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Tuesday 30 November 2010

Still snowed in......



So we're officially still snowed in up here, the snow just keeps piling up and at the moment it doesn't really seem to be stopping. I've seen people walking down the middle of the dual carriageway to get to the shops, people out skiing on the roads, plus the velux window in my room is covered in about a foot of snow so it's literally like working in a cave at the moment. Definitely the most snow I've ever seen, I hate to think what affect it's having on the clubs....

Anyway here's a couple mixes to keep you going until it's safe to leave the house again. Firstly we have the next instalment of the Synth mix series, cramming some of our favourite tunes of the Autumn into just under an hour. It's when you put all these tunes together you realise just how diverse dance music is at the moment. From the stadium electro of Uffie & SebastiAn to the grooving house of Mowgli & Solo, it's that mix that keeps us excited....

(Get the tracklisting for each mix by hitting the purple link underneath)

Synth Autumn10 by vianassa



Next up, Tarantism & Bungo have got together to make a genetic monster known as 'Tarabungo' (yes, you should be scared). Here's the press release:

'When we tried to record this mix, we ended up so blazed that we woke up in the dystopian future year of 3050. With only an iPhone full of music, we constructed a laptop from some vines and a New Era hat, mixing with a vintage Technic 1210 turntable and a modified shopping trolley. Excuse the minor blips here and there as throughout the mix we had to fend off an unfriendly troop of crab-people.

After falling asleep atop the spire of a dilapidated Oran Mor, we later woke up in the Clyde with a bus full of school children staring at us. We are currently questioning whether any of the last few hours happened at all, what do you think?'

Cosmic, liquid rhythms crashing into bass-twisted danger donks from an industrial wasteland and back again...I reckon it probably did.

A TaraBungo Dub Sandwich by Bungo



OMG, disco is like, so in right now....two of Glasgow's most prevalent mid-tempo diamonds, Hushpuppy & Francisco have got together to ride the groove on this new mix called 'Cheap & Bleep'. This is 45mins of pure disco cosmica which both scintillates & teases with rhythms that will leave you in a sticky mess on the dancefloor. They've yet to put a tracklisting up for this so at the moment it still has the mystery & raw sex appeal which will leave you gasping for more. Presumably what Pt2 is for....

Cheap & bleep (pt.1) by abnormals



Finally, Barrientos returns with another hour of super-seductive and outright filthy deep house & tech mix for the guys at Rhythm Feedr - another super-fantastical blog you should all check out NOW! Once the groove hits you, there's no turning back as we journey deep through jacking basslines and Watergate inspired funkers. The type of uber-cool music that continental tech-heads smoke, dance and fornicate to...

Feed#001 - Deep House mix by Barrientos by Rhythm Feedr

Monday 29 November 2010

Snowed in....




That old saying 'you better be careful what you wish for...' has never rung more true than now. After hankering for a big blast of Winter last week, my wishes were well and truly answered with up to 20 inches of snow falling overnight. I took the above image on Saturday afternoon, hours before a blizzard engulfed Central Scotland for a sustained and relentless period. Now I'm snowed in and pretty much desperate to get back to Glasgow...

BLOG BURNER:

No doubt if your even remotely up on your dub fixtures you will have already heard this but with no release date as yet in sight I really think it deserves some additional exposure. Dub Police protege Emalkay had one of the sleeper hits of 2009 with 'When I Look At You' so it was only a matter of time before he produced something of similar quality. New single 'Crusader' is straight up heat, taking the form of a garage-dubplate hybrid with a bassline which could strike the fear of God into you. I recently caught him supporting Caspa for Mixed Bizness and he completely RIPPED IT. Trust.

Emalkay - Crusader










It seems the Italians are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with at the moment, with Broke One stealing last week's official Blog Burner and Riva Starr continuingly churning out quality house. Reset! are the next name to add to that ever expanding list as the five man troupe from Milan storm back with their new EP 'Your Army'. 'Sabarage' is my favourite cut, a disco-house, electro groover which delivers more than your fair share of glittering filter-funk in 6 bouncy minutes. Catch Reset! with Ado at Stereo this Friday for a special Dirty Noise, Muck, Killer Kitsch uber-party.

Reset! - Sabarage










Next, my favourite up and coming Aussie producer Cassian gives Monkey Safari the remix treatment on their new single 'Those Dancing Days'. Every so often there comes a point when I cant find an appropriate existing genre to describe a song and this is it, so let's call it 'Circus-tech'. Big, fun and straddling the tightrope between serious head-nodding and mega party-funk this will certainly wake up a dancefloor.

Monkey Safari - Those Dancing Days (Cassian Remix)










Finally, some super-suave disco vibes from DFA collective Still Going. Taking on Patrick Wolf's new single 'Time Of My life', the New York duo go positively intergalactic while maintaining the type of retro elements which make this track too cool for school. Grooving basslines, dancing disco violins and some seriously grand piano chords will make this a must for the likes of Aeroplane, Villa et al...

Patrick Wolf - Time Of My Life (Still Going Remix)








Friday 26 November 2010

Vitamins 3: Preview



Vitamins crew are officially in effect. If your one of the limited number being bundled into a bus this Saturday and whisked off to a rave den in a secret location somewhere in Glasgow's shady underbelly then count yourself lucky. With only 100 tickets available and now sold, your in for a very memorable experience....

And that's what Sam, Shaun, Cheesy & Luke, DJ's & promoters at Vitamins pride themselves on. Glasgow's club scene is fantastic, perhaps one of the best in Britain, but what do you do when it's so ramified with big, quality nights that unless your a direct descendant of The Royal Family then any party you put on is either going to be a trademark of monotony or send you into bankruptcy. The answer? Do the exact opposite.


Vitamins crew: Cheesy, Luke, Shaun & Sam

Launching in June this year Vitamins has already seen close to 500 people cram in to Sam's flat for what has to be the party of the decade (yes, it was just that good) and only two months later they were taking it back to 89' with a not so secret rave in a forestry somewhere out in the sticks. These are the type of parties which you'll tell your grand children about, everyone likes to go to a good club and see your favourite DJ, but you'll see your favourite DJ again; you perhaps won't find yourself dancing in a forest on a summer's night with a mile-wide grin and a new best friend who is infact a squirrel.

