
stepping out with the likes of Noisia, and joins the club for future
bass, dubstep, funk, reggae, hip-hop and more in a high energy beat
throw-down.
11pm-3am, £12 Club: Musika Venue: Liquid Room Date: Saturday 8th October
James Zabiela’s picture is the most searched thing about this blog, so you’ll all be glad to know that the model-like one returns to Musika and joins rising talent Maya Jane Coles for a double headliner of hot breakbeat house and minimal, deep tech-house.
More: Zabiela also appears at Streetrave’s 22nd Birthday with MANDY, Shades of Rhythm, The Bassheads and more at The Arches on Saturday 8th October. (10pm-3am, £15)
Glasgow
Club: Tribute Venue: La Cheetah Date: Friday 7th October
This is one to draw the old clubheads out their homes! Stay Plastic, Scrabble and Jelly Roll Soul are combining to create Tribute, a night concentrating on a particular sound or artist, and this time it’s an Urban Tribe themed-night with special guest and former Drexciya tour DJ, Stingray! Check out his fierce aquatic electro alongside rolling residents Dommm (Pest Control) and Matt (All Caps).
Club: Wax Works Vs Equalised Venue: The Admiral Date: Friday 7th October
What can I say, Forward Strategy Group are Scotland born and bred but they’re rarely booked to play in their own country, however times are changing as more people tune into their sound. Fresh from their stormin’ performance for Grounded Theory in Berlin - drawing in crowds from as far away as Sweden for the event - FSG bring their dirty, industrial techno and tundra soundscapes for a three hour DJ set at their second ever appearance in Glasgow for Wax Works and Equalised.
Club: Subculture vs Animal Farm Venue: Sub Club Date: Saturday 8th October
Bickering about who is the rightfully-named pioneer of a genre can be a minefield, but this one’s a straight answer: dub-inflected techno / Berlin electronics pioneer Moritz ‘Maurizio’ Von Oswald has had so many tricks in his back pocket over the years he’s forged a career in contemporary techno, 80s pop / kraut-rock, new wave, and of course, went on to co-found the Basic Channel label. Playing a special live set with Tikiman, Moritz (onstage at 9.30pm) will dig through possibly the biggest dub and afro-influenced collection in Berlin to bring you a special pre-club live set!
Sounds like:
8.30pm-3am, £15 / £12
Club: Vitamins 6 Venue: Chambre 69 Date: Saturday 8th October
Glasgow party Vitamins see their plans come together as they announce a showcase for two of their favourite producers. LuckyMe’s Lunice and bass monster Baobinga drop in to deliver their boost of energising vitamin tonic, distilled into lively beats. Canadian Lunice started off as a b-boy and graduated to electro hip-hop producer, being snapped up by the LuckyMe label when they hooked up across the Atlantic, and Baobinga has forged a strong reputation as a bass connoisseur, whether its dnb, dancehall, hyphy, electro, it’s all tantalising rumbles of soundwaves. Shaun and Sam Vitamins support.
Club: Everything Else Sucks Venue: Snafu Date: Friday 7th October
For
their third birthday Everything Else Sucks host special Belgian guests
Sound of Stereo to celebrate over 900 days on the scene and recruiting
two new residents this year. They headlined I Love Techno with their
electro killers in 2010 and now embrace the Scottish north: Recommended
for fans of Fake Blood and Brodinski. Ado and Squelchy support.
Club: Minival vs Mothership Venue: Snafu Date: Saturday 8th October
This
special event features as the second last ever gig by Moon Harbour’s
Chris Lattner as he bids goodbye to life on the house circuit. It’s not
clear whether he’ll remain in production, but it’s as good excuse as any
to groove on down to progressive and tech-house and bid adieu.
Club: Optimo Venue: Reading Rooms Date: Friday 7th October
Optimo duo JD Twitch and JG Wilkes make their monthly excursion to Optimo for gold glitter beats, savvy rhythms and subtle blends of house, disco, tech, electro and funk.
