Clubs

Techno night Unseen aims to shake up Edinburgh's club scene

Special guest Adam X to appear in June

One of the first shoots of a clubbing revival in Edinburgh is emerging through a group of old-stagers returning home to one of the city’s most enduring venues. Together, Patrick Walker and Mike Lavin started off promoting a nascent trance night called…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Electro Swing

Trouble's DJ Hobbes gives us a guide to the myriad genres of clubbing

Electro Swing proper noun: varied tempos, mixing 20s, 30s and 40s jazz and swing styles/samples with modern production; has spawned myriad sub-genres, including Swing House, Swing Hop, Ghetto Swing, Swing Tech, Swing Step. Some crossover with Balkan…

Crate Digging: Rebecca Vasmant

The young Glaswegian DJ is set to play Ministry of Sound & Mixmag's Warehouse Party

I love jazz music, and as much as I love house music too, I don’t think it has the same timelessness. My first choice is one I got about a year ago, it’s PE Hewitt Winter Winds (Now-Again), a three-LP box set of material self-recorded by a 16-year-old…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Seapunk

A guide to the myriad genres of clubbing, from Trouble's DJ Hobbes

Seapunk proper noun: varied tempos, mixing 90s rave, techno, house and jungle styles, R&B vocals, even speedier beats from Chicago juke/footwork, often cheap, 8bit-style synth melodies and, you guessed it, aquatic sounds. The aquatic theme is actually…

Interview: Andrew Weatherall set for RockNess 2012

Esteemed DJ and producer on A Love From Outer Space and festivals

Andrew Weatherall is just one of the new announcements for 2012’s RockNess line-up where he’ll be joining Soma Records who are taking control of the new Arcadia UFO. It’s a Scottish Festival exclusive as he’s joined by Sean Johnston as they present an…

Interview: Jakwob prepares for his live show at RockNess 2012

The dubstep producer talks remixes, Rocky and RockNess

Young dubstep producer and DJ Jakwob (aka James Jacob) favours a jazzy take on bassy electronica. He first appeared on most people’s radar with his squelchy remix of Ellie Goulding’s ‘Under the Sheets’ and has since gone on to remix Lily Allen, MIA and…

Interview: The Sub Club at RockNess

Glasgow’s legendary club heads to RockNess 2012 as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations

Glasgow institution the Sub Club celebrate their 25th anniversary this year and as part of their celebrations they are bringing the sounds of the Subbie to RockNess. We catch up with two of the club’s directors, Mike Grieve and Paul Crawford, to see…

Electro DJ Jimmy Edgar

Detroit DJ Edgar shares the concept behind fourth album, Majenta

Celebrating his recently released fourth album, Jimmy Edgar’s forthcoming Berkeley Suite show is the finale of Palace Promotions’ recent programme of club events aimed at representing the city’s ‘present and future musical character’. In contrast to the…

Auntie Flo - Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Sun 13 May

Club-friendly house beats with a world music undercurrent

It’s a foul Sunday night and getting late, with the hour moving near to midnight when Glasgow duo Auntie Flo take their place behind a pod of trestle tables loaded down with kit and cables. The flickering projection behind them bears the legend ‘Night…

Ride the RockNess Express - train details

The Express will pick up festival goers from London, Birmingham, Derby, York and Newcastle

As part of the Year of Creative Scotland, RockNess are offering a unique (and environmentally friendly) way to the festival site on the banks of Loch Ness. Picking up passengers from London, Birmingham, Derby, York and Newcastle before dropping them off…

Friendly Fires confirmed for Big Beach Ball 2012

Mercury Prize winners will headline the new Aberdeen event with DJ set

With only two weeks to go until the inaugural 11-hour Big Beach Ball festival, organisers have announced that Friendly Fires will headline at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom on Sun 6 May. Fellow musicians Derrick Carter, Heartthrob, Slam, Tiger & Woods…

German house DJ Tensnake - interview

The DJ is set to play Musika, Heavy Gossip and Ultragroove's 12-hour bank holiday party

Events like this usually happen in Glasgow. But Musika, in association with Heavy Gossip and Ultragroove, are giving something back to Edinburgh, presenting 12 hours of house and electro spread over three stages. Showcasing some of the best live…

Highlife's Auntie Flo releases debut album

Afro-house DJ Brian d'Souza launches Future Rhythm Machine LP with dates in Glasgow and Edinburgh

