Clubbing Highlights Scotland – February 2015

This month’s picks include Scratch Perverts and Barnt in Edinburgh, Bass Clef’s trip to Glasgow and Rahaan who’s headed for Dundee

Preview by Ronan Martin | 02 Feb 2015

With January over and done with, and the festive excesses near enough atoned for, those of us who spent the first month of the year in hiding are once again ready to venture beyond the confines of our darkened holes to seek the solace of, well... dimly lit basements for the most part. Luckily February boasts a particularly impressive clubbing calendar, so allow us to chart your path as best we can...

We kick off in Edinburgh with an early opportunity for midweek partying as promoters Partial hand the keys to The Caves over to three artists firmly on top of their game. The Hessle Audio Takeover is one we’re very excited about, helmed as it is by the label’s revered co-founders Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea. With its roots very much in the early dubstep scene, Hessle Audio has evolved significantly over the last eight years, incorporating more elements of techno and house into the sound without ever losing the distinctive edge of UK bass music. As for its founders: Ben UFO is regarded as one of the most incisive and varied selectors around, Pangaea has been known to pulverise crowds into submission with his techno-heavy sets and Pearson Sound will likely be on buoyant form ahead of the release of his debut album next month (Tue 3 Feb, £12.50/£15).

Next up, we’re off to The Electric Circus to take in a duo who should need no introduction to fans of hip hop and turntablism. Scratch Perverts made their mark in the DJ battle scene, twice winning the legendary DMC title as a team in 1999 and 2000, which gives you an idea of their dexterity behind a set of decks. Their residency at London’s Fabric is further proof of Tony Vegas and Prime Cuts’ trusted reputation for seamlessly blending disparate styles together to create endlessly energetic sets. As well as a varied and open approach to selection – evident in 2005’s blistering Fabric Live compilation – the duo exhibit the kind of turntable trickery you would expect from one of the UK’s finest hip hop exports (Fri 6 Feb, £6).

Also on Friday 6 February, local d'n'b institution Xplicit celebrate their 10th birthday in the company of Dutch trio Noisia, as part of the second season of the Nightvision events which emerged last autumn. With a rich and expansive sound, Noisia bring together elements of bass and breaks, crafting productions which are often almost cinematic in their scope – full of soaring synths and frenetic drum programming. In support as ever are residents Eno, G-Mac and Dominic Petrie, who have played a crucial role in bringing punters back to Xplicit month after month during its reign. We suspect this one will be special, as the crew celebrate the rather impressive milestone of a decade in the game (La Belle Angele, £12.50/15).

The birthday celebrations continue into the following weekend, this time with Fly Club toasting their second year of partying in the capital. For the second instalment of their bash they have invited Magazine head honcho Daniel Ansorge along to Cabaret Voltaire, off the back of a big year for the German producer. Releasing as Barnt for around five years, Ansorge has steadily built his reputation with releases on his own label and for the likes of Mule Musiq and Cómeme. 2014 saw the release of the His Name EP, unleashing the simplistic but tough techno weapon Chapell to a receptive audience. Last year also gave us Barnt’s debut album Magazine 13, a bold and atmospheric trip through bleak electronic soundscapes, further strengthening his credentials as a gifted producer (Fri 13 Feb, £6-10).

Towards the end of the month, two of the city’s finest techno collectives team up to bring the mighty Rødhåd to the Bongo Club for his first Edinburgh appearance. Pulse and Substance have long been bringing techno heavyweights to the capital and their latest guest is an artist who has been one of the leading lights in the genre’s renewed surge in recent years. Emerging from the ever-revered Berlin party scene, Rødhåd has made his name primarily through his expertly sculpted DJ sets, though his productions and Dystopian label venture have served to buttress his reputation as one of the most exciting artists around at the moment. 

Other highlights in Edinburgh include Glaswegian house masters Dixon Avenue Basement Jams' turn for In Deep (Fri 6 Feb, Sneaky Pete’s, £5), wonky techno veteran Dave Tarrida on the same night (Jackhammer at The Wee Red Bar) and Dutch maestro Young Marco who plays Wasabi Disco on Saturday 21 February (Sneaky Pete's, £5).

Moving on to Glasgow, our first port of call is the sweltering confines of the Sub Club for an evening under the ever-reliable banner of partying institution Optimo. On this occasion their guest is Londoner Bass Clef, whose freeform approach to live performance seems perfectly suited to the forward-thinking remit of one of the city’s longest running underground club nights. With a sonically diverse approach which has seen him take in influences from dancehall and dubstep to rave, acid house and techno, Ralph Cumbers is pleasingly hard to peg down to any one scene. Tooled up with an arsenal of analogue machinery and effects, Cumbers’ sets are everything you want in a live performance – restlessly innovative and exploring a range of moods, whether it’s classic club sounds or improvised jams based around off the cuff manipulation of his trusted trombone (Fri 6 Feb, £TBC).

The following weekend La Cheetah kick off their new series of label showcases by entrusting the club to some of the key players from Lobster Theremin, a label which has amassed a remarkably loyal and continually growing following since its inception in 2013. With standout releases from the likes of Palms Trax, Daze and Panthera Krause, the label has managed to keep the quality of its output remarkably high, while keeping to a hectic release schedule that would shame some more established outlets. Speaking with us last September, label head Jimmy Asquith revealed that he already had the next 20 releases lined up. Sure enough, he is roughly halfway to fulfilling that pledge already. On this occasion Asquith will be joined on DJing duties by the aforementioned Daze, whose Lips EP delivered clattering electro rhythms and frenetic acid lines to further diversify the label’s output last year. Finally, Imre Kiss will also be on hand to offer a live interpretation of his raw, analogue sound (Fri 13 Feb, £10 adv).

Next up, we’re looking in the direction of Paisley and The Club, site of many a fabled underground party back in its legendary 69 days. This month Metafreq have enlisted the services of Randomer to shake the foundations of Rocksy’s Basement. The Londoner has amassed an impressive back catalogue with releases on the likes of Numbers, Hemlock and Clone among his achievements in the last few years. With a warped and arresting style of techno which more often than not aims squarely for the jugular, Rohan Walder is a producer who is nonetheless able to embrace different approaches on each record – which would explain his wandering between several different labels over the course of his career.  The title track from last year’s Residents EP for L.I.E.S found him incorporating a more solemn and gentle melody into a typically robust percussive workout. Residents Lindsay and Kendal will be on hand to support (Fri 20 Feb, £5/8).

Elsewhere in Glasgow, Berlin-based producer Burnski hits Saint Judes for Octaves (Fri 6 Feb, £5), Slabs of the Tabernacle return to their city of origin with deep and trippy techno from Scientific Dreamz Of U (Fri 20 Feb, Nice 'N' Sleazy, £3) and French veteran Ivan Smagghe joins Glasgow mainstay Billy Woods at The Berkeley Suite (Fri 28 Feb, £8).

Finally, if you’re out in Dundee on Saturday 7 February, you’d be silly not pop along to The Reading Rooms to join Autodisco in toasting their eighth birthday in the company of Chicago’s Rahaan. A disco specialist of the highest order, spinning records and building his reputation since the 80s, the US producer also has a clutch of his own esteemed edits, released through the likes of Jiscomusic, Disco Deviance and his own Rahaan Muzik. Having already played for the Dundee promoters on a number of occasions, he’s clearly a reliable choice to bring the party for their anniversary bash (Sat 7 Feb, £10).