10.30pm-2.30am, £6 / £4 before midnight
Club: Mixed Bizness Venue: Reading Rooms Date: Saturday 8th October
Another Glasgow club holding a monthly spot in Dundee is Mixed Bizness helmed by the funky Boom Monk Ben. This month they feature Parker, the man who dared to make a dubstep track based on the Jungle Book and has been winning over crowds and DJs alike with his Bristol bass.
Club: LuckyMe Venue: Sneaky Pete’s Date: Friday 30th September
LuckyMe make their irregular trip through to Edinburgh to share their ever-expanding corner of the world with the capital’s crowds, and this time they bring Oneman – Rinse FM DJ and long-time garage supporter. When he isn’t tearing up the airwaves with dubstep, 2-step, grime, garage and the murky bass soup that lies between, he's destroying the dancefloors, so get yourself to the subterranean layers of Sneaky Pete’s. Support comes from The Blessings and Eclair Fi Fi.
Club: Sugarbeat Venue: Cabaret Voltaire Date: Friday 30th September
Riding high on his debut LP, SBTRKT jets to Sugarbeat to throw post-dubstep bounce into the groove, adorned with powerful vocals and wobbling basslines. Taking a path between garage, electro, pop and straight up bass music, SBTRKT joins the Sugarbeat high-powered mix of knee-shaking beats.
Club: Departure Lounge Venue: The Caves Date: Friday 30th September
Departure Lounge celebrates eight years transporting Edinburgh’s clubbers to a land of cosmic beats, latin rhythms, African styles, and downright funk. They invite special guests Zed Bias and Federation Of The Disco Pimp. Bias will break up the chilled beats and rebuild with 2-step garage influences and FOTDP have been described by Craig Charles as the most aggressive jazz and funk he’d heard. Departure Lounge continue their journey breaking down musical barriers.
Club: Rendezvous Venue: The Green Room Date: Saturday 1st October
Debuting in Edinburgh, Poker Flat’s MANIK joins Rendezvous for a brand of house that takes in nu-disco and funky acid along the way. Drawing rave reviews from the likes of DJ Mag Mixmag and iDJ, MANIK has the start of the winter nights sorted for heat. He’ll be joined by Blair & Ryan Harrower, Ross Scott, Gary Carvel, Steven Willison and Bruce Nicholson.
10pm-3am, £10 / £8 before 11pm or students all night Glasgow
Club: Sono Venue: The Courtyard Date: Friday 30th September
Nothing like a good ol’ free techno and deep house night, especially when it’s a pre-club to get your night started off on the right foot! Sono aims to draw on the talents of local artists in an outdoor venue, easing clubbers into their night one beat at a time. Special guests Adam Watt and Why Eleven? of No Sleep, and Elastik residents’ Gary Campbell and John Smyth aka Dynamode join the Sono residents.
8pm–12am, Free
Club: Pressure Venue: The Arches Date: Friday 30th September
For Soma’s 20th birthday party special, the usual high profile techno and house artists (Slam, Funk D’Void, Silicone Soul, and Gary Beck) will celebrate the entry to their third decade on the scene, but there’s an extra special surprise in their featured headliner – a live set from dub-techno don Deepchord! Detroit fans grab your shoes and tickets.
Club: How’s Your Party Venue: Sub Club Date: Friday 30th September
How’s Your Party reappear at full strength, inviting wobbly bass purveyors Jack Beats for another Glasgow showdown as we enter the darkness of Scottish Winter. Always keeping it fresh and lively, Jack Beats has the positive answer to How’s Your Party?
Club: Let’s Go Back Venue: Stereo Date: Saturday 1st October
LGB returns to A Boy’s Own era, welcoming Ashley Beedle and Terry Farley to this old school party. Beedle was dropping acid-house when today’s average clubber was picking out school socks, and he joins returning guest Farley for a fast-paced history lesson. Residents Bosco and Rob Mason spin classic acid-house, rave sounds and techno rhythms in support.
Club: Prince Fatty Soundsystem Venue: Reading Rooms Date: Saturday 1st Oct
For a full-on dub and reggae injection in traditional soundsystem style, check out this special show from Prince Fatty Soundsystem, all agog with tape-delays, vintage production, and the vocals of ex-Revenge of the Killer Slits singer Hollie Cooke and the Horseman MC.