And this Saturday the saga continues with a line up which includes such prevalent homegrown quality as Jackmaster, S-Type, Mia Dora & Bamboo Palace live - all of course set in a sweatbox no bigger in size then your own livingroom. As I said at the start, if you have a ticket, count yourself lucky.....

To get a better idea of the Vitamins flex we recently caught up with Shaun, Cheesy, Sam & Luke for one of our most interesting interviews yet:

S: It’s fair to say that Vitamins is perhaps one of the more unorthodox club factions in Glasgow, with two highly successful parties under your belt, one in a West End flat & the other in a remote lowlands forestry, you’re yet to see the inside of a club. Can you explain a little about the concept behind Vitamins and why you started it?

[Shaun]: We're trying to avoid anywhere that's too regular. Vitamins is about a few things it's primarily about putting on good memorable parties but that's a fairly standard aim. The four of us who run it have been involved in putting on nights for a fair few years now as promoters or as VJs, sound engineers, PR staff etc etc, but Vitamins is where we get to experiment a bit more than you would be able to with any venue based night or something as official as a university radio station.

We like to put as much effort into the setting, the production and the people on the floor as we do into the people behind the decks. Of course we like clubs who book a DJ they like, stick them in a venue, put the name on the flyer and have a night that's just about the music, but it's not what turns us on as promoters. Take the same DJ and put them in a forest inside a mini club built from scaffolding with an open fire on one side and a tee-pee on the other and you'll probably find you get a better set out of it.

[Sam] We love putting on parties, but I didn’t want to start a clubnight. How could I? There’s just far too many exceptional club nights in the city that it would be pretty much pointless. I wasn’t a good enough DJ at the time to be a resident, I didn’t have much money and I really didn’t have time to do it regularly. So we basically decided to put our resources together and try to do something a bit different.

[Luke] I want to put on events which get people excited and that people remember. The kind of event you’d tell your mates stories about for a few years to come. With Vitamins we’re aiming to surprise people, do something no one else is doing, ultimately to put on the kind of parties we want to go to ourselves.

[Cheesy] I'm really excited by the concept of vitamins, we're not reinventing the wheel here, but I'd like to think there's not many folk trying to pull off some of the shit we've done. We're used to doing big production nights for other promoters and venues, so it's nice to keep challenging ourselves to come up with new concepts and ideas that keep the punters interested.

S: Obviously taking the party outside its traditional setting requires a lot of effort and carries potential risk. Can you give people an idea of the type of preparation that goes into these nights and what measures you take to ensure it all happens safely?

[Shaun] Within the Vitamins team there is a lot of professional knowledge, we spend a lot of time ensuring the parties go smoothly and with minimum risk, for Vitamins 2 (in the forest) for example, we had a crew doing the build and preparing the site then returning it to nature afterwards, there were guys camped out for 6 nights to make sure it all went ok.


Setting up at Vitamins 2

[Luke] Gmail, google docs, basecamp and ringing people. Over and over.

[Cheesy] There’s a risk involved with doing any party, vitamins 2 was a massive financial gamble for us, you don’t even want to know how much 3 buses to the arse end of nowhere cost... but we wouldn’t be doing this is it wasn’t worth it.


The police finally arrive at Vitamins 2

S: Are there any particular moments or anecdote’s you can share with us where you’ve simply thought ‘fuck, this is getting out of hand’ or something that sticks out in your mind which just sums up Vitamin’s as an event?

[Shaun] We've had vans stuck in the mud, scaffolding poles having to be angle grinded out of staging, 4x4 hires falling through, tractors racing coaches... but the number one whitey has to be when we realised the original island location for vitamins 2 was a no go. I won't go into much on that though because we've got a video of the trip to the island to put up soon.

[Sam] Definitely when we realised we couldn’t use the first location for Vitamins 2. We didn’t get back into Glasgow til 5.00am after one of the worst days of our lives and I had to go to work on a building site at 7.30am, pretty much in shock. As Shaun says, though, we’ll save it for the video.

I’ll never forget the first party in the flat though. Up to 500 people squeezed in over two floors and the garden. It’s lucky the police came at 3.30am, otherwise I reckon the floor would have caved in.


Packing them in at Vitamins 1

[Luke] Before the buses set off for the island fling, I had a frantic call from Cheesy asking us to stall the buses for half an hour. There were 200 odd people on the pavement of a normal Glasgow street who were all, in their minds ‘on holiday’, drinking, smoking up, having a good time of it. Right round the corner of this melee was a police van. Stalling the crew, avoiding the entire group getting busted before the buses had even left, and reassuring the 3 nervous bus drivers their coaches were going to survive the journey was memorable. Thank fuck we pulled it off.


Reassuring the bus drivers before Vitamins 2

S: This Saturday you’re taking 100 punters on a bus to a secret location somewhere in Glasgow. Obviously without giving too much away, how are feeling about this event and kind of reaction are you anticipating from the punters on arrival?

[Shaun] We've been down in the venue clearing it out, painting it up, making it inhabitable... I think it's going to be an intimate one - less than 100 cunts in a sweatbox with a top of the line PA and over specced light show with that lineup, plus all the usual small touches...fuck knows, but if Tuesday's radio show was anything to go by then it will musically be one of the strongest nights I've been to this year.

[Sam] It’s obviously not going to be as visually stimulating as the party in the forest. That place really was beautiful. The idea with this one is to really focus on the DJ’s and the party itself. The forest was cool because people could go and wander off and explore and sit out and look up at the stars and I think the actual dancing side of it was a little let down by this towards the end. The setup hopefully this time will encourage people to get straight in and dance from beginning to end.


