John Digweed, Timo Maas and Hot Chip lined up for Musika third birthday

Source: The List (Issue 649)
Date: 3 February 2010
Written by: David Pollock

For Derek Martin, promoter of Edinburgh house and electro clubbing brand Musika, the fire which has temporarily put the city’s Liquid Room venue out of action represents an opportunity more than it does a setback. Musika’s residency there wasn’t even two years old when the fire struck, but rather than put it on ice, he’s spent the time since putting on bigger parties with bigger guests around the city.

Having already promoted Musika nights at Cabaret Voltaire, Ocean Terminal and a recent New Year bash at the HMV Picture House, this will be his first date at the Corn Exchange. ‘I’ve been knocking on Paul DeMarco’s door there for a while now,’ says Martin. ‘It’s not any further out the way than Ocean Terminal, and the main room is the perfect capacity for what we want to do. There’s nowhere else in Edinburgh that could contain a line-up like this, with John Digweed and Timo Maas on it, and we also get a second room where the guys from [Cabaret Voltaire’s] Sugarbeat will be playing [featuring Hot Chip (DJ set), Boy 8 Bit and Utah Saints].’

Ask Martin to name his favourite dates in Musika’s history, and many of them come from the Liquid Room days. He mentions guests like Moby, Booka Shade and Eric Prydz, all of whom played for Martin at the venue, so it’s with a great deal of pleasure that he tells us Musika will be regaining its monthly residency there when the venue reopens later this year. Not that he isn’t still thinking big. ‘I’m really looking forward to the Corn Exchange show,’ he says, ‘and I’m hopeful we’ll get to do more of them in future.’

Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, Sat 13 Feb

More: Clubs, Booka Shade, Boy 8-Bit, Derek Martin, Electronic, Eric Prydz, Hot Chip, John Digweed, Moby, Musika, Sugarbeat, Timo Maas, Utah Saints