Optimo

The Hot 100 2010 - Mark Millar, Kevin Bridges and Alasdair Gray take top 3 spots

Our annual chart of the people from Scotland being interesting, successful and creative

16 Dec 2010

The Hot 100 is a list of Scots who’ve made a sizeable creative splash in 2010. It includes musicians, artists, writers, actors, fashion designers, technological innovators, shop owners, festival directors, record label heads and one mad cyclist.

Hogmanay 2008 - Clubbing

11 Dec 2008

‘It’s on’ is the simple motto which Glasgow überclub Optimo are using to promote their famous Hogmanay special – it’s at the Fruitmarket again, and will see Twitch and Wilkes joined by Glasgow Italo-punks Den Haan and laptop-wielding Parisian show-offs…

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…

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…

A Midsummer Day's Dream brings Chris & Cosey to Glasgow Tramway

Bill also features Tut Vu Vu, Tristan Perich and Lucky Dragons

21 Jun 2011

‘None of us went on to do anything remotely industrial,’ pointed out Chris Carter in a recent interview. ‘We’d burned ourselves out of it and we didn’t want it to sound like [Throbbing Gristle].’ The truth of that statement will be evident at this…

Various Artists - Fabric 52: Optimo (Espacio)

21 Apr 2010

(Fabric) Optimo (the club) will be over by the time you read this, but you can now own another slice of Optimo (the sound) to recreate the glory days in your own living room. Just close the blinds, paint the walls black and turn this on. Despite…

Big Ned - Big Ned

16 Apr 2009

(Optimo Music) The third release and first album from this new label isn’t what anyone who still believes Optimo is just a club night will be expecting. The brainchild of D James Clark and John Murray (and band), Big Ned is a seedy, guitar-propelled…

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…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Electric Frog

The EF Weekender may have been reduced to one day but it’s still one of the best parties in Glasgow

22 Jul 2011

Disappointment at this year’s second instalment of Glasgow’s hipster warehouse weekender Electric Frog being reduced from two days to one will be tempered by the fact that the single day should still rank among the music events of the summer. Although…

Electric Frog Easter Weekender - Glasgow, 23-24 Apr 2011

Francois K and Erol Alkan top festival's expertly curated line-up

6 May 2011

It's an exciting time for Glasgow-based micro-festival Electric Frog, the city’s lively weekender of electronic music. Not only does it have both an Easter and summer outing this year for the first time, it's also expanding from a day-long to a…

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…

Sub Club

Club Class

27 Mar 2007

Optimo and Subculture sprang up in the Sub Club’s hallowed basement space and Slam first made their mark there with their legendary Atlantis night. It can’t be coincidence that three of the most important clubs in the country all evolved in one space.

Chris Duncan of Sub Club discusses plans for the venue's 25th anniversary

9 Jan 2012

You’ll probably be hearing a lot more about this as the year progresses, but it doesn’t do any harm to draw your attention to two anniversaries happening in Glasgow in 2012 – one big and one absolutely enormous, and both under the same roof. This is the…

Hogmanay in Glasgow highlights

New Year's Eve in Glasgow, including clubs, Bugsy Malone and curling

19 Dec 2011

Gone is the street party but in its place, there are family-friendly daytime events at George Square (31 Dec, George Square, 12pm, free). The ice rink will host the first Hogmanay Bonspiel Cup, where you can watch a curling competition or try it out for…

Optimo and Alasdair Roberts highlights of Glasgow's West End festival

The French Wives and Fence Collective also on bill

27 May 2011

1. Fence Collective There are dozens of good musical reasons to take yourself to the West End Festival this June. How about Fife’s favourite indie-folk collective for starters? The line-up’s a secret until the day, but the name ‘Fence’ is all the badge…

The Fall, Chrome Hoof and Dubfire set for Electric Frog 2011 summer weekender

Mount Kimbie and Optimo also on bill for Glasgow city centre festival

27 May 2011

The Electric Frog team – they who recently brought us a weekend of warehouse dance action in the shape of François K, Danny Krivit, Optimo and more over the Easter weekend – are back with a summer weekender. Taking place in the same venue – the…

Sons & Daughters - Mirror Mirror

Optimo JD Twitch-produced album takes in goth-rock, electronics and post punk

20 May 2011

(Domino) It’s taken Sons & Daughters five years to record their third album, but the result ensures their catalogue remains high-quality and ripe for future (re)discovery. Optimo’s JD Twitch makes his album debut as a producer here, stripping things…

Various DJs and promotors talk about the Art School and Vic Bar ahead of closure

Djs from Menergy, Divine! and Optimo remember the good times

17 May 2011

Glasgow’s clubbing landscape will change forever this month, when the Glasgow School of Art union and its Vic Bar close for extensive redevelopment. Things will never be the same again, its key people tell The List: Lady Munter (Menergy): For me, the…

The List's top five alternative activities for the royal wedding day

25 Apr 2011

1 Off With Their Heads Susan Morrison hosts an afternoon of music and comedy at The Stand, Glasgow, with proceeds going to liberal publication Scottish Left Review. As if the title wasn’t anti enough. 2 Heart Buchanan The kindly folks at the Byres…

Glasgow's Sub Club hosts new arena at RockNess 2011

Modeselektor, Magda, Matthew Dear and Jamie xx set for Loch Ness fest

16 Mar 2011

One of Glasgow’s favourite clubs takes over its own arena at this year’s RockNess as the Sub Club Sound System make sits debut and also announces a few new acts who’ll be joining them. On Friday Modeselektor headline with Jackmaster, Clouds, Boom Monk…

Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers, Paolo Nutini and Glasvegas set for RockNess 2011

Line-up also includes DJ Shadow, Frightened Rabbit, Magnetic Man

24 Feb 2011

Rockness, Scotland's fastest growing festival, returns for 2011 with some of the hottest new acts in guitar music, while simultaneously remaining true to its electronic roots. Looking at the line-up, combined with winning NME's 'Best Small Festival…

Hogmanay 2010/2011 clubbing highlights in Edinburgh and Glasgow

The best New Year's Eve club nights in Scotland

15 Dec 2010

Hogmanay is the biggest night of the year in many clubbers’ calendars, and, as usual, crowds in Edinburgh are spoilt for choice. The Official Edinburgh Hogmanay Afterparty (HMV Picture House) will rock to the frenetic live show of electro-house heroes…

Glasgow club Blast Off 2011 hosts Optimo's JG Wilkes on Jan 1st

Nice’n’ Sleazy’s now-traditional New Year’s Day party

10 Dec 2010

Name Area 51 Presents Blast Off 2011 What is it? Nice’n’ Sleazy’s now-traditional New Year’s Day party, for anyone who thinks one whole day of partying just isn’t enough any more. Residents Gordon Mackinnon, aka GK Machine (Zoo Muzik), one…

The best Christmas clubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh 2010

Optimo, Tackno, Colours, Taste, Karnival and Madchester among Christmas and Boxing Day highlights

10 Dec 2010

If staying in with the family just isn’t your thing over Christmas there’s a few options to get you out on the dancefloor. Things are a bit quieter on Christmas Day itself with a few chart and party venues opening their doors (including the North Pole…