On site at Vitamins 2

[Cheesy] Mother nature set the bar pretty high with the decor at the last vitamins party, obviously when you move indoors its a bit more difficult to create an interesting environment without reverting to the same shit everybody does at wee club nights, instead we're playing around with the scale of this party, it'll be a sweatbox like you've never seen before.

[Luke] The lineup for this one stands by itself. Getting a bus to go see Jackmaster, and you don’t know where you’re headed, then turning up to the tiny place we’ve got ready for this, with a bigger lightshow and soundsystem than most city-centre clubs will have that night? Kids will have fun.

S: Finally, we pretty much ask this in every interview, but as you’ve been involved with the Glasgow club scene for years, helping out with Mixed Bizness and also organising the legendary Subcity parties how do you see the current state of Glasgow clubbing? Do you feel doing something different like Vitamins is a good way of keeping it fresh and exciting in such a congested market?

[Shaun] I think Glasgow's club scene is doing well considering the recession. People seem to be picking and choosing their big nights out a bit more than a few years ago but it doesn't seem to be impacting the smaller nights too much. There's always going to be stuff that doesn't do anything for you and stuff you think is old hat or just shite but musically Glasgow’s output is probably only second to London right now world wide.

In terms of Vitamins, we wouldn't be doing this if we thought it was already being done better in the city - we wanted more events like the Vitamins ones but there didn’t seem to be any on the go so we had a shot ourselves. If you’re starting a new night then you have to be plugging a hole or sticking two fingers up to someone else’s ethos, otherwise it’s just copycat repetition.

[Sam] What I find strange about the Glasgow clubscene now is that the nights with supposedly big names, that should be drawing in 400+ people each time aren’t doing as well as they were a few years ago and even compared to other cities in Scotland like Aberdeen or Edinburgh. People are choosing to go to the smaller nights, or to nights who are putting on up and coming names rather than old favourites.

[Luke] When I first started going out I’d loose my mind if someone was doing an ‘AV set’- I’d expect the entire room to be a blanket of visuals and my entire night to be insane. I was pretty naive, but the hype is often painted with stratospheric hyperbole to get people through the door, and when they turn up they find just another night at venue X, everything is the same, only the DJ has a projector with his name flashing behind him.



With smaller nights it’s easier in a way to satisfy expectations and create something unique. That’s partly why so many smaller nights in Glasgow are doing so well. Throughout everything we’ve done over the years we’ve always been focused on giving people as exciting a time as possible, in clubs, flats, cities or the countryside. Vitamins just seems like the logical conclusion to that.

WHAT: Vitamins 3 @ a secret location
WHO: Jackmaster, Bamboo Palace (Live), Mia Dora, S-Type, Raksha & Masha b2b, Shaun Fae Solar & Sam Vitamins b2b
WHERE: Pre Party @ The Vic Bar, main event - heavy secret
WHEN: Saturday 27th Nov // 20.30pm - 06.00am
TAX: £15.00
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123910087669539

Thursday 25 November 2010

Local heroes......



If your a regular reader of this blog then you'll know we like to represent the local talent each week by giving out the title of 'Local Hero' to the producer with the hottest new tune (it's a rip off of Pete Tong's 'Essential New Tune' in disguise). Anyway, recently we've been inundated with incredible music and this week is no different....

LOCAL HERO:

After featuring his remix of Fatboy Slim last week 3rd Abstract Records have released a taster of his forthcoming 'Atmos' EP and if this track is anything to go by we're all in for an early Christmas. With cuts, scratches and a pulsating bassline which kicks like an ostrich on steroids, Dersonna has created the type of dancefloor filth which could cause physical damage. It's techno with a hip-hop influence....Tech-Hop in other words. Pick up the EP from 3rd Abstract on December 6th.

Dersonna - Cut N' Paste










Next up Dajosm has been firing on all cylinders recently, with an almost constant flow of new music appearing on his Soundcloud. New tune 'Volerio' has a soaring breakdown reminiscent of 'Cafe Del Mar' and a bassline which firmly glues it to the dancefloor. This is mainroom material which wouldn't go amiss on a Thursday night in Amnesia. Further to that, it has the quality and restraint which prevents it crossing into Tiesto-esque cheese territories.

Dajosm - Volerio










With the release of 'Heartbeats 2: Change Your Tune' (the second in the series comprised completely of locally produced remixes) drawing ever closer, our playlists have been pretty much dominated by hot cuts from the album. Here Mausr goes in on ESQ's track 'Little Shark', creating a quite unsettling squelch-tech monster which will have you running for cover when the bass drops. Not advised for people of a nervous disposition.

ESQ - Little Shark (Mausr Remix)










Finally, Hologram Hookers have created the kind of filth which evades the 99.9% Dettol aims to eradicate with this super-hot remix of Vincent Noir. With a metallic bassline, lazer-guided synths and drops which sound like the Millenium Falcon getting it's MOT, this is future acid-electro which will undoubtedly leave dancefloors in a state of blissful unrest.

Vincent Noir - Depth Injection (Hologram Hookers Remix)








Tuesday 23 November 2010

Winter warmers



So it appears we're in for a blast of winter this week, and I for one could not be happier. Nothing annoys me more than mild, wet, dull conditions over Xmas so if we get anything like the winter we had last year then I'm getting the sledge out, donning the xmas cardigan and living the festive dream. Old school.

BLOG BURNER:

Anyway, with little over a month now til 2011, it's time to start looking forward and ear-marking the name's who you think might be making noise in the new year. Personally, I'm placing my bets on this up and coming Italian producer by the name of Broke One. The Radio 1 dance fraternity are already singing his praises on the late shift and if he keeps making 90's influenced, jacking filter house of this quality then I think the likes of Surkin et al might need to up their game a little.

Broke One - Tribute To An Era



Ever since the gorgeously seductive single 'Don't Turn The Light's On', we all knew we were in for a treat with Chromeo's new album 'Business Casual'. 'Hot Mess' is the latest single and other than being quite possibly the sexiest slice of electro-funk to drop this side of Dave 1's talkbox, they've gone and enlisted Elly Jackson of La Roux to give it that much needed female perspective.