Extra: You can also catch the soundsystem at the Afro Caribbean Network Centre (8pm-3am, £5 donation)
Aberdeen
Club: Liebe Venue: Snafu Date: Friday 30th September
A fantastic booking for Liebe, as they invite the rising star of corroded acid-techno beats, Blawan to dirty up the Snafu dancefloor. Lo-Quality is fresh from writing a rave review on his latest release ‘What You Do With What You Have’ for Clash – head north this weekend for a thoroughly dirty groove. Support comes from Tuff Wax and the Acid Thunder residents Bones and Money.
More info: I hear he’s in Edinburgh on the 5th of October at the Caves…
Club: Mothership
Venue: Snafu
Date: Saturday 1st October
Prolific mixer Stretford Dogs Club guests at the Mothership this weekend, giving ‘Donian crowds a taste of his massive mix project ‘A Day In a Dog’s Life’. Mixing a two hour set of old and new classics in a deep house vein every month, Stretford aims to create a 24 hour mix portraying his tastes, recommendations and inspirations. And a collection of generally great music!
Switching things up a little at Lo-Quality, with shorter listings for the weekend ahead. Take a shedload of great club nights, run them through the guest headliner, price, usual crowd turnout, and general atmosphere filters, and you get the top picks below!
Edinburgh Club: Tokyoblu Venue: Teviot Underground Date: Friday 23rd September
Tokyoblu move to the student stomping grounds of the Teviot for their auspicious ninth birthday, featuring live house, electro and tech from Gabriel Kemp, Little Grooves, Sounds of Soul, Niall & Dennis McKervey, Nobad & Damon Melvin (Get 2 Funk), and Soul Jam Hot. Residents John and Iain dig through the crates for the finest representation of their near-decade delighting house fans. This one-off is happening during Freshers week, picking up the influx of new students looking for underground disco, funk and sparkly house.
Club: Four Corners Venue: Bongo Club Date: Friday 23rd September
As part of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Four Corners welcomes a live set from The Delegators, infusing soul with Jamaican flavours and reggae swing, rocksteady and splashes of motown. Residents Simon Hodge, Johnny Cashback, Astroboy and Wee G bring in the remaining corners of the world with breaks, jazz, funk dipped in South American, African, and European styles.
Club: Compakt Venue: Cabaret Voltaire Date: Friday 23rd September
Perk up for the techno sightings this weekend – label boss Ali Wells aka Perc of Perc Records, home to Forward Strategy Group, headlines Compakt’s third birthday party for a techno lesson in UK industrial noises. The second room is hosted by Compakt resident DJ Phrase offering a different take on the techno night, heating up the second room with electro, dubstep and drum and bass beats. He is joined by Special Ed, label owner of Special Records.
Club: Kapital Venue: The Caves Date: Friday 23rd September
Moretechno prevails! Kapital make their monthly appearance with Oliver Huntemann touring his Paranoia Reactable Live show for the only Scottish date. The tour celebrates his new LP, Paranoia, turning his live show into a visual feast as he shifts cubes of soft and hardware to control synths, installed in a fancy-ass/fetishist cage and lighting rig. It’s a full stage show to blow your mind as you groove minimal techno. Kapital residents Barry O’Connell and Brad Charters support.
Club: Sensu Venue: Sub Club Date: Friday 23rd September
The sea tour is finished, and Sensu dock at the Sub Club for landlubbers Guti and tINI, who despite sounding like an exotic circus act of the 1860s, are Desolat stars: jazz wunder-kid turned latin-infusing techno and house explorer and tINI, the able accomplice of the Desolat label-bosses and fast becoming a regular fixture on the German club circuit.
Club: Optimo Presents… Horse Meat Disco Venue: Sub Club Date: Sunday 25th September
Optimo host another special Sunday event with Horse Meat Disco taking over the Sub reins to introduce James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Severino and Filthy Luka to Glasgow’s disco cravers. Horse Meat Disco are Sunday night faithfuls also, delighting that niche of the club scene who shift-work, know when to book their holidays, or simply can rock on through till the 9am start on Monday. Refresh your knowledge of disco with an education in the genres that twist in and out its funky and soulful centre.
