Lo-Quality Music

October club listings and a holiday!

2011-10-14T13:41:00.000+01:00

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).

Free tunes: Osmium mixes July-Oct 2011

2011-10-09T15:13:00.001+01:00

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!

October

Osmium Mix October 2011 by I_Fear_Satan on Mixcloud

<<< Download link >>>

September

Osmium September mix by Gary Thoms on Mixcloud

<<< Download link >>>

August

Osmium Mix August 2011 by I_Fear_Satan on Mixcloud

<<< Download link >>>

July

Osmium Mix July 2011 by I_Fear_Satan on Mixcloud

<<< Download link >>>

October (Week 2) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-10-06T23:34:00.002+01:00

Edinburgh

Club: Cab Vol Stars
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 7th October

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

Sounds like: URB Presents: JACKMASTER – NUMBERS 2010 <<< Download

10pm-3am, £6

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.

Sounds like: Grandma Staflash - Silver Lines by Grandma Staflash

11pm-3am, £7 / £5 before midnight

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.

Sounds like: Dinosaurs by 16bit

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.

Sounds like: Little One by Maya Jane Coles

10.30pm-3am, £15

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).

Sounds like: DJ Stingray - 'Live From' - Unknown To The Unknown at Last FM HQ by BOILER ROOM

11pm-3am, £10

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.

Sounds like: Forward Strategy Group Wax Works Mix 02 by waxworks

11pm-3am, £8 / £5 adv.

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.

Sounds like: "I See U" on Oneman's mix - RINSE.FM by Lunice

11pm-4am (subject to license), £9+bf

Aberdeen

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.

Sounds like: Switch Playground (September 2011) by Sound of Stereo

11pm-3am, £9

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.

Sounds like: Chris Lattner - Going To Miami by Chris Lattner

11pm-3am, £tbc

Dundee

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.

Sounds like: Singles & Remixes by Parker*

10.30pm-2.30am, £6 / £5 students

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

2011-09-30T15:19:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh

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.

Sound like:

Rinse FM 19th June 2011 All Vinyl Show by Oneman on Mixcloud

11pm-3am, £5 / £4 (members free)

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.

Sounds like: hold on (live at maida vale for bbc 1xtra) by sbtrkt

11pm-3am, £9

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.

Sounds like: Maddslinky - Moonshine (From Forthcoming LP 2012) by zedbiasakamaddslinky

11pm-3am, £10 / £7 adv

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.

Sounds like: Adana Twins & Dr Dru- Anymore (MANIK Remix) [160 Kbps Preview CLIP] by M A N I K

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.

Sounds like: Deepchord - Amsterdam Remnant 6 (Night Air Mix) (Soma 319d) by soma

11pm-4am, £14

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?

Sounds like: Aloe Blacc: Green Lights (JACK BEATS REMIX) by Jack Beats

11pm-3am, £10 / £8

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.

Sounds like: Ashley Beedle Live @ Freestyle Birmingham by ASHLEY BEEDLE

11pm-3am, £12

Dundee

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.

Sounds like: Christopher Columbus ft. Little Roy by Prince Fatty

10pm-2.30am, £8 / £6 before 11.30pm

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.

Sounds like: Blawan - Vibe Decorium by casadielectronica

11pm-3am, £tbc

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!

Sounds like: STRETFORD DOGS CLUB | A DAY IN A DOGS LIFE | UNLEASHED 2011 by Stretford Dogs Club

11pm-3am, £tbc

September (Week 4) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-09-22T22:43:00.000+01:00

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.

Sounds like: Bottletop by tokyoblu dj's

9pm-3am, £8 / £6 before midnight

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.

Sounds like: Movin' On EP excerpts by The Delegators

11pm-3am, £tbc

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.

Sounds like: Perc - Wicker & Steel - full album stream by Perc

11pm-3am, £5 / free before midnight

Club: Kapital
Venue: The Caves
Date: Friday 23rd September

More techno 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.

Sounds like: Ideal Audio Podcast, Vol. 1 - Oliver Huntemann by Oliver Huntemann

11pm-3am, £12 / £10 adv.

Glasgow

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.

Sounds like: Patio de juegos - patio de juegos -Desolat by guti_desolat

11pm-3am, £10

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.

Sounds like: HMD 6 Music Pilot #2 by James-horse-meat-disco

11pm-3am, £9 / £8 before midnight

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.

Sounds like: Juniors Kinda Blue Pic and Mix (Pick a record and mix) by Junior Sub Club

11pm-3am, Free entry with "7!" wristband.

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.

Sounds like: Steve Bug -Do It Right - teaser by stevebug

11pm-3am, £10 / £7 adv / £5 members

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.

Sounds like:

10.30pm-2.30am, £7 / £5 before midnight

Vinyl and Digital Reviews: Gonno and T.E.E

2011-09-21T20:15:00.000+01:00

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.

Release date: 16 September 2011

DJ Mehdi RIP

2011-09-14T10:18:00.000+01:00

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.

Feature: A Pinch of the Future

2011-09-13T19:32:00.001+01:00

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.

September (Week 2) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-09-08T13:19:00.000+01:00

Patrick Walker (FSG)

Featured Club of the Week: Pulse

Venue: Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh

Date: Saturday 10th September

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.

Sounds like: 4. Forward Strategy Group - Corporate Stress Tools by Substance+SubstanceAudio

11pm-3am, £14 adv.

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.

Sounds like: Alan Gray - We Are One by telefunken

11pm-3am, £5/ £4 / Free before 11.30pm

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!

Sounds like: Africa Hitech - Sampler by Warp Records

8pm-late, £8+BF

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.

Sounds like: Fernweh / Hearts - MMAKEM001 by George FitzGerald

11pm-3am, £10

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.

Sounds like: Pfirter - The Dub Track (Len Faki remix) by LEN FAKI

2pm-10pm, £50 / £27.50 per day

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.

Sounds like: 1.1.11 Mixtape by HaHaHa

10.30pm-2.30am, £5 / £4

Club: Spektrum
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 10th September

Dundee is pleased to welcome back Monkey Mafia’s Jon Carter to enthrall dancers with ragga tinged acid-house and techno.

Sounds like: Tinted Car by Jon Carter

10.30pm-2.30am, £8

Vinyl and Digital Reviews: Black Dog, George FitzGerald and Obtane, Georgio Gigli & Tinman

2011-09-03T15:46:00.000+01:00

The Black Dog - Liber Temple (Dust Science Recordings)
… going back to our roots

Black Dog were doing dark techno when UK cities could be considered ‘industrial’, and now that 80s deprivation rears its head, they embrace the aggressive and driving with ‘Heavy Industry’, a silent but screaming protest peppered with abstract samples and ‘Greedy Gutter Guru’, culling melodious sirens’ urgency into synth noise.

Released: 5 September 2011 / Out now

George FitzGerald - Fernweh / Hearts (ManMakeMusic)
… melting genres like butter

The ManMakeMusic label head begins their new series with ‘Fernweh’, a bright spray of keys supported by deep, grooving rhythms and soulful house vocals; for those who found dubstep too heavy, and house too stagnant. ‘Hearts’ continues scooping garage into techno, dubstep, and house for a shuffly piece of loveliness.

Released: 5 September 2011 / Out now

Obtane, Giorgio Gigli, Tin Man - Analysis of a Nihilist Who Wants to Become Famous (Zooloft)
... wish we could call it shoegaze techno

Eerie soundscapes and relentless techno hammering out your insecurities, ‘Social Deconstruction’ and throbbing ‘Individual Submission’ come from the new(ish) dark wave making producers dribble at aural beauty, and sometimes being lost on casual listeners. Beats struggle against dying ‘Ghosts of Techno’ melodies; like a broken heart trying to mend itself, solemnly ebbing away.

Released: 12 September 2011 / Out now

Originally written for Clash Magazine - these are the unedited originals. You can read all the latest Electric Selection 12" reviews over at www.clashmusic.com or buy it in the newsagents.

Tha first of the month

2011-09-01T17:12:00.000+01:00

It's the first of September, and that means the embargo on content is lifted, and I can bring you all my lovely articles and reviews published in other magazines. So whaddya you want first? An interview with Pinch or new reviews?

Stay tuned to this weekend for the first in a series of fresh new content and my ~~dribblings~~ scribblings. In the meantime, check out the club listings for all Scottish bods to get you revved up for the weekend.

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

2011-09-01T17:08:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: Highlife's Witchdoctor Dance
Venue: La Cheetah
Date: Saturday 3rd September

Highlife continue their reach across the continents for top-notch guests, this time setting their sights on the Ivory Coast’s Raoul K for a Witchdoctor Dance with African beat stylings and tribal rhythms against the techno wireframe. More afrobeat, funky, jackin’ house, Latin and electro come from resident Auntie Flo.

