House

Interview: Friendly Fires plan to get the crowds dancing at RockNess 2012

Ed Macfarlane on festivals, pop music and dancing ‘like an idiot’

28 May 2012

Friendly Fires blur the lines between indie and dance music, so their brand of punk funk should fit in perfectly at RockNess. Hailing from St Albans in Hertfordshire they were nominated for the Mercury Music prize for their debut eponymous album, which…

Interview: The Sub Club at RockNess

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

23 May 2012

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…

Interview: Ben Sims gets ready for RockNess 2012

The techno DJ/producer among names added to festival bill

13 Apr 2012

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…

5 reasons to go to Coloursfest

Scotland's favourite dancefest returns to Braehead

17 May 2011

1 It’s the 10th anniversary Colours themselves have worked out that’s 500 artists over 90 hours and 50 arenas in the last decade. As Scotland’s longest-running dedicated dance festival, it’s surely due some deserved recognition on its big day. 2 It…

Interview: Andrew Weatherall set for RockNess 2012

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

30 Mar 2012

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…

Optimover: The end of Optimo - A legendary club night

15 Apr 2010

Somehow, phrases like ‘the end of an era’ seem too melodramatic for Optimo (Espacio), a club which just cut the crap and got on with defining Glasgow’s Sunday night. For the past thirteen years, its residents JD Twitch and JG Wilkes (aka Keith McIvor…

Labels of love: Numbers

29 Oct 2009

Based in: Glasgow Roster: The first three releases will be by Lazer Sword, Redinho and Taz Buckfaster, with more artists to follow. Bosses: Jack ‘Jackmaster’ Revill, Calum and Neil Morton, Richard Chater and Adam Rodgers. Sounds…

Playdoe at Mixed Bizness

19 Feb 2009

Playdoe: that squidgy stuff you tried to eat when you were a kid, or a fresh new electro rap duo from Johannesburg. Either way, it’s great fun. Former scratch champion Sibot and local rapper Spoek are the sound of modern Africa. A raucous mix of funk…

Tasty sub - Glasgow Sub Club honoured in Resident Advisor poll

7 Aug 2008

Glasgow clubbing institution the Sub Club has been honoured with a place in respected dance magazine Resident Advisor’s Top 10 list. The Sub Club was placed inside the worldwide Top 10 in three out of four categories, including Atmosphere, Programming…

Ride the RockNess Express - train details

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

8 May 2012

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…

Clubbers' Decktionary: Seapunk

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

17 Apr 2012

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…

Detroit's electronic prodigy Kyle Hall

The unconfined artist gets ready to guest at Jelly Roll Soul

6 Aug 2010

‘I first got into electronic music at the age of 11,’ says Kyle Hall, the latest bright hope to emerge from the city of Detroit’s illustrious music scene. ‘I’d go over to my Uncle Ray’s crib and he’d show me his records and how to mix with them. I’d…

Pantha du Prince at Sneaky Pete's and Oran Mor

Minimal techno joins dots between alpine forest and the dancefloor

5 Aug 2010

‘A girl once crawled onstage behind me, and was constantly holding my trouser,’ shudders Germany’s Hendrik Weber, alias techno forager Pantha du Prince. What fate befell this tactile fan? ‘I explained it would be better for her to leave because I could…

Slam dunk: The Slam Tent at T in the Park

9 Jul 2009

‘It’s nerve-wracking, as it is with any gig we’re involved in. We have such a headstrong booking policy; we’re so close to the scene and have very strong ideas about who we want to play. One of the reasons we got involved in the first place is because I…

Drop the Lime

9 Jul 2009

‘What’s in a name, huh?’ muses Luca Venezia, the New York-born, Italian-descended producer of some truly riotous breakbeat meets acid house meets new rave recordings as Drop the Lime. ‘It’s based on an old Sicilian ritual, where you take a lime and…

Crate Digging: Scuba

The Hotflush label boss gives us his top five tracks ahead of his set at the debut EQTV party

16 Nov 2011

The first track they did together, ‘Swims’, still isn’t out yet but it’s one of the most recognisable club tunes of the year; however I think Boddika & Joy O ‘Froth’ (Unreleased) is much better. It’s a lot deeper, a lot more atmospheric, though still…

Interview - Max Cooper

Respected electronica producer and DJ set for Kollektiv show

3 Nov 2011

Max Cooper first came to the attention of clubbers and electronic music fans with his ‘Serie’ trilogy on Traum Schallplatten in 2009, each track inspired by a different mathematical or scientific concept. Since then alongside his own productions he’s…

Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon?

25 Oct 2011

Ever explored a museum at night? Ever had a cocktail surrounded by thousands of years of history? Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon? Thanks to the support of RBS and The List, the National Museum of Scotland is bringing you an exclusive…

A look at Deadmau5's rise to fame

The Canadian DJ and producer set for Braehead Glasgow show with Magnetic Man and Calvin Harris

10 Dec 2010

How the hell did Deadmau5 get so big? The Canadian DJ and producer has been a powerful force on the commercial end of the dance music circuit for a couple of years now of course, but this month is set to prove he’s no longer just another face in a crowd…

A Guy Called Gerald set for Glasgow date at Animal Farm

Pioneering Manchester producer's show is live performance of back catalogue

10 Dec 2010

For a man who’s had a two-and-a-half decade career in electronic music, including some definitive mid-90s work on the UK jungle and drum & bass scene, Gerald Simpson will be forever known for the fruits of a very brief moment in his career. It was…

How Edinburgh's Ultragroove has kept the dancefloor full for 11 years

Gareth Sommerville on the benefits of having open minded approach to house music

6 Oct 2010

As one of Edinburgh’s longest running nights, not only has Ultragroove been running for 11 years, but DJ/promoter Gareth Sommerville has now been putting on two parties every month for over a decade. ‘I’m not that surprised we’ve lasted this long.

Mauro Picotto set for Boombox at Edinburgh Caves

30 Mar 2010

There aren’t as many opportunities to indulge in hard house and trance in the capital as there have in the past. Luckily for fans of harder, faster beats Boombox has secured a guest slot from one of the leaders of the scene, Mauro Picotto – famed for…

Optimo turn ten

15 Nov 2007

The main problem with Optimo (Espacio), to give the club’s full title, is that it’s almost impossible to categorise in one handy soundbite. Keith McIvor (aka Twitch, pictured left) and Jonnie Wilkes (pictured right) both came from a techno background…

German house DJ Tensnake - interview

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

18 Apr 2012

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

17 Apr 2012

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…