Clubbing Highlights – March 2013

Spring has sprung! Well, not quite. In fact, February’s plummeting temperatures will have left many wondering if winter will ever end. Rest assured however, if the weather doesn’t get its act together sharpish, Scotland’s clubbing schedule for the coming month will certainly offer ample opportunities to get your sweat on. March’s calendar is, quite frankly, ridiculously over-laden with high calibre events. Before this issue even hits the streets, Glasgow alone will have been treated to sets from garage-house pioneer Marc Kinchen, Hessle Audio’s Ben UFO, the ever lively Oneman and a Melting Pot appearance from the legendary Francois K. Thankfully, there is no let-up in the coming weeks.

With weekend slots filling up here, there and everywhere, the number of quality acts being booked for midweek sets is on the rise. If school night frolics are your thing, Cyril Hahn hits The Buff Club for Killer Kitsch on 5 Mar (see this month’s DJ Chart) while Edinburgh heads will be first in the UK to witness DJ Rashad on his UK Hyperdub Tour. The master of Chicago Juke lands in Sneaky Pete's to play at the city’s Juice night and you can see him in action for exactly zero pounds. None too shabby!

Heading into the second weekend of the month in Glasgow, Stroboscopic Artefacts founder Lucy takes to the decks at SWG3 on Mar 8, alongside Rrose (Sandwell District), offering cerebral stimulation for aficionados of the darker side of techno (£10). If playful house is more your thing, Return to Mono has lined up an appearance by Berlin-based Anja Schneider, owner of the city’s influential Mobilee imprint (Sub Club, £12 advance tickets, £10 on the door). Edinburgh fans of Schneider need not despair as she appears earlier in the evening at Jackhammer alongside Slam, before rave supremo Mark Archer (Altern 8) and an as-yet-unannounced secret guest take things late into the night (The Caves, £10 adv). Elsewhere in Auld Reekie, the outlandishly brilliant Detroit Grand Pubahs take charge for Club 10-86, alongside Gareth Whitehead (The Annexe, Liquid Rooms, £7 on the door).

Long time purveyor of proper dubstep, Loefah drops in to Glasgow’s new pop up club Make Do on Mar 9. Never to be pigeonholed, the Rinse FM DJ splices sounds from his bass music roots with healthy servings of house, techno and electro. He appears alongside Shadow Child. The same night sees Innervisions boss Dixon, take to the Sub Club alongside Harri and Domenic at the city’s hallowed house night, Subculture (Sub Club, £10). The Berlin-based producer and DJ is lauded as much for his productions as he is for his skills on the turntables and consistently ranks highly in those silly polls released every year.

Heading back east, Jackhammer pops up again, this time with a pair of Detroit legends in tow. One of the four founding fathers of techno, Derrick May is as hardworking a DJ as any you will find. He’s joined on 15 Mar by Edinburgh-based DJ Rolando, formerly of Detroit’s legendary Underground Resistance collective and the man behind techno classic, Knights of The Jaguar. Rounding off an impressive lineup is internationally acclaimed local producer and DJ, Stephen Brown (The Liquid Room, £12 adv).

While Edinburgh goes all Motor City, Glasgow punters are spoiled for choice as La Cheetah and the increasingly impressive Saint Judes offer up flavours from Chicago and Berlin, respectively. The former continue their House Sound of Chicago series with an appearance by the one and only Roy Davis Jr. At one time a member of renowned acid house pioneers Phuture, Davis has carved out a career espousing a soul-kissed brand of deep house, epitomised by his timeless hit, Gabrielle (£10 on the door). Across the city, Animal Farm host German trio ItaloJohnson, offering a more jacking brand of house and techno. Aptly, they are supported by Glasgow’s Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, the DJ duo behind the hotly tipped label of the same name (Saint Judes, £10 on the door).

Substance continue to stand out as a beacon in the capital’s clubbing scene and this month they have lined up a set by highly praised Hessle Audio artist, TJ Hertz AKA Objekt. The Berlin-based producer is among the most skilled of those who favour the marriage between UK-flavoured bass music and stripped down, murky techno aesthetics. He is joined on 22 Mar in Edinburgh by Scottish veteran and one half of the legendary Optimo DJ duo, JD Twitch (Bongo Club, £10.) Glasgow’s Rubix have also secured a set from Hertz, alongside local wonderkid Bake (All Caps), on Thursday 14 Mar (Sub Club, £5-7).

La Cheetah continues to cement its status as one of the best clubs in Glasgow, this time teaming up with Void to welcome the eternally versatile Tadd Mullinix AKA James T Cotton to their city centre basement. Best known for acid-tinted house tracks, the Michigan-based artist has found a home for his productions on such superior labels as Ghostly International and Creme Organization. Joining JTC is occasional collaborator and another in a long line of highly skilled Chicago-bred selectors, Traxx (22 Mar, £10).

A late highlight of this particularly tasty month is the visit of minimal techno godfather Robert Hood on 29 Mar. The Arches welcomes the producer whose consistency in releasing engagingly pounding techno, while delivering positively charged DJ sets, make him one of Detroit’s finest exports (£10 adv). Finally, if you are able to function after the month’s excesses, you could do worse than heading along to Make Do on 30 Mar for their Hotflush showcase, featuring label boss Scuba playing back to back with Boddika, with support from Paul Woolford (£7 adv).

That just about covers March. If there isn’t at least two nights worth of clubbing in there for you, you might as well go into retirement. Alas, we’ve not even mentioned the Electric Frog Easter Weekender. Good job there’s a detailed roundup elsewhere in the section!