Sounds like: Mr Raoul K feat. Iklwa Brothers - Black Sky by Mr Raoul K

11pm-3am, £6

Edinburgh

Club: Funky Doodle Do
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Thursday 1st September

DJRed6’s newest night delivers classic hip-hop, funk and soul sounds, guaranteed plenty basslines and beats and the odd horn section.

11pm-3am, free

Club: Devil Disco Club
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Saturday 3rd September

It’s disco on all fronts at DDC this time, when Edinburgh-based Discopolis guest for a live set of eh, electro, indie and house music. They delighted crowds at the recent Reading and Leeds Festival with their lush synth onslaught. Even if you can’t get your disco fix from Discopolis, residents the Trouble DJs and Giles Walker spin vintage disco, electro funk, and New York grooves.

Sounds like: Discopolis - Zenithobia by discopolismusic

11pm-3am, £3

Club: Superlovers
Venue: Liquid Room
Date: Saturday 3rd September

I’m not sure how they’ve managed to keep the reported 5am license now that Edinburgh winds down it’s party season, but whatever – Fever and Lovechild team up to create Superlovers for their final festival party, starring main Lovechild resident Alessandro Londra, and Fever resident’s Brian Fisher and Mark Price, with Miss Chris. There will be a special live PA from Novena, singing the lighter side of vocal house, who has been a hit on the gay club scene and charts.

Sounds like:

11pm-5am, £12 / £10 adv.

Round up
It’s a very light weekend for Edinburgh, as people recover the last month of their lives living from dusk till dawn at the Festival: Cab Vol Stars host Believe vs Trilogy at their next instalment in Cab Voltaire on Friday 2nd (11pm-3am, £5 / free before midnight), and Fake returns to Sneaky Pete’s on the 3rd, with house, techno, breaks and more (11pm-5am, £3 / members free)

Glasgow

Club: Traktion
Venue: Basura Blanca
Date: Friday 2nd September

Residents Colin Forbes and Chaz Johnston host special guest and Slave to the Rhythm radio show host, Domm, spin deep house and techno for the Tracktion faithful, drawing on a dearth of material featured on his Subcity Radio slot.

10pm-2am, £5 / £3 NUS

Club: Jak
Venue: Ad Lib
Date: Friday 2nd September

Cranking out the releases for almost 17 years, DMX Krew aka Ed DMX guests at Jak, on the launch night of one of the newest acid-house, Chicago vibes and electro grooves clubs to hit Ad Lib. Residents Signal_! And beatPHreak support.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £8 / £6

Club: Numbers
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Friday 2nd September

This month’s Numbers sees James Blake take to the stage again with a DJ set of experimental bass, post-dubstep, and warped and melodious keys. Residents Goodhand and Nelson support with dub-techno, hot electro, and a plethora of juke, hyphy and more.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £7 adv

Club: Substanz Kelburn Party
Venue: The Arches
Date: Saturday 3rd September

Originally due to be hosted at the infamous Kelburn Castle, the Substanz Kelburn Party is keeping the name and moving to The Arches due to licensing restrictions. Headliners and DJs Clive Henry, Subb An, Silicone Soul and Chris Duckenfield and Mash spin minimal, tech-house, electronica and deep beats.

11pm-3am, £12

Club: Melting Pot
Venue: The Admiral
Date: Saturday 3rd September

After their summer break, Melting Pot return to the good ship Admiral, the finest nautical on-land venue. The British house master special guest Joey Negro opens the first of the Autumn / Winter season while residents Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner rock the disco house.

Sounds like: Joey Negro Live In The Southport Weekender Connoisseurs Corner 2009 by Joey Negro

11pm-3am, £10

Round up
Now that Glasgow is back on top for the sheer range of club nights, what with the Edinburgh Festival finishing, the weekend starts here on Thursday 1st at Club 520 with Walk n Skank, courtesy of Mungo’s Hi Fi with reggae, dancehall, jahtari and more (11pm-3am, £4 / £3). On Friday 2nd, David Barbarossa’s Thing at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy with more reggae, disco, electronica and post-punk (11.30pm-3am, £3), and ReFrame launch at The Admiral on the same evening, with DJs Haunted Code and Martin Lindinger spinning house and techno (11pm-3am, £5). On Saturday 3rd, Front to Back return to Club 520, carrying on the emergent reggae theme for the first weekend of the month in Glasgow. Residents Chungo Bungo, DJ L-I-A-M, Marquee DJs and La Bamba play (11pm-3am, £7 / £5). Subculture take their usual slot of fresh and classic house with residents Harri and Domenic (11pm-3am, £10 / free before midnight), and Instruments of Rapture close the weekend on Sunday 4th at the Sub, as part of the Sub Club's series of one-off Sunday specials, featuring choice tracks from the nu-disco label, Instruments of Rapture (11pm-3am, £tbc).

Dundee

Club: Headway
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Friday 2nd September

Ahead of their appearance at the Substanz Kelburn Party, Silicone Soul headline Headway at the Reading Rooms for electronic bliss.

Sounds like: silicone soul dj set @ the slam tent, t in the park, scotland 2011 by siliconesoul

10.30pm-2.30am, £tbc

Aberdeen

Club: Dot to Dot and Okoru
Venue: Snafu
Date: Friday 2nd September

The Germans are coming again, when David August (Stil Vor Talent) enthrals the crowd with house and electro swathes ahead of his debut LP, due to drop in 2012. Gary Smith supports.

Sounds like: David August - East Side Story Mix - May 2011 by davidaugust

11pm-3am, £10 / £8 adv.

Club: Mothership
Venue: Snafu
Date: Saturday 3rd September

Radio hosts Nocturne take over the basement of Mothership for house and techno frequencies. You can hear Nocturne every Friday, 8-10pm on shmu radio/99.8fm.

11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Hot City
Venue: Snafu
Date: Sunday 4th September

New night Hot City bring the disco to Aberdeen, with Hush Puppy of Glasgow’s Death Disco, and Delusions of Grandeur.

Sounds like: http://vimeo.com/27776798

11pm-3am, £tbc

August (Week 4) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-08-26T14:27:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: Jackhammer
Venue: Lane Nightclub, Edinburgh

Date: Friday 26th August

People mourned the loss of Regis and Surgeon’s camaraderie as the British Murder Boys, but we all secretly cheer for Regis’ current collaboration with Function as Sandwell District. The live masters of modern techno are joined by the old school’s Altern8 for a DJ set. And another load of DJs keep the buzz going in all three rooms – it’s gonna be packed.

Sounds like: FREE DOWNLOAD

10pm-5am, £12

Edinburgh

Club: Sugarbeat vs Musika
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 26th August

Two hot house clubs join up to deliver the debut appearance of ‘You Gonna Want Me’ Tiga in the capital; bloody time too, the amount of times I’ve heard that tune blasted in the Cab. Three hours of electro-techno will help close the Fringe season of late night clubs, while the remaining two rooms feature the Utah Saints, Kev Wright, Derek Martin, Vincent Vega, Kirk Douglas & Chris Graham and even more!

Sounds like: Fever Ray - Triangle Walks (Tiga's 1-2-3-4 Mix) by TIGA

10.30pm-5am, £15

Club: Xplicit
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Friday 26th August

I always like the sound of ‘liquid dnb’ – as if syrupy drums are going to drench through your clothes and soak you in bass-fluids. Of course, it’s only vaguely like that, and most soakings are just the result of frenzied dancing in a room of throbbing bodies to the pounding beats. Whatever – Xplicit’s festival special welcomes the head of Hospital Records, London Elektricity, and MC Darrison for a two hour set of the finest drums to make your ears ring.

11pm-5am, £12 adv.

Club: Heavy Gossip
Venue: Hawke & Hunter (Green Room)
Date: Friday 26th August

Restless Souls’ Phil Asher spins the deep house, broken beat and disco vibes for Heavy Gossip; less nattering and more natty. Ricky Reid, one half of Soul Renegades, returns for a live set of keys and vocals, joining residents Craig Smith and Nick Yuill for a blazin’ party.

Sounds like: PHIL ASHER - ESOTERIA EP VOL 1 by restless soul

11pm-4am, £10

Club: Karnival
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 26th August

Edinburgh cannot resist the top-name DJs for their closing parties, and house circus Karnival flicked through their contacts and settled upon one of their past favourites: funky and soulful Jesse Rose! The Lahndahn DJ is joined by Mike Pinkerton, Oxygen Junkies and RYZO.

Sounds like: Jesse Rose versus Made to Play all-stars - Yeah - MADE TO PLAY by jesseroseofficial

11pm-5am, £15 / £12

Round up

Stacks is a new monthly night for Edinburgh, taking a lighter journey through soul, garage and rnb at the Wee Red Bar (26th August, 11pm-3am, £3), and Numbers host their irregular Edinburgh night at Sneaky Pete’s, spinning the freshest house, techno, dubstep and anything that can be considered de rigeur (11pm-5am, £tbc). On Saturday 27th, Big ‘n’ Bashy hit the Bongo for a wallop of grime, jungle, reggae and dubstep (11pm-5am, £tbc), and the RSI She Bang Rave Unit Festival Special, the longest-named event of the festival clubbing season features RSI residents Bill Spice and Duncan Starski, joining the She Bang Rave Unit crew for a mash-up of everything electronic at the Southern (8pm-3am, free). And Pet Rescue at The Store is actually the least likely place you’ll find Rolf Harris or wounded animals, unless they love the techno (11pm-5am, £6 / £3 before midnight).