Club: Divine Venue: The Admiral Date: Saturday 24th September
Andrew Divine raises Divine from the refurbished Art School to the Admiral for a new venue and solid reputation to draw on – return to the 60s and 70s for a reach into the roots of the modern. Groove to psych, funk, ska, soul, northern and more on original sexy vinyl.
Sounds like:
11pm-3am, £7 / £5 before midnight and concessions
Aberdeen
Club: Mothership Venue: Snafu Date: Saturday 24th September
Mothership do a bit of resident swapping, when they beam in Glasgow’s Junior, fresh from behind the decks of Sensu and performances at Subculture, tipping out the freshest house and techno by the bucketload from Snafu’s sound system. Fuad and Adam Ackers support.
Club: Snafu is 7: Steve Bug Venue: Snafu Date: Sunday 25th September
All this week Snafu have been celebrating their 7th birthday with a raft of special events, and they round it all off with Poker Flat’s Steve Bug. Taking you on a sonic journey from start to finish, Bug trawls minimal tech-house and deep house for the spine-tinglers and knee-wobblers. He is joined by Fuad (Rememory Music) and Si Smith.
More info: Anyone who had bought tickets for the original billing, Josh Wink, will still be able to use them.
Dundee
Club: Bass Orgy Sound System Venue: Reading Rooms Date: Friday 23rd September
Dundee’s launches a new night for the bass fans with Bass Orgy Sound System,
as much of a tin-name as you could possibly get. Electro, dub, dnb, and
sub shakers abound from residents Dave Non-Zero, Sharpy and
Farfletched, and Scotty D guests for glitchy, fast-paced beats on their
very first event. B.O.S.S’s motto is: Letting you feel how bass is meant
to be.
Another batch of Clash reviews for you all - dig in to September's booty.
Gonno - ACDise #2 (International Feel)
...hypnotising
Japanese techno and house DJ, Gonno, delivers chunky acidlines, Chicago-drums and emotive melodies churning electro, trance and Orbital references on ‘ACDise #2’, stripped back to driving techno with an acid nag by Skudge on the remix. Gatto Fritto embraces the track as a muse, inspiring Fischerspooner-techno and teasing out the tightly compacted emotions of the original.
Release date: 12 September 2011
T.E.E. (Turzi Electronique Experience) - Connaissance EP (Record Makers)
...uncomfortable
T.E.E drops his album teaser EP with spoken word rap mingling amongst full-on electro, but it’s not so much TTC as tame Mr Kitten. Remixes by Black Strobe (better, but crude use of strings), Sahara aka T.E.E (cosmic pan flutes – no), and Naum Gabo (dancefloor friendly trance mix) play some damage control.
I was curious as to why I was getting search hits on the blog regarding DJ Mehdi last night, and then I read the Metro this morning... RIP Mehdi - the Scottish clubs loved your style, and Glasgow always welcomed you with open arms.
Six years into the evolving history of bass juggernaut label, Tectonic Recordings, they’ve finally created a 21st Century website to go with their prolific, modern output of dubstep, dub-techno, and music that sub-basses lust. The onslaught of new features (discogs, gallery, news, shop and more) chimes with the arrival of the 50th Tectonic release, 'Closer', from Photek with remixes from Pinch aka Rob Ellis, and the digital only ‘Best of Tectonic’; delivering the best way to absorb their back catalogue in one purchase.
When asked what he thinks typifies the best of Tectonic, he chuckles and admits; “I didn’t do that good a job of narrowing it down; there’s 40 tracks on there! I guess I was trying to cover as many bases as possible - It was difficult for me as I’ve loved everything we’ve put out.”
With this passion, Pinch has sealed his position in dubstep; emergent as a Bristol Godfather of bass and homing the dub-techno talents. It’s written into music history, and although he finds it “very comforting to be recognised... it’s about doing the next thing rather than dwelling on the past.” And with that it’s not difficult to see why he’s pushing the boundaries of an ‘expected’ Tectonic roster. One of the latest releases to do so is ‘Frantically Hopeful’, from Pursuit Grooves, and he’s been taken by how well it’s been received, despite it’s off-kilter, broken beat and hip-hop approach. “You always worry that if you start veering off the trodden path that no-one else follows you on the way,” he tells us.