Chromeo ft/Elly Jackson - Hot Mess



Brookes Brother's are back! They've been a bit quiet recently apart from a few key remixes but new single 'Last Night' is shaping up to be a fantastic return to the drum & bass arena. I doubt this will have the same commercial impact as 'Tear You Down' back in 2008, but with introspective vocals and drifting pianos it will certainly see the boys back in the thick of it.

The Brookes Brother's - Last Night



I'm not quite sure what the deal with this is at the moment. Originally released back in May 2009, Tensnake's 8min wonder 'Holding Back My Love' has been enjoying a lot of radio play recently, so I'm hoping it's going to get some big, shiny re-release and storm it's way to Xmas number 1. Clocking in around the 110 BPM mark, is wanders effortlessly through the type of uber-cool, cosmic disco landscape we've come to expect from Tensnake. Playing the Sub Club Dec 11th....oh yeah.

Tensnake - Holding Back My Love

Monday 22 November 2010

Naive ft/ Feadz & Mr Flash: Review



It's 9am, I'm off to the dentist in an hour and it's pissing with rain, standard Monday business then. But what a weekend, kicked it off in fine style with Naive on Friday. This is a night which definitely has it's priorities in order. There was stiff competition from a number of quality clubs that night but with Ed Banger favourites Feadz & Mr Flash on the bill for a mere fiver, plus local jockeying from Sam Vitamins & Shaun Fae Solar this was always going to do well.

What struck me being a punter at this particular event was the over-riding sense of fun. From the very moment I arrived it was straight to the dancefloor, it's difficult to resist dancing when Sam & Shaun are dropping indiscriminate bass bombs and forgotten classics such as rap-a-long favourite 'Forgot About Dre'. Where many clubs focus too directly on promoting one particular sound or style, Naive refuses to be categorized, and with Peace as resident it never will. This is a good thing.

The bearded wonder, aka Mr Flash perhaps produced the best set of the evening with pounding electro beats which emanated both the energy and quality that we've come to expect from an Ed Banger artist. There was no wobbly nonsense or cheap thrills, just big, jacking beats that saw the dancefloor rocking from start to finish.

By the time Feadz hit the decks, the party atmosphere had really kicked up a notch with the barrier between punter & DJ non existent. At one point there was as many people on the stage as on the dancefloor and although this clearly had an adverse effect on Feadz' mixing skills no one really cared. Inbetween certified bangers from his forthcoming '...Feadz Fairytale EP', floor fillers such as Major Lazer's mix of Gyptian and Sebastian's recent take on Uffie just fanned the party flames as Peace bounced about the stage in a tiger costume and Feadz enjoyed having all manner of spirits poured down his neck by some blonde lovely. This was a night where you felt like anything could, and probably would happen.


Feadz get's rowdy

Although Naive is only three parties in, it's clearly becoming a staple on the Glasgow club scene. With A Trak, Cassius & Busy P confirmed for next month you can only help but feel excited at the prospect of what they have in store for 2011. Ultimately, time will tell whether Naive will fall victim to it's own branding, they themselves admit: "not knowing any better, we go in too fresh and too fast". But right now, it's big names, small prices and no one can argue with that.

Friday 19 November 2010

3hrs....



The countdown is on. It's been a hectic week, many late nights but finally it is approaching the weekend, and what a weekend it's shaping up to be. Tonight you have the choice between Feadz & Mr Flash at Naive, Thunder Disco Club at SWG3 and of course Death Disco tomorrow night at The Arches...it's a good predicament to be in!

So, less get some local tunes cranked:

LOCAL HERO:

I've now heard nearly all of the remixes for the upcoming Heartbeats compilation 'Change Your Tune' and to put it bluntly, it is sounding fucking huge. You can download a copy on Dec 7th, but in the meantime check out Rob Etherson's slamming techno remix of 'Breathe' by Barrientos. Building ever so menacingly and teasing you with a comparatively soothing breakdown, the drop hits like a swab of mace to the genitals.

Barrientos - Breathe (Rob Etherson's 'Suffocating' Remix)



Peace is becoming no stranger to the playlists of Synth at the moment, with an ever changing sound which refuses to be catogorised, he stradles a multitude of genres with the greatest of ease. On his latest offering, 'Broken Ribs', gorgeous pianos and cosmic synths climax in a vacuum of fading energy. Catch Peace on supporting duties at Naive tonight.

Peace - Broken Ribs



Next up Dersonna takes Fatboy Slim to the grindhouse with this slamming re-rub of 'Gangster Tripping'. Pulsating basslines take you deep into pits of hell before spitting you out to enjoy one last moment of jovial frivolity in the carnival inspired breakdown, but before you know it, the bassline comes back with revenge, taking absolutely no prisoners. I think the word I'm looking for here is 'bangin'.

Fatboy Slim - Gangster Tripping (Dersonna Remix)



Finally, it's time to get progressive on your ass with Daniel Donnelly's massive track 'Sias' which has recently got signed to Florida based label Miami House Muzik and is fully deserved of some widespread exposure. I think there can be a fine line when it comes to progressive and trance, it's quite easy to just use the biggest synths and breakdown's possible in that search of euphoria but here Daniel maintains composure throughout, constantly building on a scintillating groove.

Daniel Donnelly - Sias

Thursday 18 November 2010

Death Disco 8th Birthday ft/ Brodinski & The Count & Sinden: Preview



Can you believe it? It's actually been eight years since Death Disco exploded onto the Glasgow club scene like a super-charged dirty bomb filled with sex-dripping disco suave & HI-NRG electro. Since 2002 we've seen everyone from Uffie to Aeroplane, Erol Alkan to Digitalism rock The Arches, all in the name of unadulterated hedonism & funked up basslines for Glasgow's most dedicated party-goers.