Glasgow

Club: Killer Kitsch
Venue: Sub Club

Date: Friday 26th August

Killer Kitsch have hailed their next guests as a ‘massive influence’ who regularly feature in their own sets: Black Strobe take your kneecaps captive with sonic grooves through the Subby’s futuristic floor. The industrial electroclash maestros also release their ‘Best of 13 Years’ LP shortly, so first take a trip down memory lane in the flesh. Hushpuppy supports.

Sounds like: Daddy Can Techno too - Arnaud Rebotini juin 2011 by Blackstrobe Records

11pm-3am, £7

More info: On Sunday 28th, Killer Kitsch are joined by Dundee’s Ado, at their Edinburgh event at Cabaret Voltaire (11pm-5am, £tbc).

Club: Optimo
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Sunday 28th August

I can definitely see a theme at the Sub Club this weekend, when a former member of Black Strobe arrives to spin Optimo right round – Ivan Smagghe treats Glasgow to a double dose of French connection with the hottest electrohouse.

Sounds like: RA PODCAST 228-SMAGGHE-11-10-2010 by ivan smagghe

11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Clash of the Undergrounds
Venue: Stereo
Date: Friday 26th August

In this special Clash event (unaffiliated with the band or the magazine), The Shimmy’s Miss7 and London club Fuse’s Chris Maran go head to head with a special guest to be announced. This year sees Maran releasing his own house and techno productions after numerous slots at high-profile house and techno clubs, so catch him on the brink of stardom.

Sounds like: Chris Maran - Deeper shade of yELLOw by Chris Maran

11pm-3am, £7

Round up

Boom Monk Ben has been travelling further afar with his sound, and Club 520 are drawing him back in to their new club, Sound, on Friday 26th. He spins a four hour set of just about everything, from dancehall dubs to smooth futuristic garage and lots in between. Visuals will be supplied by Visual AIDS, long-time collaborators with Ben (11pm-3am, £6 / £5). Power Tools power up your Saturday at Flat 0/1 with Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova playing italo disco and house (11pm-3am, free), while Subculture host a residents’ special at the Sub Club (11pm-3am, £10 / free before midnight) with Harri and Domenic manning your house intake.

Aberdeen and Dundee

Club: Wizard Festival After-Party
Venue: Club Snafu, Aberdeen
Date: Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August

Anyone still in need of more action after the Wizard Festival up north can head to Snafu for the weekend with their two After-Parties. On Friday Ado, Bones & Money, Krazzy Martin and special guests from the Snafu tent will keep the buzz going, and Animal Farm, Bigfoot’s, Fuad and Si Smith take the Saturday sign-off.

11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Boomin’ System
Venue: Reading Rooms, Dundee
Date: Friday 26th August

Special guest Kidkanevil stars at Boomin’ System, mixing up jazz, jungle, and hip-hop for a hefty bass blast.

Sounds like: The Electric - Toot Toot (kidkanevil remix) by kidkanevil

10.30pm-2.30am, £5

Club: Autodisco
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 27th August

Autodisco returns with more disco, electro and funk with residents Dave Autodisco and Dicky Trisco.

10.30pm-2.30am, £7 / £5 before midnight

August (Week 3) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-08-17T17:41:00.000+01:00

Julio Bashmore signing off Ultragroove

Featured Club of the Week: Ultragroove
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Date: Saturday 20th August

I’m not sure if this is the total end of Ultragroove, or if they plan to return in more blazing glory at a later date, but the club are calling it a day at the Cab after nine years as one of the helm clubs. For their final party they’ve scored Julio Bashmore, one of the hottest UK talents in deep and bass-loaded house. Support comes from The Blessings (LuckyMe), Andrew Pirie (Melting Pot), and of course resident Gareth Sommerville, spinning deep house and disco.

Sounds like:

11pm-5am, £10 / £8 students / £5 before midnight

Edinburgh

Club: Soma Records Night
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 19th August

The line-up for Soma’s 20th Anniversary party as part of the 2011 Edge Festival is looking good; including Slam, Gary Beck and Animal Farm. For a Soma fan it doesn’t matter – you’re guaranteed the freshest in house and techno beats!

Sounds like: 01 Gary Beck @ Awakenings Festival - Spaarnwoude - Netherlands 25-06-2011 by garybeck

11pm-4am, £8

Club: Wasabi Disco
Venue: Sneaky Pete’s
Date: Saturday 20th August

50% of Optimo performs 100% for Wasabi Disco this Saturday, when JD Twitch join the festival special for more mutant disco and fucked up beats.

11pm-3am, £5

Club: Mumbo Jumbo Vs Headspin
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Saturday 20th August

Two clubs join forces for extra layers of soul, funk, hip-hop, house, disco and more when Mumbo Jumbo faces the return of Headspin. DJs Allan Dunbar, Steven Austin, Colin Millar, Dava and Trendy Wendy steal a six hour all-out party.

11pm-5am, £7 / £6 / 5 before midnight

Round up

Fancied yourself a slice of Venetian history? Wee Red Bar are hosting a one-off Venetian ball, with live performances, films, installations and soundtrack. Masks are essential (Thursday 18th, 10pm-3am, £tbc). For more bass in your life, Homegrown at Sneaky Pete’s (11pm-3am, free) and Dubstar at The Store (11pm-5am, £5) for drum and bass, dubstep and grimy flavours. On Friday 19th, Four Corners draw together all the beats of the world on a funky and soulful tip at the Bongo (11pm-5am, £5 / £3 before midnight).

Glasgow

Club: Argonaut Sounds & Bass Warrior: Summer Reggae Vibes
Venue: African-Caribbean Centre
Date: Friday 19th August

What happens when two soundsystems collide? They produce mighty rumbles of reggae and dancehall of course! Argonaut and Bass Warrior team up at the re-opened Centre with low door price, and all guests can bring their own drinks (no glass)!

11pm-3am, £4

Club: The Sensu Boat Party
Venue: Glasgow Science Centre
Date: Friday 19th August

It’s the second Sensu Boat Party, so blow the cobwebs and glitter off your shipmate cap for another house and techno sailing from the Science Centre. The special guests will be Art Department aka Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White!

Sounds like: Art Department Live @ One Illusion, Hotel W, Barcelona, Sonar - 2011 by R_co

7pm-11pm, £25

More info: There will be a Sub Club afterparty from 11pm-3am, free entry with a boat ticket, or £10!

Club: Subculture
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Saturday 20th August

Subculture welcome back Dixon (Innervisions), always playing at the forefront of Berlin house music, and always cheered in the Subbie! Support comes from Harri and Domenic.

11pm-3am, £10

Club: Oh My Days
Venue: La Cheetah
Date: Saturday 20th August

Tonight is the launch night of Oh My Days, from residents Martin Moffatt and Euan Neilson, and their first guest is young talent French Fries (Young Gunz), grooving the crowd with latino-house frays. Or should that be ‘fries’.

Sounds like: Greenmoney - Into You (French Fries Remix) by MrFrenchFries

11pm-3am, £7

Round up
Bitter Glitter returns to the Polo Lounge on Thursday 18th (11pm-3am, £3) for more electronic disco and house dalliances with Madame S and Fraser Bone, and Nice ‘n’ Sleazy host Durty Booty (11.30pm-3am, £3) with DJ Otis spinning breakbeat, funky house and hip-hop. Walk n Skank hits Club 520 for their regular does of reggae, digital dub, jahtari and more (11pm-3am, £4 / £3). On Saturday 20th, Depthcharge host a Scenic Tones house special with label boss Julius Funkhouser and Tronicsole’s Steven Coyle (Ad Lib, 11pm-3am, £5), and Menergy hosts Slabs of the Tabernacle’s Brian d’Souza at the monthly italo disco and hi-nrg party, with free entry for drag queens (Stereo, 11pm-3am, £6)

Aberdeen and Dundee

Club: Chungo-Bungo & Dot to Dot
Venue: Snafu, Aberdeen
Date: Friday 19th August

Dot to Dot join forces with the Glasgow Chungo-Bungo crew for a reggae, electro, dub and dancehall special for the ‘deen. Grab your roots music fix!

Sounds like: CBPM001 - Sub Thursday by CHUNGO-BUNGO

11pm-3am, £4

Club: Bleep
Venue: Reading Rooms, Dundee
Date: Friday 19th August

Bleep return with a fresh cut of electronica beats from Light Nights, WeAreNotRobots, Steve ‘n’ Gord and UsualSuspect!

