Clubbing Highlights - August

Liver spotted totem of sleaze Rupert Murdoch may have done his company's share price a mischief by turning a not-so-blind eye to the maelstrom of villainy clouding News International, but don't let that distract you from the real issues of the day: 5am techno underneath a damp August skyline, made possible only by the middlebrow dross that oozes towards Bristo Square.

The Lane manage to shake off their long-standing broken clock syndrome by finally hosting a night worth giving a toss about. Balls-to-the-wall machine techno purveyors Sandwell District bring forth Function and Regis to Jackhammer, who also extend an invitation to proto-rave duo Altern8. Your anaesthesia is scheduled for Fri 26 August. Electro-techno princeling Tiga makes his Edinburgh debut on the same date at the Liquid Room courtesy of Musika and Sugarbeat.

Much as we enjoy the Canadian's leisurely, sub-125 meanderings, Boddika's flick-knife precision techno and electro (whether on his own, or as one half of Instra:mental, who have released our favourite album of 2011 so far) offers a genuinely unique and exciting proposition that counters much of what passes for 'post-dubstep'. Substance host Boddika plus guests at the Store on Sat 6 Aug.

On to more familiar territory with LuckyMe, who continue to loiter around this column like sunken-cheeked seagulls at an Aberdeen landfill, peddling their wares in similarly obstreperous fashion: "Oh look, I'm LuckyMe and I've just booked DJ Awesome Bigbaws to play some tunes that are bang tidy and way better than any of your gak, squawk." That it happens to be true doesn't make it any less rote; The Blessings are your requisite shit-on-everything-in-sight spinners, playing out for your pleasure alongside house/garage shapeshifter Julio Bashmore at Ultragroove on Sat 20 August. 

Girl Unit swoops by (Ray? You're fired - Ed.) the capital for the first of two dates on Sun 21 Aug at Coalition, likely bearing two of the most overplayed songs of the last 24 months. It helps that 'I.R.L.' and 'Wut' are absolute belters of the abusive, whip-happy patriarch variety, though one hopes that the 5am denouement prompts a more imaginative selection. The last of our Burgh picks sees house/soul producer and DJ Fudge Fingas drop by TwentyTwenty (The Store) on Tue 30 Aug.

Elsewhere, a rare visit from legendary Chicago house outfit Virgo (Fri 5 Aug, Sub Club) might be the pick of the entire calendar month. Re-released LPs courtesy of Rush Hour, showing off an expertly curated blend of classic house tropes alongside dilating synths and hypnagogic basslines, should be investigated post-haste.

Subculture proffers more house goodies via Dixon (Sat 20 Aug), whose nightcrawler selections are an apt foil for the libidinous murk of the Subby. French Fries will compete for your custom on the same evening, offering a more bass-heavy stramash of electro and UK funky influences at La Cheetah. Creeping into September, Numbers offers James Blake the chance to showcase his latest slew of low-end, shell-like compositions at the Sub Club alongside Goodhand and Nelson on Sat 3 Sep.