This Saturday the likes of Brodinski, The Count & Sinden, Dansette Junior & Mkix The Cat descend on Central Station's cavernous underbelly for a birthday extravaganza which is set to ignite feverish dancing all night and debauched celebrations all morning. To get you fired up for an out and out mega-skirmish here is The Count & Sinden's latest mix:

Count & Sinden October 2010 mix by DeathDisco

Brodinski will also be filming his set for his up coming live DVD so make sure you represent for Glasgow, taps aff, crowd surfing, projectile whitey...you know the score! I also encourage you to get down early for Dansette Junior, before Katy B & Magnetic Man hit the charts they perhaps had the year's first dubstep crossover with 'Paranoid'. Produced by Drumsound & Bassline Smith, IT IS HUGE.

Paranoid by dansettejunior

Finally, we recently caught up with marketing manager and club founder Niall Walker about the weekend's upcoming celebrations. Here's what he had to say:

S: Death Disco celebrates its 8th birthday this Saturday at The Arches with a massive line up headed by Brodinski & The Count & Sinden. Being one of the club’s founder’s how do you feel the night has changed since it started in 2002? Have you ever found yourself trying to adapt to Glasgow’s ever changing and growing club scene?

NW: In essence the club hasn’t changed that much since 2002. It still has a forward-thinking, anything-goes attitude – all that has really changed is the number of people who go and the music, which of course is ever-changing to keep ahead of the game, whilst remaining in the broad genre of electro and disco. As a trend-setter we don’t adapt to anyone – they adapt to us

S: For people that may be unaware, just what was the original idea behind Death Disco? Did you have a particular vision when you started the night and what would you attribute to the night’s long running success?

NW: The original idea is still one we stick to: to have a monthly night for clubbers who are open-minded to new ideas. Whether that be the DJs, the bands, the fashion, the visuals or the other clubbers themselves. This is what I attribute to it's success – we never rest on our laurels.

S: Death Disco has perhaps had the most recognisable visual marketing in Glasgow throughout the 8 years the night has been running. Is there a particular era of design which you’ve been particularly proud of and what vibe do you try and create through your poster/flyer design?

NW: Firstly, thank you, that is a huge compliment. We had to re-launch the campaign featuring photos of real DD punters this summer because I was still getting so many requests from people. This is definitely the campaign I’m most proud of - and won an award for in 2008. It just works on so many levels: we (DD make-up artist Anna MacKenzie and I) can style the model into our ‘ideal’ DD clubber (strange but beautiful) for the shoot; it creates an interactive element and sense of belonging to the campaign; and it has an amazing viral effect – almost everyone on the scene knows or is acquainted to someone who has appeared on a DD poster at some point. Plus DJs rarely have decent photos of themselves! On the rare occasion that they do we will put them on the poster – Bloody Beetroots being a prime example. Prior to this campaign, my favourite flyer was the one with Andy Warhol’s Judy Garland face, where I put a bullet hole in her forehead.

S: Finally, as your celebrating your 8th successful year this weekend do you have any advice for promoters who may just be starting out and how do you see Glasgow’s current clubbing landscape from the position your in?

NW: Make sure your club has an amazing unique selling point, and be willing to do it for the fun as much as the profit. The Glasgow clubbing scene is one of the best in the world in my opinion, so to succeed in it you have to stand out from the crowd. We're lucky at Death Disco as we have the USPs of a building unrivalled in Scotland and a monthly line up of the absolute best electro acts out there. I wonder who they'll be in two years time at our 10th birthday?

WHAT: Death Disco's 8th Birthday
WHO: Brodinski, The Count & Sinden, Mikix The Cat, The Aikiu (Live), Mustang, Dansette Junior, Hush Puppy, Josh Jones, Wavy Graves
WHERE: The Arches, 253 Argyle St
WHEN: Saturday 20th November
TAX: £14 / £7 (Advance)
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168223726523268

Monday 15 November 2010

Monday.



There's no point in frontin', I'm on a major catch up mission right now after spending most of the weekend either bouncing about dancefloors or in bed sleeping. Monday morning always hits me like a ton of bricks because while Sunday's hangover is of course bad, nine times out of ten your still half cut where as on Monday it's the lingering exhaustion & gut rot you have to deal with....

BLOG BURNER:

Anyway, I recently realised just how much straight up electro/techno/annoying squelch basslines annoy me. I'm all for a plain and simple 'bangin' beat every so often, but you have to draw the line somewhere, otherwise it just gets boring. I want a FUCKING GROOVE, I want different TEMPOS and I want shifts in ENERGY. Monotonous, wobbly, 'I'm trying to replicate what Herve was doing three years ago' music really pisses me off, which is why when I get my hands on some big, funky, sex-filtered, piano-driven French house I get a big grin on my face. The Phantom's Revenge is back with this masterful feel good funker called 'Charlie', there's no farting, modem connection, C-3PO having an orgasm sounds and it may encourage actual dancing. Deal with it.

The Phantom's Revenge - Charlie



Next up, Riva Starr fights the good fight with this 7 minute slice of mature house called 'More'. Forthcoming under his new guise Star Traxx and with remixes from Kink and Pirupa this simply oozes class. I still maintain Riva Starr is the hottest name in house music right now and with this super-grooving bassline behind him that title is safe. Pick this up Nov 29th on his own Snatch! label.

Riva Starr presents Star Traxx - More



Ok, ok, I admit it, we're late on this. But better late then never right? The chart-bothering nuisance known as Tinchy Stryder has enlisted an all-star cast of UK hip hop spitters for his new street single 'Game Over'. Featuring the likes of Pro Green, Tinie Tempah & Giggs this is straight HEAT, the debate is still raging over who's verse kills it most on this. I'm backing Example...

Tinchy Stryder ft/ Chipmunk, Tinie Tempah, Devlin, Example, Pro Green & Giggs - Game Over



Finally, Digital Soundboy legend and Original Nuttah, Shy FX is back with an Afro-Caribbean meets Jungle jump off which is causing damage right now. Here Breakage strips it down to the bare essentials, losing Kano, Donae'o and Roses Gabor in favour of the original vocal sample and some bad man riddims. Still no word on an official release for this but this version is out there if you want it...