10.30pm-2.30am, £7 / £5 before 11.30am

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

2011-08-04T22:04:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: Substance
Venue: The Store, Edinburgh
Date: Saturday 6th August

Get a little techno in your life at the Festival special of Substance, spinning hard, minimal and on-trend techno. One half of Instra:mental, Boddika, joins the crew for a live set of Detroit-tinged electro and techno morphed into his own style. Support comes from Missaw, M. De Large, Dommm, Nostra Terra, and Gavin Richardson.

Sounds like: Free live 808 & 303 jam by Boddika aka.Instra:mental

10.30pm-5am, £8 / £7

Edinburgh

Club: Mad Caravan
Venue: Studio 24
Date: Friday 5th August

In this Festival special for Mad Caravan, Astroboy of Departure Lounge drops in for a set with Matei, Waapa and the Old Town Sessions, spinning gypsy and balkan beats, reggae, ska, latin and more, with live belly dancers and visuals.

11pm-3am, £6

Club: Telefunken
Venue: The Store
Date: Friday 5th August

Another Festival opening party; this time it’s Telefunken welcoming house gangster and second wave legend, DJ Sneak, to the fold for a 5am special. Grab the correct shoes for Chicago grooving and disco-filtering moves, as you need over 6 hours of maximum dancing efficiency!

Sounds like: DJ SNEAK - MIX FOR RUSSIA MASTER by dj sneak

10.30pm-5am, £12 adv

Club: Musika
Venue: Liquid Room
Date: Saturday 6th August

Next up in the opening parties is Musika and even more funky house from a three hour Sasha set, supported by live beats from Guy Gerber. For a bit of Eden quality for the proceedings, Musika are opening the garden area – idyllic for smokers and sweating dancers alike! Support comes from Derek Martin and the residents.

Sounds like: Hate love (Guy Gerber & Varoslav 106 Dalmation Version) by guygerber

10pm-5am, £16.50 adv.

Club: Devil Disco Club

Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Saturday 6th August

Devil Disco takes it deeper and a bit psychedelic with live electro-disco guest Lord of the Isles. Whether he is actually descended from an original Lord of the Isles in Scotland is up for debate, but his music as a fit for DDC is of no question. Support comes from the Trouble DJs and Giles Walker with more proto-house, NY, funk and acidic electronics.

Sounds like: Lord Of The Isles - Time Traveller ep (forthcoming on Mad On The Moon) by Lord Of The Isles

11pm-5am, £7 / £6 after midnight / £5

Round-up
Cab Vol host another Cab Vol Stars event with Picassio and Herr Flik on Friday 5th (11pm-5am, £5 / free before midnight), and Confusion is Sex take over the Bongo for techno and electro with an always themed twist (11pm-5am, £8). Bass Syndicate slam down on Sneaky Pete’s on the 6th, with electro, bass, breaks and heavy subs from G-Mac, Believe and Silver Storic (11pm-5am, £3 / £0 members), and Henry’s Cellar Bar hosts an Edinburgh Unsigned Tekno Showcase with Damaged Electronics, Alias23, Mic Sin, Stevoid and VJ Mavdog (11pm-3am, £5 / £3 before midnight) (£5 after 12). Round up with Ultragroove presents ‘House City Coalition’ with Bruce Nicholson (Moovn), Melvyn Dillon (Soulful Beats) and Stephen Rodgers (Elements of Sounds) on Saturday 6th at Cabaret Voltaire (11pm-5am, £8 / £5 students / £free before midnight).

Glasgow

Club: Rubadub is 19
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Friday 5th August

Not sure I entirely recovered from Rubadub is 18, but if you’ve got the stomach of steel for all that partying, head to the Subbie for a special performance by Chicago house legends, Virgo 4, making their live debut in Scotland. Making hit beats when I was still learning to write, they’re still rocking the dancefloors.

Sounds like: RH113-12 - Virgo Four - B2. Its a Crime by rushhourrecords

11pm-3am, £10

Round up
My, this will be a quick round-up. Glasgow is definitely looking lighter this week, but that’s probably because Edinburgh just opened up their licensing hours and capacities for the Festival. If you remain resolute to Glasgow, check out Squelch Vs Juice at the Soundhaus on Friday 5th, when two clubs go head to head for a tech-house and minimal double-team with Murfi, Baddison, Billy Shearer, Russell Carroll, Mista Fleck, Johnny Whyte, Mike Provan and more (10pm-3am, £tbc). Over at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy’s David Barbarossa’s Thing returns for two floors of disco, reggae and punk rock until 3am (11.30pm, £3), and Traktion takes Basura Blanca with guest DJ Kenny Campbell for house and techno deliverance with residents Colin Forbes and Chaz Johnston (10pm-2am, £5). On Saturday 6th Deathkill 4000 hosts their industrorock noise club with guest Kaskrute (Bloc, 10pm-3am, free).

Aberdeen

Club: Dot to Dot and Everything Else Sucks
Venue: Snafu
Date: Friday 5th August

In the EES Summer Spectacular Part 2, they follow up their slammin’ set with Drop the Lime with Foamo, star of We Love… at Space Ibiza slicing up UK garage, tech-house, with a splash of trance rises, electro and more.

Sounds like: FOAMO - CELESTIAL MIXTAPE by Foamo

11pm-3am, £7 at Resident Advisor

Club: Trash Disco
Venue: The Forum
Date: Saturday 6th August

Get a further house top-up with DJs Kev Green and Sean Lynch at Trash Disco, who are having a We Love Ibiza special.

11pm-3am, £tbc

Dundee

Club: Librarian’s Choice
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Friday 5th August

Barry on Safari is back behind the decks at Librarian’s Choice, accompanied by Fubbby for a bit of everything, from house to dnb and funk.

10.30pm -2.30am, £7 / £5 before midnight

Club: Going Back To Our Roots
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 6th August

Ah the 90s… dancing to 20 Fingers and Prodigy at the primary school disco (always wondered how the DJ got away with it). If you fancy reliving your version of the early 90s, head to Going Back To Our Roots with a third birthday house special with the residents.

(I hope it) Sounds like:

10.30pm-2.30am, £10

Free tunes: Mondkopf

2011-08-04T14:15:00.000+01:00

Really digging Mondkopf this year, and awaiting his album, Rising Doom, due October 3rd. Imagine Lo-Quality's delight when he decided to give one of the tracks for his upcoming release away for free!

Grab 'Song of Shadows' here, and stay tuned to his website, In Paradisum. You can also catch Mondkopf in Glasgow on 17th of September 2011, live at The Arches - more info on that soon. All gig details, releases, mixes and more are also available from In Paradisum.

Taste the dark and beautiful electronica beats!

Oh, and enjoy his recent podcast for UK mag, Clash.

Clash Music DJ Podcast by Mondkopf on Mixcloud

Free tunes: Kelevra

2011-08-04T13:57:00.000+01:00

The free samples just keep coming! Next up on Aquasky's Monster Sounds label in conjunction with Loopmasters is Kelevra with jackin' tech and electro house. Grab your free samples and the promo mix, below.

10 free samples and a demo track available here:

Kelevra 'Jackin Tech House' - Free Samples And Demo! by Monster Sounds

Exclusive ‘Project BlueBeam’ Mix:
Kelevra 'Project BlueBeam' - Monster Sounds Mix 2011 by Monster Sounds
Download HERE

Track list
1: The Squatters ‘Mindsweeper (Black Noise Mix) – Champion
2: Kelevra Vs. Slave 2 Disco ‘So Cold’ ft. Pete Miles – Passenger
3: Jaimie Fanatic ‘Reprogrammed (Jay Robinson & Figure Mix) – Wearhouse
4: 601 ‘Brothers & Sisters’ – Passenger
5: Foreign Beggars ‘Still Getting It’ ft. Skrillex – Never Say Die
6: Aquasky ‘Take Me There’ ft. Diane Charlemagne – Passenger
7: Hostage ‘Energise’ – Part Like Us
8: 601 ‘Space Fury’ - Passenger

Kelevra lowdown from Monster Sounds:

Loopmasters and Monster Sounds are proud to release a fresh collection of sounds from the studio of Kelvera for producers of Jackin, Tech and Electro House music. Kelevra is a name that most people are now familiar with and if not by name then very likely due to his incredible productions and focus. He spearheaded the Jackin House scene and dabbled in the Fidget scene when it first evolved. During this era he created the Fidget Kingdom label and stamped his authority all over it with the labels debut release ‘Jak Music’ which he wrote alongside Whiskey Pete. The tunes kept on coming with cutting edge guests such as Micky Slim, Moston & Malente, Aniki, Klaus Hill, Jaimie Fanatic, Bill Eff, Breakdown and of course himself and Whiskey Pete. Over the past few years Kelevra has been pushing the bassline sound of house music through a wide variety of labels such as Wearhouse Music, Potty Mouth and Passenger and has been fortunate enough to have collaborated and remixed such artists as Bam Bam, Aquasky, Miles Dyson, DJ Dan, Blake Miller, Niki Belucci, Sharooz, Black Noise, Will Bailey, Hatiras and MC Flipside.