It’s a busy month for Brian d’Souza; first he’s launching his debut album as Auntie Flo Future Rhythm Machine at his Highlife night in Glasgow, then a fortnight later he’s celebrating the club’s second birthday in the same city. Sandwiched in between…

Crate Digging: Harri of Subculture

The long-term Sub Club resident picks five tracks that have served him best over the years

Sandee ‘Notice Me’ (Fever Records) came out years ago [1988] and it sounded amazing at the time: the production, the sound – hundreds of people have sampled it since. It’s vocal house, but dubbed out and with wee bits of acapella and lots of things to…

Interview: Ben Sims gets ready for RockNess 2012

The techno DJ/producer among names added to festival bill

DJ Ben Sims has been announced for 2012’s RockNess festival, where he joins Soma Records on the Arcadia UFO stage. With over 20 years of DJ experience, running his own Theory label (among others), he’s renowned for his DJ skills using vinyl, CD and…

Calling all DJs - RockNess wants you

A coveted slot on the new Arcadia UFO stage is up for grabs

Rockness has announced the ultimate opportunity for all wannabe, amateur and pro DJ’s – the chance to win a slot at this year’s new Arcadia UFO stage on Sun 10 June. Organisers are offering a guest slot to just one DJ – all entrants have to do is…

Orbital to headline Slam Tent at T in the Park 2012

Full weekend lineup revealed, featuring DJ Yoda and Major Lazer

Electro heavyweights Orbital have been announced as headliners of the Slam Tent at T in the Park 2012. They will close the dance arena on Sunday night, most likely airing material from their new album Wonky, their first in eight years. Other acts…

RockNess 2012 hosts Hudson Mohawke at Sub Club 25 year celebration

Dave Clarke, James Holden and Andrew Weatherall among dance picks

RockNess today confirmed not only a plethora of new acts for this June’s festival, but a whole new stage designed for hard partying aficionado’s of dancefloor devastation, all in celebration of Sub Club Sound System’s 25 year anniversary. The Arcadia…

Crate digging: Nick Curly of Kehakuma

The German house DJ shares his favourite tracks ahead of a set at Return to Mono

I’ll start with ‘Easy’ Sante feat Daniel Wild (8Bit) for me it’s the best club record of the moment, people go crazy when I play it and there’s a great vibe on the vocal. I have two labels and sometimes you sign a track and you realise, ‘boom this is…

Trance act Above & Beyond to play set at Barrowland

Tony McGuinness sees trance music as a form of 'group therapy'

Some dismiss trance as lowest common denominator dance music but for many it’s the epitome of club culture: the big build-ups, the huge breakdowns, glo-sticks, lasers and Gatecrasher kids. Whatever the critical reception, trance is wildly popular. Only…

New Edinburgh venue The Third Door launches mini-festival Qabalala

In the past month it’s seemed there’s been precious little to get excited about on Edinburgh’s clubbing and live scene, but let’s put the hand-wringing to one side for a few paragraphs and remember that people are still out there trying to get things…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Balkan Beats

A guide to the myriad genres of clubbing, from Trouble's DJ Hobbes

Balkan Beats, proper noun: usually up-tempo (around 130 bpm), mixing gypsy/Balkan and other eastern European styles with traditionally more western dance music and electronica; most often little more than a two-bar loop of Balkan accordion, gypsy tuba…

Interview: Kieran Hurley on the making of Beats

Theate show set in rave era circa Criminal Justice Act of 1994

What was the inspiration for Beats? Is it autobiographical? No, unlike my previous monologue piece Hitch, which was autobiographical, Beats is all made up. It’s a story set against the backdrop of the tail end of the free party movement in the early…

20 reasons to celebrate 20 years of Slam at the Arches

An appreciation of the Glasgow DJ and production duo

1 Slam. We must never forget that at the heart of it Glasgow duo Stuart MacMillan and Orde Meikle are brilliant DJs mixing up a blend of deep house and techno. 2 International ambassadors Slam’s DJ skills are in demand across the world taking…

The Twilight Sad to play final Pinup Nights

Malcolm Middleton, Miaoux Miaoux, Emma Pollock and Sonny Marvello also set to say farewell

Has there ever been an indie night that’s worked as hard as Pinup Nights? Perhaps, but none have managed to alchemise the same mix of cannily chosen guest DJs, intelligently-curated young bands, painstaking theme nights and frankly dedicated gimmickry…