“I’ve always really liked the white label techno ideas of buying into
the music; they have a strength of following based on nothing other than
being genuinely interesting."
Does he sense an unnecessary rigidity in the dubstep genre? “I think the majority of people do come into dubstep with rigid views, and their concept is a rigid template,” he says. “For me, dubstep was always a progressive and experimental school of music, and I feel it’s a bit of shame to not follow that spirit. Switching up tempos, changing grooves, and playing around with ideas is very much what dubstep is about.”
His not-so-secret collaboration with Distance as Deleted Scenes has recently been brought into Facebook existence, embracing the inevitable unmasking and alerting everyone else to their dub and sub powerhouse. “I’ve always really liked the white label techno ideas of buying into the music; they have a strength of following based on nothing other than being genuinely interesting,” he says, explaining his preferred anonymity.
Keep your eyes peeled for more DS material later this year, and Tectonic releases including Pinch-recommended Distal, who incorporates warehouse and spine-tingling acid, and a general diversification of bpm from the 140 standard to push sonic directions; the decree has gone forward - Tectonic is not a one-bpm label!
This interview was originally conducted for Clash magazine, and can be picked up in the Autumn back issues.
On his whistle-stop tour of Scotland, Dave Clarke checks in with Edinburgh again to see if they missed his eyeliner and brand of techno since T in the Park. Pulse Residents Darrell Harding, Andy Problems, Ritchie Bryson, Muzza B, and Andy Borthwick support in Room 1. In Room 2 there’s a Substance / Audio showcase, with Forward Strategy Group’s Patrick Walker (Perc / SA) and a special DJ set of pressurised dub-techno, and devastating rhythms. Substance resident Gavin Richardson supports.
Extra: Dave Clarke appears in Aberdeen the night before, on Friday 9th at Liebe in Snafu. 11pm-3am, £tbc
Edinburgh
Club: Telefunken Venue: The Store Date: Saturday 10th September
Filter’s DJ Q returns to the Telefunken stage, having last wowed the crowd when the club was still playing out of the Jazz Bar! The venues have progressively changed, but the favoured house style of Telefunken hasn’t, and DJ Q will remind why his jackin’ loops are so seductive. Residents Alan Gray, Nick Wilson and Harvey (We Play House) support.
Club: Betamax Venue: Studio 24 Date: Saturday 10th September
New club Betamax launches with special guest HRH, cranking out the moody punk-electronica. New wave, disco, post-punk, and full on analogue synths ring out from residents Chris Fast, Gig Gus, and Jake Barnes going through the vinyl back catalogues to dig out what was the cutting edge of the 80s.
Sounds like:
11pm-3am, £5 / £4 / Free before 11.30pm
Club: Edit Venue: Hawke & Hunter, Green Room Date: Saturday 10th September
Everyone likes to joke about the rivalries between Edinburgh and Glasgow (what passes as an East and West side feud in Scotland), and Edit are hosting their own musical version with Glasgow DJs Geoff Montford and Al Kent exchanging disco beats with Edinburgh’s John Tokyoblu and Future B.
10pm-3am, £8 / £6 before midnight or students
Round up
Get rolling with Animal Hospital at Sneaky Pete’s at a budget-busting free entry for minimal tech (11pm-3am) on Friday 9th, and Musika host a residents’ house, techno and electro special with Derek Martin, Laurie Neil, Jamie McKenzie and Kirk Douglas on Saturday 10th (Liquid Room, 10pm-3am, £MOTD / £5 before 11.15pm). Over at the Bongo, Messenger Sound System with MC Ras Echo deliver another round of roots music (11pm-3am, £7 / £6 before midnight).