Shy FX ft/Kano, Donae'o & Roses Gabor - Raver (Breakage Remix)

Thursday 11 November 2010

Mixed Bizness presents....Caspa & Emalkay: Preview



You can always trust Mixed Bizness to bring the heavy hitters to Glasgow, it seems like almost every week they have a night which is just begging for your hard earned cash. Last weekend it was Fake Blood & Clouds, the weekend before that Magnetic Man and this weekend none other than Caspa & Emalkay, not to mention having Thursday's on lock at the Art School.

It's been hard to ignore Caspa's meteoric rise to fame over the last few years, with massive remixes for the likes of Kid Sister, TC, Rusko & Deadmau5 and more recently The Swedish House Mafia bridging the gap between heads down, hoodies up sub-bass drama and credible crossover hits like his summer smash 'Back For The First Time'. Add to that his very own Dub Police label, boasting talents such as D1, Subscape & the aforementioned Emalkay and you've got potential for a roadblock event this Friday night.

Check out this PR video for Caspa's 'My Style' mix compilation he released this summer & get excited:



And a link to Emalkay's most recent mix & interview:

Dogs On Acid

After Benga literally caused a four-alarm riot at Mixed Bizness back in September we were interested to hear just what promoter & globe-trotting resident Boom Monk Ben had to say ahead of tomorrow night's mega-skirmish:

S: So this Friday Mixed Bizness bring Caspa, alongside his Dub Police protégé Emalkay to the Glasgow School Of Art. Earlier in the year he featured at Hows Your Party? at the Sub Club and since then has released numerous hit remixes and summer anthem ‘Back For The First Time’. Why did you feel the time was right to bring Caspa back to Glasgow and are you expecting a similar reaction to Benga’s appearance in September?

BMB: Yep, Caspa literally smashed the Sub Club up last time he played Glasgow. No joke. The DJ booth had to be rebuilt the crowd were that rowdy. It was one of the busiest and best nights we've done this year and the Sub's DJ booth will never be the same again! Normally we try to bring such big names to Glasgow once a year so people are bursting to see them again but we spoke to Caspa and he was keen to showcase his Dub Police label up here as it continues to go from strength to strength. We thought we'd bring him back again before the year is through to give him and Emalkay that very platform. His recent releases have been massive and with a new influx of students and young dubstep fans into the city we felt the time was right to throw another big party with him. The Benga night was amazing, maybe the best atmosphere I have ever experienced in a club, so if we can come anywhere close to that I will be happy.

S: Obviously in 2010 dubstep has hit the mainstream in a big way. What are your views on this? Do you see this as a natural progression for a genre which is becoming increasingly popular and do you think it could affect it’s underground roots?

BMB: I think it can only be a good thing really. If something is fresh, exciting and popular then it is natural for it to hit the mainstream. Big acts like Magnetic Man and Caspa will cross over and pave the way for the lesser known and perhaps more cutting edge acts to follow in their stead. Of course this might not appeal to some as electronic music can be so polarising when it comes to crossing over into the mainstream and remaining staunchly underground. However for the scene to grow and artists to get the exposure their undoubted talents deserve then the sands have to shift to a certain extent otherwise nobody will ever get anywhere. It's underground roots will never be affected as there will always be those that want to keep it that way and will work towards creating new sounds and stylistic changes to maintain it sounding and feeling fresh. Whenever something goes big there's always a mutated offshoot developing behind it in it's own way to keep the cutting edge alive.

S: Over the last few years Mixed Bizness has been responsible for bringing some of the world’s finest DJ & producing talent to Glasgow and has grown to a position where you can sell out the Sub Club and Arches. Is there part of you that ever feels like doing an event in more intimate surroundings with artists who might perhaps be less well known but you’d love to put on?

BMB: Over the years I feel we have promoted an even spread of big name events and underground parties with more grass root names. Naturally the bigger the names the bigger the success so recently that has become somewhat of a blueprint for our main events as we have established ourselves as people who bring big parties to Glasgow. However, I see our weekly parties at the Glasgow School of Art as the ideal platform to showcase lesser known but equally as exciting talent. We have a fantastically loyal following that attend each week without the need to book massive headliners so we are in a privileged position where we can take a chance on smaller names safe on the knowledge that we'll get anywhere between 500 and 800 people along to hear them play. Amazing DJs and live acts like Hint, Thunderheist, Playdoe, Sibot, sixAM, Parker and Solid Steel's DK, Cheeba and DJ Moneyshot have all smashed packed out gigs in recent times.

S: Your own monthly night How’s Your Party? originally started on a weekly Thursday at the Sub Club in 2007. Since then the landscape of Glasgow clubbing has arguably changed quite dramatically. How do you see the current scene in Glasgow? Thriving, over-saturated? Have you any advice for promoters who might just be starting out?

BMB: The current Glasgow scene is very healthy in many ways but also quite strange and can be difficult to fathom at times. I definitely feel it's over saturated but that's just the product of Glasgow's healthy thirst for partying. It's a shame because it often means that club nights that should be attracting decent numbers often suffer as there is too much choice and not enough people to fill all the venues on any given night. It seems to me that two strands of clubbing are thriving just now. The first being the obvious 'insert big name here' parties, which will always be successful as people love music that they recognise and this is often catered for at these events. Of course there are promoters who do this better than others and I think the likes of which Numbers, Optimo and Killer Kitsch as well as Mixed Bizness manage to strike a balance between making these events appeal to the masses as well as the more discerning amongst us.

The second is the 'DIY' party aesthetic which seems to have really taken off in recent years. Clubs and parties like Vitamins and especially the Subcity parties have stripped back all the pomp that comes with big name events and just given us rowdy and exciting bashes to throw shapes at. They're cheap, exciting and a bit rough around the edges which is a good thing for sure.

