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.
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.