If you’re still going by Sunday 11th, Bass Syndicate provide another free session at Sneaky Pete’s with heavenly breaks (11pm-3am, £3 non-members) from G-Mac, Believe and Silver Storic. Fancy a boat trip sail out the weekend? Heavy Gossip host a high seas adventure on the Firth of Forth, picking up from the Newsroom at 5.30pm. Disco, house and more via two modes of transport from Craig Smith and Nick Yuill! (3pm-late, £20 / £15 adv)
Glasgow
Club: Warp Presents Venue: The Arches Date: Friday 9th September
Glasgow just can’t get enough of Africa Hitech it seems. Having recently stormed it at Fortified back in June, the Detroit and Jamaican blenders headline this special Warp event, with Rudi Zygadio, Anxst and supporting artist Point to C. The theme for the event is ‘African music from the future’, with an infusion of Warpitude – namely acid, dub, digital, ragga, garage and more. It’s an early start gig, so if you check this out you’ll still have time to hit the clubs later!
Club: No Sleep Venue: Chambre 69 Date: Saturday 10th September No Sleep host a special 10 Years of Secretsundaze party, featuring Giles Smith, George Fitzgerald and Brawther, with support from residents Adam Watt and Jonathan Carroll. The London party brings Secretsundaze founder Giles to reinvent the daytime house and techno groove for the Glasgow nightlife, and fresh talent George Fitzgerald, who recently dropped his ManMakeMusic release pitching a balance between softer dubstep beats and futuristic garage-house.
Club: Electric Frog September Weekender Venue: SWG3 Date: Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September
After being unable to deliver the goods at SWG3 due to refurbishment, the Electric Frog Weekender returns to its revamped venue with an enhanced line-up. Day One of the mini- urban festival features Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Levon Vincent, Len Faki and Slam on the Pressure Street Stage for the techno faithful, and on the 10 Years of Melting Pot Stage, Frankie Knuckles, Joe Clausell, Bob Jeffries and Andrew Pirie take up the house guard. It’s a calmer, melodic line-up for Day Two, with live Music from Mogwai, Wild Beasts, The Fall, Mount Kimbie, The Orb, Errors, Jimmy Edgar, Organs of Love and Konx-Om-Pax fill your desire for post-rock, electro rhythms, indie and experimental electronics.
More info: The Electric Frog can’t exist without an after-party, so each night you can head to The Arches for the official after-show. Only £5 with a Electric Frog wristband (10.30pm-3am).
Club: Shake It Venue: Chambre 69 Date: Saturday 10th September
Layo and Bushwacka take over Chambre 69 to dominate the entire four hours with their club Shake It and a DJ set. That’ll be one hour of dance mash-up for ever year since they’ve last visited the city, described by them as the “UK Detroit”.
Sounds like (a higher quality version of):
11pm-3am, £10
Round up
Soothe your Soul with Jelly Roll at La Cheetah on Friday 9th with their residents’ special of house inspired by the likes of Theo Parrish (11pm-3am, £5), and after a quick kip you can start all over again at Wax Works Vs Equalised at The Old Hairdressers from 1pm-1am, for their all day techno party for freeeeeee. House and techno go mann gegen mann for a heated and deep party. New club Freaky Freaky launches at Nice’n’Sleazy with special guests S-Type and Éclair Fifi (Saturday 10th, 11.30pm-3am, £3), and supported by resident Sam Murray, spinning electronics and rnb slants. Remedy Nites Presents Baktrack on the same evening at La Cheetah with special guest Tom Budden, with AdrianM, Rab Hendo and Steven Fair at this brand new house night (11pm-3am, £8). Over at Blackfriars, Osmium with DJs Blair and Gary delights with disco, funk, italo and more (11pm-3am, £3). Dirty Beautiful Science flip the dubstep, electro and techno with residents The Black Price, Vik Vector, and AlessioOo (Blackfriars, 11pm-3am, £tbc).
Aberdeen
Club: Mothership Venue: Snafu Date: Saturday 10th September
Mothership
keeps its regular notch in Aberdeen’s clubbing calendar with another
instalment of house, techno, electro, disco and lots in between with
residents Adam Ackers and Fuad.
11pm-3am, £tbc
Dundee
Club: Mixed Bizness Venue: Reading Rooms Date: Friday 9th September
Mixed Bizness make their irregular visit to Dundee and bring the Glasgow club that has entertained so many. Live guest HaHaHa delivers his unique twist of house and techno, tweaking the heart strings with melodic patterns.