But he isn’t just a lover of the bassline... he is also heavily involved in the bumpin’ stripped back Tech House movement and has recently created the alias Temple Of Boom to really showcase this side of his production. And it is between these two posts, the rugged bassline energy of Kelevra past and the Jackin Tech House of Kelevra / Temple Of Boom future that we delve into his first sample pack for Monster Sounds under the tutoring of the scenes leader Loopmasters.

Jackin Tech House weighs in at an impressive 940MB and includes 780 24Bit samples, with 282 Loops between 125 – 128 Bpm, and 500 One Shot Samples. If you like to program your own parts you will be glad to hear that we have included 100 ready to play patches for Halion, EXS, Kontakt, SFZ and Reason NNXT Soft Samplers. Apple Loops, Reason Refill and Ableton Live versions are also available to purchase separately.

In detail this excellent sample pack includes 62 Bass Loops, 129 Split and Layered Drum Loops, 9 Guitar Loops, 52 Inspirational Music Loops, 30 Vocal Loops, 158 Single Shot Drum Samples, 34 Bass Hits, 13 Bass Multisamples, 34 Fx Sounds, 21 Sub Bass Samples, 12 Synth Multisamples, 19 Vocal One Shots, 112 Vocal Stabs and Phrases, plus 10 ready to play Drum Kits.

Kelevra presents Jackin Tech House is a heavy dose of fine productions skills from the mind of a scene leader. And keeping with the Monster Sounds artist release formula this pack features a guest vocalist from California by the name of Tory Davis.

July (Week 5) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-07-29T16:07:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: Electric Frog Summer Festival

Venue: SWG3
Date: Saturday 30th July

The slimmed down Electric Frog festival returns with a killer line-up spreading over eight hours: Dubfire, Nitzer Ebb, Marc Houle, DJ Funk, Karotte, Optimo, Instra:mental, Pro Vinylist Karim, Orde Meikle of Slam, and Graeme Reedie of Silicone Soul. Bought your ticket yet?

Sounds like:

3pm-11pm, £22.50

More info: Get to the After-Party special at Subculture (Sub Club), kicking off at 11pm-3am, free / £10 after midnight

Edinburgh

Club: Sugarbeat
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 29th July

Lincoln-based Urchins join the Utah Saints to infect the floor with their bright and upbeat African-style electro, house and techno, while the Saints deliver extra toppings of bass and breaks.

Sounds like:
XYLOPHOBE EP - OUT NOW ON CHEAPER THRILLS by urchins

11pm-3am, £6

Club: Karnival
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Saturday 30th July

Lutzenkirchen joins the Karnival and Rockness DJ competition winner RYZO for this always festive crowd, spinning live electro-techno onslaughts. RYZO aka Ryan Cass supports with his brand of tech-house, bringing you the sounds of Galashiels!

Sounds like:
Dema & Paride Saraceni - Alarm (Lutzenkirchen Superdub Remix) [Feierkind] by Lützenkirchen

11pm-3am, £12

Club: Playdate
Venue: Sneaky Pete’s
Date: Saturday 30th July

Benedict Bull, half of Skull Juice, joins Playdate for a special guest set of electrofied house, with support from leftfield-loving residents Steven and Stewart.

Sounds like:

Best Supporting Actress Mix by Benedict Bull on Mixcloud

11pm-3am, £3 / members free

Round up
Dr No’s returns after a loooong break, hitting Henry’s Cellar bar on Friday 29th (11pm-3am, £5/£4) for a return to dancehall, 60s ska, reggae and rocksteady, while dubstep and dnb dominate at The Store’s Hush Hush (11pm-3am, £tbc). LuckyMe return to Edinburgh the same night with special guest Ben UFO joining The Blessings and Éclair FiFi (11pm-3am, £5) supplying dark swathes of dubstep and hip-hop at Sneaky Pete’s. Belgian disco merchants Villa debut at Hawke and Hunter’s Heavy Gossip on Saturday 30th, with support from Craig Smith and Nick Yuill (Green Room, 10pm-3am, £10 / £8 before midnight). Over at the Bongo Club, Big ‘n’ Bashy throw down the grime, jungle and reggae from 11pm-3am (£4), and Chris Colburn headlines The Store’s Gravity with techno and house (11pm-3am, £8 / £6). Club 10-86 also host a techno special with guest Jon Rundell and Bulletdodge Records at The Lane (10.30pm-3am, £5 / free before midnight). End the weekend with Dirt-E-Stop-Out at The Store with chunky house and funk (11pm-3am, £3 / £2) on Sunday 31st.

Glasgow

Club: Highlife
Venue: The Arches
Date: Friday 29th July

Start your Friday with Nicolas Jaar and Valentin Stip playing this special live gig at the Arches for some full on melancholia dub. Highlife DJs (Huntleys and Palmers and Brian d’Souza) and Esa from Subculture support with a continued afterparty.

Sounds like:
CS006 Valentin Stip - Anytime Will Do EP by Clown and Sunset

10pm-3am, £8

Club: Mondo Scuro
Venue: Nice 'n' Sleazy
Date: Friday 29th July

Right, had to write this one up, as it’s described as ‘occult sexmusic for insomniacs’. I thought that’s what all clubbing music was, so I’m curious as to how they’ve ramped it into the occult. Featuring live music from dirty electric-weirdos Organs of Love and DJ support from GK Machine.

11pm-3am, £3

Club: Stay Plasic Vs Jelly Roll Soul
Venue: La Cheetah
Date: Friday 29th July

Another union of clubs has given birth to a Detroit house guest spot, this time Marcellus Pittman of supergroup 3 Chairs arrives in Glasgow courtesy of Stay Plastic and Jelly Roll Soul. With support from Wardy and Avant Radge.

Sounds like: http://soundcloud.com/marcellus-pittman/03-track-3

11pm-3am, £10

Club: Skweee in July
Venue: Stereo
Date: Saturday 30th July

Very little skweee hits the usual club circuit round these parts, especially as the reigning genre, so get your fix at this apropos night featuring a live set from Ben Butler and Mouse Pad member Bastian, with Wavy Graves supporting. Experience electronic funk, synthpop and skweee delights.

Sounds like:
Kalim-ba by Ben Butler & Mousepad

11pm-3am, £4

Round up
Dum Dum returns to Bacchus with more IDM and experimental electro and techno, with live guests Skeksi, S>>D, Konx-Om-Pax, and residents Stochastic and Ian Wilson supporting (Friday 29th, 10pm-3am, £6). Made to Play’s Riva Starr guests at How's Your Party? With HaHaHa for another funky mash at Sub Club on the same evening (11pm-3am, £8 / £6 before midnight), and Piece Together invite Japanese Popstars for a guest electro appearance at Chambre 69 (11pm-3am, £10 / £8 adv).

Saturday is a packed one in Glasgow – starting with a lighter, student-edged mash up of electro and pop at New Life, with guests Betatone Distraction, The Great I Am and Phiktion (10pm-3am, £tbc / free before midnight), and On Air continue their Saturday takeover of chicagohousefm.com with Derrick Burns (Alt), Pasty 32 (In About It), Stuart Holbeck (SloMo), 54th & West and Lach (Fiasco), spinning all the strands of house (Bacchus, 10pm-3am, £tbc). Slabs of the Tabernacle host their summer party with I-F’s Parallax Corporation partner, Intergalactic Gary and Mathematics Recordings’ John Heckle debuting live. Acid, techno, italo, house and more will shake the Big Joint with residents Andrew Ingram and the Slabs team (9pm-4am, £10). Over at La Cheetah, Banjax returns with special guest Hektor Ruiez of Stick 430, joining Dave Shades, Tommy & McGarvatron, and Data Rape shaking your body with acidic-tinged techno and rave (11pm-3am, £5). Finish off on Sunday 31st with hard electro project Modulate at the Classic Grand from 7pm, on the last night of their international tour (Till 10pm, £8)

Aberdeen

Club: Dot to Dot
Venue: Snafu
Date: Friday 29th July

It’s a big one over at Dot to Dot with their Everything Else Sucks summer spectacular, with Drop the Lime, Bones & Money and support from Krazzy Martin. It’ll be an interesting one, blending rockabilly, techno, house, and more in one session.

Sounds like:
Drop The Lime - DJ Mixes by Drop The Lime

11pm-3am, £7

Dundee

Club: Librarian's Choice
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Friday 29th July

Librarian’s Choice returns with Ken Swift and Bruce Anderson playing a mixed bag of genres; great for the eclectics.

