Slab Happy

With two years under their belt and a new label launching this month, just what is the secret behind the success of Slabs of the Tabernacles?

Feature by Chris Duncan | 08 Sep 2010

There is a theory, that isn't solely applied to club nights but rather life in general, that you can "always tell who the good guys are, because they don't make any money." There is certainly evidence to back this up when it is administered to clubs, with promoters and venues that show integrity and a drive to provide a particular musical output often struggling to break even whilst venues that push their drink promotions ahead of all else create monopolies.

It is then, a delight to see the rare occasion when a night not only survives but excels; cementing itself as an integral part of its locality, something that Slabs of the Tabernacle seems to be doing slowly.

"The night has been going on for two years now, it's been in Le Cheetah, The Universal and began in the Twisted Wheel when that was still open," explains one of the night's founders Brian d'Souza. "It's certainly suited to a basement setting, people are there to dance.

"Musically Slabs is fairly label focused, we've had Chicago House orientated nights, italo nights and deep techno based one-offs," continues Brian. "Some people think we are an italo night, others this 'mad techno night'. We are just an old school type of party really – our guests normally play live on hardware and definitely use vinyl if they are Djing. It is this ethos that has helped us build relationships with likeminded folk across the UK and in Europe. It says on our website that we run a 'party' without reeling off a big list of subgenres. So although we ran three mainly Chicago-style parties a few months back, the next month we can switch it up to deeper and harder Detroit, italo the next and still get a committed crowd," adds fellow resident and founder Andrew Cooke.

Slabs of the Tabernacle's strength lies within the diverse and brilliant record collection of it's founders, the guests they bring to the city and the relationship they build with the artists they book. Previous guests include Ali Renault, Casionova, Tevo Howard, The Third Man, Scott McGill and Rude 66. This brief peek at the two year old booking history proves one thing, Slabs of the Tabernacle are bringing talent to the city on a regular basis that would otherwise likely never be heard live in Glasgow.

The night has now takes place every other month, moving from its former monthly slot whilst the other founders focus on different projects and the new Slabs of the Tabernacle label. As Brian says, "Most of the DJs we have had playing for us also produce so it makes sense to put out our own releases. It's just an interesting project really. We have forthcoming releases from Fancy & Spook/Ditone, John Heckle, The Third Man and Xenogears."

As for the future of the night, Andrew concludes that "For our next party we're focusing on Abstract Forms. Over the past two and a half years this electronic UK label has put out a succession of beautifully crafted, trendfree releases ranging from soundscapes for home listening, to creepy club tracks. We will be showcasing exclusive live sets from some of the artists who have released on this label plus a DJ set from the label boss Deixis himself."

Slabs of the Tabernacle takes place every other month in The Universal, the next date is an Abstract Forms Label Night with Deixis [DJ], Morphology [Live], Arne Weinberg [Live] on 2 Oct