My advice for new promoters is to take your time and build your brand and parties into something one event at a time. There's no need to start booking big names or try to fill the Sub Club or The Arches, just enjoy partying with your extended circle of friends and let it grow of it's own accord. If the time is right to kick things into gear with big names and all that then you'll know. So much money can be lost on promoting that there's no need to throw it all away as a result of getting over excited. You'll get stung by agents, club owners, rival promoters and your own naivety but it happens to everyone so enjoy it before it becomes a massive head ache!

S: Finally, moving the focus back to Friday’s party, for people who may have not experienced a Mixed Bizness event or maybe perhaps a night which is of primarily dubstep orientation what should they expect?

BMB: This Friday you can expect a massive soundsystem with nuff bass to rattle your cage, a 16 screen video wall and double projection screen A/V show to compliment the raw and upfront music. It will be a snap shot in contemporary bass culture as we see it, with dubstep, reggae, dancehall, garage, house, UK funky, hip hop and all that mess getting thrown about to make your batty wind. With the perennial big hitter in Caspa returning to do what he does best, his protégé Emalkay making his Glasgow debut (I think!) and some ginger beardy guy making records go the same speed it ought to cover all your party bases. Mixed Bizness nights are never about posturing and being cool. You can do that if you like, whatever is your bag, but we just want you to have fun and go home slightly more deaf than last time. I think that's fair enough.

So do we....

WHAT: Mixed Bizness present Caspa & Emalkay @ The Art School
DJ's: Caspa, Emalkay, Boom Monk Ben
MC's: Rod Azlan & Profisee
VISUALS: Visual Aids
WHERE: Glasgow School Of Art, 167 Renfrew St
WHEN: Friday 12th Nov // 11-3am
TAX: £12 advance from Ticket Scotland
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105511636173645

Saturday 6 November 2010

Big tunes from local geezers...



The end of another week then which means it's time to take stock and celebrate the finest local tunes cutting about before Saturday night hurtles us into Sunday morning's hungover mess. Get your ear's round these yo:

Local Hero:

Coming straight outta Hamilton with a penchant for big room sounds is Dajosm who made this track 'Fun Fuel' a free download a couple weeks back. It's a 'tech-trance' monster with a breakdown in which you could run to the toilet and still get back in time to down five flamin' sambucas and winch some bird. In the same vain as Deadmau5, Eric Prydz et al, this is quality progressive house with an electro house flare.

Dajosm - Fun Fuel



Next up Lucha Libre come in big with some mega mash-up business on Boy Better Know and Bizzare Inc. With a gritty bassline which eventually breaks into classic piano chords this is party music of the highest calibre. If your at a sausage fest I suggest throwing this on and enjoying the influx if girls that will inevitably follow...

Bizzare Inc Vs Boy Better Know - Too Many Men (Lucha Libre VIP Edit)



Former Local Hero Quahaze is back with another super-slick slice of cosmic disco, this week in the form of 'Love & Light'. Floating piano chords and dreamy synths combine to make this a rather introspective listen which wouldn't sound out of place in a set from Aeroplane or Mighty Mouse. If you like to lose yourself in your dance music then this is a good place to start.

Quahaze - Love & Light



Finally, Glasgow based dubstep producer Kid Robotik has been firing on all cylinders recently with a slew of hot productions causing problems for your tinny laptop speakers and booming club systems alike. Here he brings you some devestating wobble action with this screaming bassline monster. Look out for Kid Robotik on the upcoming Heartbeats compilation available in December.

Kid Robotik - Butch

Friday 5 November 2010

Kollektiv presents....Oliver $: Preview



THE WEEEKEND! Finally, we can look forward to two days in which all we have to worry about is where to lose it on the dancefloor. Thankfully tonight there can only be one choice as Kollektiv bring you world-class house & techno purveyor Oliver $ for a mere £5.

After a string of highly successful parties over the last few months with the likes of Jamie Anderson & Hotbox, Kollektiv are gearing up for their biggest night yet as one of Made To Play's flagship artists joins Glasgow's own Dave Cuthbertson, plus those maxi-talented residents.

Check out two of Oliver $' most recent productions here as part of Made To Play's '5 Years...' collection:

Oliver $ & Jan Driver_Down by oliverdollar

Jesse Rose_Non Stop_Riva Starr & Oliver $ Remix by oliverdollar

We also recently caught up with one half of Tarantism & Kollektiv resident Marco as he 'tans a whiskey' and gives us an insight into the Kollektiv theory:

S: So tonight Kollektiv present Oliver $ at The Universal for what is set to be an absolutely huge Friday night. Can you start by explaining just what Kollektiv is all about and why you decided to start the night originally?

M: Kollektiv started in early 2010, when one of the co-promoter's, Doug, asked me if I was interested in starting a club-night with him. Doug has been making music and DJing for years, has run nights in Edinburgh in the past and had decided he wanted to give Glasgow a bash. Within a couple of weeks myself, Doug and the third promoter, Mark, were meeting up to discuss what we wanted to do with the name.

Kollektiv's ethos lies in the name, which is German for, you guessed it, 'collective'. We are aware that there is a lot of talent in Glasgow, spread out over a lot of club-nights who are trying to do similar things. Instead of adding to the problem of over-saturation in such a small city, we're trying to incorporate the talents of a lot of our friends and peers, and create a club-night that is everyone's, not just ours.

S: Glasgow is obviously renowned for it’s prominence in house and techno with some nights recognised the world over. How do you see yourself fitting in to what is such an established scene and has it been hard to find a foothold?

M: Glasgow's house and techno scene is absolutely massive, with the likes of Slam, Harri and Domenic playing weekly at huge clubs like the Sub Club and The Arches. This is on top of the multitude of younger nights, run by younger promoters. What we're trying to offer is the chance for Glasgow clubbers to hear good music and see big-name DJs, but for a small price. This is why we're only charging £5 to see Oliver $ tonight... a small price for someone who regularly plays Berlin's Panorama Bar with Jesse Rose.

S: Your also part of Subcity Radio’s own Tarantism who recently played a blinding set at The Art School for Halloween. Can you explain what the radio show is about and what people can expect from a Tarantism DJ set as apposed to just yourself?