10.30pm-2.30am, £tbc

Club: Autodisco
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 30th July

Pete Herbert guests at Autodisco, for a rich slather of electronic disco grooves topped with Balearic beats and house.

Sounds like:
Los Charly's Orchestra 'Disco Gamma' Pete Herbert remix by pete herbert

10.30pm-2.30am, £10

Free tunes: NineLives The Cat, Organ Donors, and Baker Brothers

2011-07-26T20:38:00.000+01:00

As promised, here's even more free promos from the Monster Sounds stable - get stuck in!

Available for free:

Promo mix from NineLives The Cat - 'Last Minute Thing' (Monster Sounds Mix 2011)

Mini-Bio: Dan Walker aka NineLives The Cat has worked his way thrugh house and breakbeat, collaborating with the likes of Rennie Pilgrim and Kevelera, who appears on the Monster Pro Sounds series later in the year. He is also a member of punk thrash rap group, The Deathset, signed to Ninja Tune.

NineLives The Cat 'Last Minute Thing' - Monster Sounds Mix 2011 - download! by Monster Sounds

and download here

Track List
1) NineLives The Cat Strikes Back - NineLives The Cat feat "Bathroom Sexxx"
2) Three Point Mash Up - NineLives The Cat
3) Let Me In - NineLives The Cat
4) NYCDIY - Franci$co feat "NineLives The Cat" (Crooklyn Static rerub)
5) Everytime I Need You Tonite - NineLives The Cat vs INXS vs Illeist Collective
6) Girls - NineLives The Cat
7) Cat Nip Tuck - NineLives The Cat (Manmade Mash Up)
8) Crash Test Kitten - NineLives The Cat feat "Kitten"
9) Let It Blow - NineLives The Cat
10) Distressed - The Death Set (NineLives The Cat remix)
11) We Don't Give a Fuck - Ninja Sonik feat "Johnny Nelson", "NineLives The Cat" and "Trouble Andrew" (ZAP! POW! DIE! remix)
12) Party Pooper - Ninja Sonik/Roofeeo feat "SBeezee", "NineLives The Cat" and "Spankrock"
13) Aint No Disco Music - Kelevra feat "NineLives The Cat" - (ZAP! POW! DIE! remix)
14) That Girl Trouble - Costello feat "NineLives The Cat"
15) NYCDIY - Franci$co feat "NineLives The Cat" - (ZAP! POW! DIE! remix)

Promo mix from Organ Donors (Monster Sounds Mix 2011)

Organ Donors 'Monster Sounds Mix 2011' - download by Monster Sounds

and download here

Track List
01: Golden Coast (Scott Project Rmx) Organ Donors 'Mash Up'
02: Rank 1 (Mr Sam Rmx)
03: Elrich & Plaice 'Bitter Sweet'
04: Marc Simz 'Forbidden City'
05: Urry Fefe love & Arabammassi 'Autobahn
06: Liam Howells 'OddBall'
07: Steve Angello 'Rave N Roll' (Organ Donors Klack N Roll Facelift Mix)
08: Organ Donors 'Human Traffic' Teaser
09: Bk & Lee Haslem 'Infectious'
10: Technical 'The Ritual' (BK Rmx) (Organ Donors Quick Edit)
11: Neal Thomas 'The Virus' (Organ Donors Virus Slut Mash Up)
12: Afrojack 'Pacha On Acid' (Organ Donors Renagade Rip Up)
13: Luca Antolini 'Lost In Time'
14: Luca Antolini 'Harmony of Universe'
15: Public Domain 'Separate Your Senses'
16: Public Domain 'Separate Your Senses' (Neal Thomas Rmx)
17: Leon B 'Night Breed' (Organ Donors Edit)
18: Organ Donors 'New Era' (Kamui Rmx)
19: BRK3 'FR33'
20: Organ Donors 'Moogerfoogin'
21: BRK3 'C4UTION'
22: ASYS 'ACID ZOMBIE'
23: Luca Antolini vs Deadmau5 (Donors Wrong Chords Surgical Mix)
24: Mark Young & Derek Jones 'Dusk Till Dawn' ( Dj Activator Rmx)

10 free samples and a demo track from Organ Donors, 'Future Hard Dance':

Organ Donors - 'Future Hard Dance' - Free Samples And Demo! by Monster Sounds

Promo funk mix from the Baker Brothers' 'Monster Sounds Mix 2011'

The Baker Brothers 'Funk Sessions - Monster Sounds Mix' 2011 by Monster Sounds

and download here

Track List
1 - The Mexican
2 - Maid Of Mars
3 - Paste
4 - Feeding Freddie
6 - Space Funk
7 - The Young Patter
8 - Make Your Move
9 - All Baked Out

10 free samples and a demo track from the Funk Sessions Vol 1 and Vol 2!

The Baker Brothers 'Funk Sessions Vol. 1' - Free Samples And Demo! by Monster Sounds

and download here

Free tunes: Carl Taylor - Perplexer and Violet

2011-07-25T20:29:00.000+01:00

We start off the week with three slices of techno from Carl Taylor, ahead of his LP on EPM Music. The triple tribal whammy includes a remix by Orlando Voorn. Enjoy!

The blurb from EPM:

Ahead of his new artist album for EPM Music, Carl Taylor delivers two new productions ‘Perplexer’ (accompanied by a remix from Orlando Voorn) and ‘Violet’.

South Yorkshire’s Carl Taylor grew up surrounded by funk (his father was a Soul DJ), acquired his own decks at 14 and his first synth (a Roland) at 16. He has been DJing for 12 years and released on labels like Bugged Out, F-Comm, Dust Science, Advanced and F1 Recordings, not to mention his Warehouse Trax series, plus remixes for artists like Laurent Garnier, The Black Dog & Chris Cowie.

Carl’s tracks plug straight into your core, from the pulsating beats and tribal rhythms on ‘Perplexer’ to the melodic synths of ‘Violet’, he infuses raw organic emotion into his music, making dancefloor Techno with strength and feeling.

Acclaimed Dutch producer, Orlando Voorn has been at the top of his game for many years now with his consistently high quality releases. The man who also brought us works as Nighttripper, Basic Bastard and Fix (with the timeless ‘Flash’) continues to impress here, upping the tempo for his shakedown of ‘Perplexer’.

Look out for Carl’s new album later this year on EPM Music.

Carl Taylor "Perplexer / Violet" (EPM Music) by epm-music

Released: 25th July 2011

Free tunes: Aquasky and Loopmasters present.... Monster Sounds!

2011-07-23T19:11:00.000+01:00

If you haven't already heard of sample label, Monster Sounds, born out a collaboration between Aquasky and Loopmasters, now's the time to start getting interested if you're looking for that royalty-free edge and talent for your productions! Starting with Black Noise aka Aquasky's alter-ego and 'Warehouse' back in March, the collection has steamed through productions from The Baker Brothers, Sy & Unknown, the Organ Donors, and now the Monster Sounds Pro Series, 'East Coast Rap Pack'.

The lowdown:

Brent from Aquasky explains, “There will be two levels to what Monster Sounds is about. Firstly presenting a fantastic line up of some of the very best musicians/producers that we know. Secondly to offer packs designed for the working producer that concentrate on key instrumentation or vocalisation, a staple for any professional recording studio.”

Monster Sounds aims to provide inspirational royalty free audio content for music producers and DJ’s alike. Incorporating pro Sessions from well-known artists or tailoring specific musical and vocal content for the professional recording studio.

And with that, here's 'New York Rap Acapellas Vol 1' for the "professional and the bedroom producer", created with MCs NineLives The Cat (Brooklyn MC and member of punk-rap group The Deathset), Telle Gramz aka Bathroom Sexxx (Ninja Sonik), and Pablo Pleeeez!!! (Boy N Girl). The vocal performances are designed to fit with a range of styles, so manipulate at your will!

You can grab 10 free samples for download now as well as a demo track for inspiration:

New York Rap Acapellas - Free Samples And Demo! by Monster Sounds

The technical part:
The pack weighs in at 750MB and includes 484 Rap Samples recorded in pristine 24 Bit. You get 303 Loops between 96 – 140 Bpm, and 181 Single Shot vocals. Also included are 5 ready to play patches packed with the vocal one shots for Reason NNXT, Halion, EXS, SFZ and Kontakt soft samplers. Apple Loops, Reason Refill and Ableton Live versions are also available to purchase separately.

Stay tuned to Lo-Quality Music for even more free samples and promo mixes from the Monster Sounds collective, starting next week!

