Clubbing Highlights – September 2013

In Glasgow, Saint Judes further strengthens its position with new weekly Thursday night party, Different Drums. The event kicks off with a set from Bristolian dubstep producer Mensah Anderson under his New York Transit Authority moniker, through which he delves into house sounds and punchy 808-driven electro rhythms (Thu 5 Sep, £3 before 12, £5 after).

On Friday 6 Sep, Sub Club welcomes esteemed DJ, and Surgeon collaborator, Regis to town for Animal Farm. Owner of Downwards Records, the Birmingham-bred producer has been at the forefront of the British techno scene since the early 90s. Support comes from Shifted (£12). The same night sees deep house and nu-disco producer Cottam visit Saint Judes (£5-£8).

September sees The Arches twinned with Berlin’s Watergate club to host the Made for the Night event, boasting an impressive line-up of house acts including Chicago legend Chez Damier, Made To Play bossman Jesse Rose and DJ Jus-Ed (Sat 7 Sep, £10 early bird, £15 after). The same night, influential Glaswegian DJ duo, Harri and Domenic set sail to take on their equally revered Sub Club counterparts, Twitch and Wilkes of Optimo (Board boat from Glasgow Science Centre at 6.30pm, £25 adv).  

As far as live acts go, Bulgarian producer Strahil Velchev AKA KiNK is one of the most exciting performers around. With a back catalogue brimming with quality, including his brilliant collaborations with Neville Watson, Velchev has gained acclaim for his various interpretations of house music, from the deep and chilled out to more jacking material. If his last Boiler Room set is anything to go by, KiNK will come to La Cheetah with an armoury of hardware in tow, promising something rather special (Fri 13 Sep, £10).  

Offbeat have steadily been making a name for themselves over the past year or so and this month they’ve bagged a set from ever-animated ghetto house pioneer, DJ Funk. If the Chicago-based selector is at his best, this is set to be one of the best nights in recent months, with La Cheetah likely to turn into a steaming sweatbox before you can shout “hold up, wait a minute” (Fri 20 Sep, £10 advance).

In Edinburgh, The Picture House celebrates its 5^th birthday with Musika bringing mash-up masters 2 Many DJs to the city, offering techno obscurities, amid familiar classics (Fri 6 Sep, £19.50 adv). The following Thursday, Juice hosts an evening with bass music trend setter Addison Groove who puts a UK spin on the infectious Chicago juke sound (Sneaky Pete’s, Thu 12 Sep, £3, free for members).

The following weekend, Bixon has lined up a set from Bristol-based Dutchman October, whose releases have found a home on such celebrated labels as AUS and Skudge. Label boss behind Caravan, Julian Smith’s sound takes in everything from house and techno to dub and disco and, with a varied back catalogue stretching back to 2003, he has proven himself to be a prolific talent (Sneaky Pete’s, Fri 20 Sep, £5).

Finally, another birthday night sees Ultragroove celebrate 14 years doing their thing in the capital. To mark the occasion they have secured the considerable talents of Motor City Drum Ensemble for the evening. Danilo Plessow has countless exquisite house tracks to his name, including the rich and soulful Raw Cuts series of records which continue to shine around five years after their release. Since then, Plessow has developed his sound and has produced for the likes of 20:20 Vision and Studio !K7, compiling a mix for the latter’s celebrated DJ Kicks series (511, Sat 28 Sep £10).