M: Whilst Kollektiv focuses on dancefloor orientated music, that is your house and techno, Tarantism is a much more general 'music appreciation' radio show. We, that is myself and co-presenter Nathan, have an enormously open-minded attitude towards music. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we didn't realise how open-minded we were until after we started doing the radio show. Tarantism has helped our own music taste develop, and we've delved into genres and sub-genres that we didn't even know existed. As a result, when we're asked to do a mix or play a set, not even we know how it's going to turn out. So far we've played house, hip-hop, disco, balearic sounds, electro and, at the Halloween party, straight-forward pounding techno!

My personal biggest influences are Glasgow's very own Optimo and, of course, John Peel, simply due to their full acceptance of all forms of music. Listening to any Optimo mix, or even Peel's FabricLive, will take you on a journey through music that seems to leave the word 'genre' behind. It makes you appreciate music for what it actually is. As a result, when someone asks us to do a set or a mix, we often take it as a challenge to try out something we've never really done before, which is usually quite interesting... That's how we ended up with a hip-hop beatboxer on-stage with us at the Vitamins Island Fling, seconds after Nathan rattled out 20 minutes of dark electro and house!

S: Returning to tonight, why did you decide to bring Oliver $ to Glasgow and what can we expect from his set?

M: Oliver $ is a name that was getting a lot of praise a couple of years back when Jesse Rose and his Made to Play label started gaining recognition. Since then, Made to Play and Jesse himself have rocketed into the highest echelon of the international electronic music scene. Oliver has always been Jesse Rose's number one choice as the Made to Play label representative, and from his set-recordings, we know he's someone to take seriously. He has this unique hip-hop influenced style of tech-house, so much so that you can immediately tell when a set is an Oliver $ set. After booking Made to Play's Jamie Anderson in August, we were reminded of just how good Oliver $ is by his more recent releases like 'You Got It!' and 'Shaka-Lao', which earlier this year launched Jesse Rose's new sub-label, Play It Down.

S: Finally, how do you envisage Kollektiv developing in the future? Can you see it taking hold as a monthly event or do you want to run it as and when you can get the guest’s you desire?

M: Despite the fact that we put our all into Kollektiv, there remains the fact that Mark and I are still at college and uni, and that Doug has a full time job. Running a club-night takes up a lot of time, effort and money - something which I thought I understood, but really was totally unaware of until after I got involved with Kollektiv. Currently, we'd rather put a large amount of effort into a night that takes place every so often, than struggle to meet the demands of a monthly clubnight. It's more fair to ourselves, and it's more fair to the people coming to our nights, as it means we can provide the right level of quality they deserve. Things may change in the future, but I guess we'll play it by ear (excuse the pun).

WHAT: Kollektiv present Oliver $ @ The Universal
WHO: OLIVER $ (Made To Play), Dave Cuthbertson (Amo Casa), Lycan , Mark David & Behaviour
WHERE: The Universal, 57-59 Sauchiehall Lane
WHEN: Tonight 11-3am
TAX: £5 advance/before midnight / £7 after
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165687376774642

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Cassius 'I Love You So' music video....


With the new Cassius EP 'Rawkers' now finally out for all to enjoy, the French production duo have released a video for lead single 'I Love You So' which is completely interactive and as such, has blown my mind in the process...

The song itself is a fluid, half-time monster that's dripping with Ed Banger cool and when you download the iphone application you can choose between 8 characteristic mouths to plonk infront of yours, equalling hours of good, clean fun. Check out the video below and then hit up the link to download the application. Happy grinning!

Cassius, I Love you so from WE ARE FROM L.A on Vimeo.



© Ed Banger Records
FEEL IT WITH THE IPHONE APPLICATION
itunes.apple.com/​fr/​app/​cassius-i-3-u-so/​id399394777?mt=8


Here's my favourite one uploaded so far:


I
Uploaded by frosel24. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Monday 1 November 2010

Batten down the hatches...



Well, it looks like Winter has well and truly arrived with gale force winds and torrential rain battering my window like a gaggle of pissed delinquents on a Friday night. Thankfully it's given me the excuse to stay inside and source some incredibly hot new tunes, and this week has potentially been the best yet, with not one but TWO official Blog Burners! WOW

Blog Burner #1:

If anyone went near a radio late last week you may well have been blasted in the face with this achingly beautiful but equally heart wrenching collaboration between Crystal Castles and Robert Smith of The Cure. Describing this song as powerful would be a MASSIVE understatement as the addition of Smith's voice makes it easily one of the tunes of the year. The type of tune you share a passionate kiss in the pouring rain to.

Crystal Castles Ft/ Robert Smith - Not In Love



Blog Burner #2:

So, Daft Punk are officially back. After producing N.E.R.D's new single 'Hypnotize' they've finally released something from the official Tron soundtrack and it doesn't disappoint, although for the people who were expecting some type of pop redux like 'One More Time' then you will be. 'Derezzed' is a slamming electro number which fits the film like a Phillip's screwdriver to Tron's last Bugle head.

Daft Punk - 'Derezzed'



Here's a video for the song featuring Daft Punk doing some very unconvincing head nodding:



Next up Kris Menace gets the remix treatment from Henrik B on his new single 'Walking On The Moon'. We first blogged this tune back in February so it's nice to see it finally getting a full release. Here Henrik takes the uplifting vocal segment of the original and spreads it across a beautiful piano lead soundscape, eventually breaking into a rather unnecessary electro house rhythm. First half more than makes up for it though.

Kris Menace Ft/ Emil - Walking On The Moon (Henrik B Remix)



Finally, Speaker Junk (Herve & Trevor Loveys) have essentially come out of nowhere with their new single 'We Can Be'- a trance monster with the vocal equivalent to accompany it. Not quite sure where I sit with this at the moment, I guess sometimes Herve just gets tired of making 4min electro dittys and wants to release his inner Tiesto. Nice piano though.

Speaker Junk - We Can Be