Hobbes

Summer Festivals 2012: Clubbers Decktionary - RockNess

Trouble's DJ Hobbes guides us through the myriad genres of RockNess

25 May 2012

Techno Pure electronic dance music (ie no non-electronic samples or vox) with a 4/4 kick. The original, Detroit style incorporates more melody and strings alongside sounds from Roland’s classic 808 and 909 drum machines and, often, the 303 ‘acid…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Electro Swing

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

22 May 2012

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…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Balkan Beats

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

26 Mar 2012

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…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Ballroom

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

29 Feb 2012

Ballroom aka ballroom house, or Ha, proper noun: house sub-genre, which, much like Chicago Footwork/Juke and Detroit Jit, owes its lifeblood to the highly expressive dancers (‘voguers’) who dominate the scene. Also similar to B-more, the music is raw…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Liquid Funk

Drum & bass sub-genre originated by Fabio and LTJ Bukem

2 Feb 2012

Liquid funk aka Liquid drum & bass or just plain Liquid, proper noun: drum & bass sub-genre, so generally very much up-tempo (160-180 bpm), taking influences from soca, Latin, disco and jazz as well as funk, featuring more live instrumental parts and…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Witch House

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

5 Jan 2012

Witch House aka Haunted House or Drag, proper noun: usually down-tempo to mid-tempo (80-120 bpm), dark, syrupy fusion of hip hop with goth, industrial, noise, drone and/or shoegaze elements. Its main practitioners also favour the use of occult symbols…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Gabber

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

13 Dec 2011

Gabber proper noun: wildly up-tempo (140-220 bpm) spin-off from hardcore techno, industrial and rave. Began in the early 90s and has remained a die-hard force in Europe (especially the Netherlands and Scotland) and Australia. Traditionally dominated by…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Skweee

DJ Hobbes guides us through clubbing's myriad genres

16 Nov 2011

Skweee proper noun Generally mid-to-low-tempo (80-105 bpm), cold, rhythmic electro-funk sub-genre pioneered by a small niche of Scandinavian artists, mostly soloists, using vintage analogue synths and samplers; quick, simple arrangement without too…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Chillwave

A guide to the myriad genres of clubbing, from Devil Disco DJ Hobbes

17 Oct 2011

Chillwave aka glo fi, proper noun. Generally down-tempo to mid-tempo (ie 80–120 bpm) danceable American indie/electro-pop style; usually made by solo artists with a laptop or small outfits; predominantly influenced by 80s analogue and electronica…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Chiptune

DJ Hobbes guides us through clubbing's myriad genres

19 Sep 2011

Chiptune proper noun. aka 8Bit, Bitpop, Bitcore, Nintendocore Any tempo but generally fast (ie 130-180bpm), the sound of 8-bit and 16-bit micr-chips from classic arcade games from the late 70s and early 80s, hand-held computer games from Nintendo and…

Clubbers' Decktionary: B-more

DJ Hobbes guides us through clubbing's myriad genres

22 Jul 2011

B-more or Bmore, aka B-more Club, adj: Uptempo (120-140 BPM) hip hop/breaks originally from Baltimore, with an 8/4 time signature, using short, repetitive vocal samples – often call-and-response-style raps or chants – over old school drum breaks…

Clubbers' Decktionary: UK Funky

Hobbes, resident at Devil Disco, guides you through the myriad genres of dance

27 May 2011

UK Funky, aka ‘funky’, proper noun: British, characterised by syncopated, African rhythms, R&B-style vocalising, MCs and a four-four beat, c. 2006 – present day; influenced by (and often classified with) UK garage, grime, dubstep, jungle, rave…

Clubbers' decktionary: Italo

A guide to the myriad genres of clubbing

4 Mar 2011

Italo (disco), adj. style of disco music commonly attributed to records of Italian origin, c.1978-1985. Essentially electronic disco made with synthesisers and drum machines, Italo has a very white, rigid, European feel compared to its much looser…

Wonky features guests Dam Mantle and Asazi Space Funk Explosion

Hip hop, broken beat, dubstep, Afrobeat and drum & bass from Trouble

16 Feb 2011

Wonky is the latest club night to come from the Trouble stable, which also brings you Limbo and Devil Disco Club, and grows from its much respected, now defunct, Trouble night. ‘Devil Disco Club is a streamlined version of what we were doing at Trouble…

Devil Disco Club host HRH, Simonotron and Kris Wasabi

7 Jul 2010

The Trouble duo of Hobbes and Erik d’Viking welcome us back for yet more seedy backstreet disco thrills and edgy glamour, courtesy of brand new Edinburgh electro-pop band HRH and regular DJs Simonotron (Club For Heroes) and Kris Wasabi (Wasabi Disco)…

Devil Disco Club

22 Mar 2010

A night which combines all that’s best about Edinburgh’s recent clubbing history and its current, vibrant incarnation, Devil Disco Club is described by its co-promoter Hobbes as ‘the new Trouble’. Not so much a virgin night as a rethought, re-energised…

Trouble Weekender

2 Apr 2009

Tearing up the rulebook: that was the basic premise when we started Trouble in 2002. Jay Feeney (Freak Music) and Erik d’Viking were programming a new live music/club venue sponsored by legendary US jazz label Blue Note Records and wanted me to run a…

Profile - The Unabombers

5 Feb 2009

Name: The Unabombers Also known as: Mancunian duo Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford. Occupation: Premiership electro-funk producers, remixers and DJs of longstanding vintage. You might know them in their other guise, Elektrons, who are heavier on…

Scottish DJs and Producers 2009

8 Jan 2009

House music was born in the 80s and morphed into techno under the guiding hands of the Detroit masters. More recently, drum & bass and electro-clash swept though clubland whilst grime and dubstep have are the newest configuration of dance beats, not to…

The Hot 100 2008

11 Dec 2008

It’s been a helluva year. 2008 has been a time of significant global change, socially, politically and culturally, with Scotland no exception. So here, for your delectation, is The List’s pick of the 100 people, places and things that rocked our world…