Upcoming Releases

Monster Sounds Pro Series presents: East Coast Rap Pack: July 8th
Kelevra ‘Jackin Tech House’: July 29th
Lee Mortimer’s Bass House: August 19th
Funk Bass Vol.1: September 9th
Dirty South Rap Pack: September 23rd
Kanji Kinetic ‘Mutant Bass’: October 21st
Aquasky: November 11th
Colin Dale: December 2nd

http://soundcloud.com/monstersoundspro
http://www.aquasky.co.uk/
http://www.loopmasters.com/
http://www.facebook.com/loopmasters
http://twitter.com/loopmasters
http://www.twitter.com/Monster_Sounds

July (Week 4) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-07-22T16:39:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: The Sensu Boat Party
Venue: Glasgow Science Centre and Sub Club
Date: Friday 22nd July

Kicking off at 7pm, the Sensu Summer Boat Party sails through Glasgow pumping a live Detroit-flavoured techno set from Visionquest (Lee Curtiss, Shaun Reeves and Ryan Crosson, but sadly without Seth Troxler), and ports at 11pm, in time for the afterparty at Sub Club, with free entry for shipmates. Visionquest continue to slam it at the Sub, and for the non-seaworthy, you can buy tickets for the afterparty separately.

Sounds like:
Visionquest (Shaun Reeves & Lee Curtiss) - Fabric Promo Mix - 28-02-2011 by R_co

Boat Party: 7pm-11pm, £25 Afterparty: 11pm-3am, £12

Edinburgh

Club: StepBack
Venue: Wee Red Bar
Date: Friday 22nd July

For the StepBack posse’s third birthday party, they invite Maxx Maxxa, Beefy, Hammy, DJ Beeds and Fred Lemon to join Wolfjazz and Eclair Fi Fi for another cramming of big techno, electro, dubstep, house and disco beats into the Wee Red.

10.30pm-3am, £4 / £2

Club: Elementary
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 22nd July

Elementary host a ‘Sunglasses Party’ special with Anarkid, Maestro MB, Thatkid and Soul Jam Hot spinning house, techno, electro, breaks and even more crossovers, to a presumably sightless, but sun-ready crowd. Lo-Quality’s brother is one the DJs, so of course the night needs a good plug. Residents Andy Hardie and Prof support.

11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Sub: Tremorz
Venue: Liquid Room
Date: Saturday 23rd July

New club Sub: Tremorz launches at the Liquid Room, hailing the arrival of a new dnb supporter. Their first event is a fundraiser for Children First, and they’ve called in the heavy bassline artillery; boss of V Records, Bryan G, Kenny Ken, Bladerunner, Harry Shotta and David Boomah (live).

Sounds like: DAVID BOOMAH - WHY THEY WANNA - V RECORDINGS PLV019 by VRECORDS

10pm-3am, £10

Club: Definition
Venue: Sneaky Pete’s
Date: Saturday 23rd July

Playing two nights in a row, Alex Smoke comes to Definition for a live set of minimal cuts and clicks journeying through a techno, house and electro mainframe. Residents Mark Balneaves and Martin Lightbody support.

Sounds like: Melodic by alexsmoke

11pm-3am, £5 adv

More info: You can also catch Alex Smoke at a special Hum & Haw Presents event at La Cheetah on Friday 22nd July, in Glasgow. 11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Sounds of Soul
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Saturday 23rd July

Jay Roberton (aka Aqua Bassino) headlines Sounds of Soul with deep house grooves, and The Ladies on Rotation DJs (Simmone Black, Jo Myles, Nicki Lowdown, Blonde Flash and Isla Blige) spin funk, disco, house, and soul.

10.30pm-3am, £7 / £5

Round up
Xplicit host another fantastic £1 summer special of drum and bass, dubstep and subs on Friday 22nd (Bongo Club, 11pm-3am), and for all your 2-tone and ska needs, head to Lucky 7 at Studio 24 with Tall Paul on the 23rd (10pm-3am, £5 / £2 before 11pm). The Bongo Club host a Bubble DJs takeover in the upstairs room, with Pure DJ, Brainstorm on the 23rd (11pm-3am, 11pm-3am, £7 / £6) for a mix of old school and new school rhythms. Check out Pet Rescue at The Store on Saturday (11pm-3am, £tbc) to round off with techno, minimal and house.

Glasgow

Club: Menergy
Venue: Stereo
Date: Saturday 23rd July

Check out the Alternative Gay Pride live drag dance party, hosted by the fabulous Lady Munter and featuring house music from Jon Pleased Wimmin and Fraser Bone.

11pm-3am, £6

Club: Only Fools and House
Venue: Flat 0/1
Date: Friday 22nd July

Get your fix for NY and Chicago house, 80s electro and italo disco from Only Fools and House as Tom, Anton and Ewan spin the vinyls.

11pm-3am, free

Round up
Grab your Sound night on Friday 22nd at Club 520, with Dave Sinclair (Killer Kitsch), Wee Cheesy and more for a varied electronic line-up (11pm-3am, £6 / £5). And if you need something much harder, A Night of Madness throws a hardcore special with Mad Dog, Unexist, Negative-A, Anime, Alien-T and Obsession at the Soundhaus on 23rd July (9pm-3am, £15), but you can slip over to Cry Parrot at Nice’n’Sleazy’s for lighter disco, post-punk and more, if you can’t take the heaviness (11pm-3am, £3). Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova deliver another free edition of Power Tools at Flat 0/1 on the 23rd to screwdrive your brain cells with disco, italo and house (11pm-3am).

Aberdeen

Club: Dot to Dot
Venue: Snafu
Date: Friday 22nd July

Check out the Tuff Wax label party with Lockah, Bones & Money, Grobbie and Yoin, launching the limited edition Truth Series, driving a hip-hop and dubstep direction!

Sounds like: Aberdeen Truth: Dubplate Mix by Bones & Money by Tuff Wax Records

11pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Majestik Terrace Party
Venue: Revolution / Snafu
Date: Saturday 23rd July

Your regular date with Majestik and Mothership hovers into sight again, this time starting at 12.30pm on a (hopefully) sunny afternoon at Revolution, complete with BBQ. Featuring Andy Buchan & Mike Jameson b2b, Kev Cruickshank / Trigo, 2 Tone, Scott Shand, Dex, and special guest Simon Smith of Mothership, the Majestik crew warm up the day with tech-house beats, before the afterparty at Snafu with Mothership.

Sounds like: simonwsmith mothership mix one 02.11 by sismith

12.30pm-1am, £tbc / Afterparty: 11pm-3am, £tbc

More info: Passes for free entry to the afterparty will be available from the terrace.

Dundee

Club: Librarian's Choice
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Friday 22nd July

This week the Librarian’s Choice is DJs Diabeatic and 54th & West, the latter production duo bringing you deep house and disco cuts from Glasgow to get Dundee dancing.

10.30pm-3am, £tbc

Club: Beartrap
Venue: Kage
Date: Friday 22nd July

For something a bit more beard-strokery, head to Beartrap for art rock, post punk, indie and more from DJs Kris and Mike.

11pm-tbc, £4

Edinburgh Total Fail

2011-07-20T21:33:00.001+01:00

Brothel Broke? The sluttiest girl? I could even let a crude pimps and ho's night slide, but having watched the City nightclub's lecherous clientele rutting against walls for non-themed nights, I can't help but think encouraging young females to reveal even more for braying crowds is a slip too far into exploitation.

Full story here

Managing to rile up sex workers and students with your club night? Total Fail.

UPDATE: Thanks to the quick thinking of Arron Ashton, the now deleted Facebook logs have been archived. Here are some choice quotes that blew the story from a poorly-informed choice to a raging argument on the social networking site, and ended up landing it in national papers.

In response to someone agreeing with the Edinburgh University Students' Association president saying that celebrating prostitution is not a good publicity stunt:

"LOL - that's so gay. Not the "EUSA PRESIDENT". He's not Barrack [sic] Obama, he put a few posters up round Potterow so his other gimpy mates like yourself could give him a meaningless title to put on his CV so he can tell "the man" he's organised a few pyjama parties in Teviot to prove he has 'people skills'. Was he also head prefect at school??

"Asking your mates to back you up on a Facebook wall for a harmless clubnight because term's ended and you've got nothing left to protest about... calm yourself down you fussing fishwife."

And in response to the original post by the EUSA president, Matt McPherson:

"Get off your high horse, sort your patter out and consider getting a job with your evidently useless degree so you have something better to spend your time doing."

Maybe next time, don't try to set up a meat stall in a venue actually located on Market Street, dictating a false image of sex workers, and then antagonising your target clientele.

July (Week 3) Clubbing Listings: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee

2011-07-14T17:09:00.000+01:00

Featured Club of the Week: Subculture
Venue: Sub Club
Date: Saturday 16th July

Lil Louis is somewhat of a Higgs Boson particle for house music, playing an intergral part in its conception and progression in Chicago; so, it’s very fitting that Subculture - the home of Glasgow house - has him headlining this week’s event with resident Harri. If you caught Louis at their 2010/2011 NY party, you’ve probably already bought the ticket.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £10 / free before midnight

Edinburgh

Club: Axis
Venue: Cabaret Voltaire
Date: Friday 15th July

Axis invite Edinburgh duo Attic Kings to headline the evening with Hot Knives, Shaun Johnston, Slikk Mick, and Tony Nicol. Attic Kings have been popping up on remixing duties for a variety of productions, including hooking up with Calvertron to mutate Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair into a dubstep-dnb-pop grinder.

Sounds like:

11pm-3am, £5

Club: Soulsville
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Friday 15th July

If you haven’t got a time machine, Soulsville will do just fine for a snippet of 40s and 50s ‘clubbing’, featuring Tsatsu and DJ Red 6 playing soul, funk, rock, doo-wop and more, to the backdrop of live dancers.

11pm-3am, £5

Club: Fever & Lovechild
Venue: Liquid Room
Date: Saturday 16th July

Lovechild resident Tony English headlines Fever in a Lovechild Edinburgh debut of the “gay clubbing sensation”. Lizzie French joins Tony for a live vocal performance, and Edinburgh’s Fisher & Price spin house, tribal, electro, and bulked up beats.

Sounds like: Tony English feat Kaysee - Lovechild (preview clip low res) by Tony English

10.30pm-3am, £10

Club: Messenger Sound System
Venue: Bongo Club
Date: Saturday 16th July

Saturday sees the ‘Sweet Sounds of the King’ Rastafari Birthday Salute at Messenger, celebrating (I assume) Haile Selassie I, former Emperor of Ethiopia, and believed to be the God-king of the Rastafaris. Reggae, dubplates, roots and steppin’ tunes are directed by resident MC Ras Echo.

11pm-3am, £7 / £6 before midnight

Round-up

Start the weekend with a free dose of Animal Hospital, spinning minimal techno at Sneaky Pete’s on Thurs 14th July (11pm-3am), and follow it up on Saturday with more free action at the Spider’s Web with Anagram; mixing techno, punk, acid, tribal and more with Steev-e and Kol (7.30pm-1am). It’s All Good returns to The Store on 16th July (10.30pm-3am, £5/£3 before midnight) for more funky house and electro, while Ultragroove dominate Cab Vol with another house onslaught (11pm-3am, £8/£6). If you prefer a dash of cosmic to your house, you can catch Wasabi Disco at Sneaky Pete’s on the same evening (11pm-3am, £3/£0 members) for more punk and disco journeys through the cosmos.

Glasgow

Club: Walk n Skank
Venue: Club 520
Date: Thursday 14th July

The Mixkings join Mungo’s Hi Fi again for their official Scottish club, Walk n Skank, the Glasgow linchpin in their world tour schedule. Dubstep, reggae, roots, dubplates, and thunderous bass blast the soundsystem rig!

Sounds like: Mungo's Hi Fi feat. Soom T - Roll it by mungoshifi

11pm-3am, £4 / £3

Club: Death Disco
Venue: The Arches
Date: Satuday 16th July

Electro luvvie Uffie guests live at Death Disco for the ultimate disco, house, and electro showdown, supported by residents Hush Puppy, Josh Jones and Wavy Graves

Sounds like:
Uffie - ADD SUV feat. Pharrell Williams by Uffie

11pm-3am, £14 / £7 if on DD mailing list

Club: Uberfest III
Venue: Soundhaus
Date: Saturday 16th July

Have a spare 12 hours on Saturday? Soundhaus host Uberfest III, with Animal Farm, Impact, FreshLick, Up4it, Froot, Monkey Biz, Impact, Diversify, Camouflage, Desert Storm, Pussypower, Squelch, Sector Events, Girobabies, Jo Darc, Sam Ryan and more, jostling the genres of all dance music. There’s even the Na Fir Klis fire show, a BBQ (presumably not the result of the fire show), live bands and vintage stalls.

3pm-3am, £10 / £7 adv or before 8pm

Club: Code
Venue: La Cheetah
Date: Saturday 16th July

Tommy Four Seven returns to Code for a bit of Berghain techno on the deep and moody tip to push the party launch at Code’s new venue. Support comes from resident Nick M.

Sounds like: TRACK 5 by tommyfourseven

11pm-3am, £10 / £7 adv.

Round up

London meets Glasgow with this special hip-hop event at Stereo on Friday 15th July (7pm-1am, £7), featuring Dirty Bike, Jam Baxter & Sammy B-Side, The Being Emcees, and Tongue Acrobats, with Glasgow team DJs Krash Slaughta and the Homebass DJs supporting. Over at Blackfriars Basement, Dirty Beautiful Science blast the glitch, electro, dubstep, and techno through residents Vik Vector, The Black Prince and AlessioOo (11pm-3am, £3), and then on 16th July Power Tools enter Flat 0/1 for more italo disco (11pm-3am, free). On Air return for another date with chicagohousefm.com on Saturday 16th July, with Chris Harris (Moskito), Chris Mac (Flatpack Trax), Rebecca Vasmant, Mark Shand (Moskito) and Pete Baker (Fiasco) for jacking and deep tech-house (Bacchus, 10pm-3am, £tbc). End the weekend with Quids In at the Buff Club on Sunday 17th if you need to recoup your weekend’s spend – besides their disco, funk and electro grooves, you can win the door fees! (11pm-3am, £1)

Aberdeen

I seemed to have a minor brain glitch last week, and posted this week’s events as last week’s. Here they are again!

Club: Dot to Dot presents Liebe
Venue: Snafu
Date: Friday 15th July

This week sees Lunik and Scislowski showcasing their sounds for Liebe at Dot to Dot; Lunik has worked her way through the clubbing scene to become a Snafu resident with her brand of tech-house and minimal, and has been picked up as one to watch by Radio One’s Huw Stephens.

Sounds like: Beauty and the Beats by Lunik

11pm-3am, £4 / free before 12.30am

Club: Mothership and Majestik
Venue: Snafu and The Athenaeum
Date: Saturday 16th July

Kick off with the Mothership pre-party at Majestik with Andy Buchan, Kev Reid, 2Tone and special guests spinning tech-house and disco (with discount passes for Snafu from the DJ booth) and continue onwards to Snafu for Mothership at 11pm for even more jackin’ house.

9pm-3am, £6 / free before midnight

Dundee

Club: United in House
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Saturday 16th July

Bringing together a range of clubs from around the country, United in House is Plastic Soul, Spektrum, Glitch and more, furiously spinning in aid of Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre in Dundee.

7pm-2.30am, £7

Club: Librarian's Choice
Venue: Reading Rooms
Date: Friday 15th July

This week’s adventure features Reading Room residents Ado and Clouds going back to back, with Is_Kill from the Book Club supporting.

Sounds like: Urchins - Whispers (Ados space 3,000,000 mix) by ado_

10.30pm-2.30am, £tbc

Vinyl and Digital Reviews: William Breakspear, 2D, Tim Healey and Freear

2011-07-09T17:48:00.000+01:00

More reviews from our writer Marc Reck, looking at the freshest glitch hop and dubstep releases!

Glitch Hop

William Breakspear Feat. Credit To The Nation & Georgina Upton – Innovation (Alternate Version) (Rocstar)

Massive catchy funky glitch hop from the consistently quality Rocstar recordings, with a debut release for William Breakspear, featuring none other than Fusion from the legendary Credit To The Nation on mic duty, and the delectable Liverpool and Birmingham-based vocalist, Georgina Upton. This one has a nice solid glitch-hop groove with some bass wobble carrying the choice lyrics through effortlessly. One which should appeal to a very wide range of tastes.

Release date: 3rd July 2011

Dubstep

2D – Voodoo Night/Smokerz/Definition Of (Resin Records)

Reggae meets dubstep in a brilliant way that should appeal to fans of both genres. Been loving 2D’s sound ever since I heard him and this new one doesn't fail to disappoint. All the tracks on the EP feature his trademark reggae sound and filthy, yet laidback, bass. Set for release and definitely one to get when it drops.

Release date: Coming Soon

Tim Healey vs Freq House feat Loc-e & Pippa Trix – Resistance (Mark Instinct Remix) (Surfer Rosa)

Dubstep heavy-weight Mark Instinct delivers relentless filth broken only by snippets of a stuttered Pippa Trix vocal and a short foray into Loc-e. If you like your dubstep pummelled you’ll love this.

Release date: 4th July 2011

Freear & Ekaj – Gizmo Stomp (Snareophobe Remix) (Ape Recordings)

Very chuffed to see this released as Mike is a diamond geezer and the track is massive. With not one but two remix packages (each containing a host of huge remixes) it's set to do very well on the consistently quality Ape Label. There's loads of great remixes to choose from, from artists such as the Freerange DJs, Jinx In Dub, Ash Howell, Jefr Tale & Ben Tomlinson who all take Gizmo Stomp into new breaks, dubstep and drumstep arenas. But it's this snareophobe remix that I’ve been dropping of late and really pushes the nasty edge into filthy territories. Still climbing the beatport charts, it's a must buy purchase (and if you fancy a listen you can now hear it on Mr Elephant Radio Show 37).

Release date: Out now

Available to buy: