Scottish Clubbing Highlights – April 2016

Glasgow club highlights

Nope, it’s not an April Fool’s joke, folks – our action packed month kicks off with none other than the ‘three deck master’ himself, Mr Ben Sims. One of the UK’s most proficient electronic music exports, Sims’ funk-tinged beats are the stuff techno dreams are made of, and are guaranteed to resonate in all their distinctive glory via La Cheetah’s recently revamped sound system. There were still a few tickets floating about at the time of going to print; snap one up now, quick sticks (1 Apr, £10-14).

Subbie lives up to its usual high standards this month with a firm fistful of exciting listings, including Running Back label boss Gerd Janson. Something of a house music renaissance man, the German DJ cut his teeth guesting at Mannheim’s renowned Milk Club, and now juggles slots at Frankfurt’s Robert Johnson club while moonlighting as a Groove music journalist and holding down a staff spot at Red Bull Music Academy. Silky smooth disco cuts and clean, minimal beats await (30 Apr, £10-12).

Our hot tip, though, is the stellar double billing of Newcastle wunderkid Patrick Topping and Edinburgh up-and-comer Theo Kottis. Both acts have been gaining rapid ground on the more ambient, dance-oriented end of the spectrum in an impressively short space of time. Topping’s big breakthrough came last year in the form of two mega hits; his remix of Coyu & Edu Imbernon’s El Baile Alemán climbed to the number one spot on Beatport’s Pulse (Streaming) Tech-House chart, which the 27-year-old then backed up with another number one in his Green Velvet collaboration When Is Now. Meanwhile, local lad Kottis has taken big strides since emerging onto the scene in 2014 – anyone who can boast a warm up slot for giant Nicolas Jaar in the still-early stages of their career is a sound shout in our book (Sub Club, 14 Apr, £6-10).

Club nights in Edinburgh

Over in the capital, you can’t get much bigger than Pulse’s showcase at La Belle Angele, featuring German techno supremo Len Faki. Longtime Berghain resident, in-demand producer and multiple label owner, Faki brings his idiosyncratic, never-dated sound and famed audio-visual extravaganza to Edinburgh, with support from Pulse resident DJ Darrell Harding, and house-hybrid regular around these parts, Sean Laird. Consider this an essential education in classic Berlin techno (29 Apr, £19).

Then there’s the third in a series of Jackhammer Presents gigs at The Caves, with Glaswegian DJ/producer and head of BEK Audio Gary Beck at the helm. A mainstay on the circuit and a proponent of unique, urgent techno, Beck has ticked quite a few of the ‘made it’ boxes, from acclaimed debut release Bring A Friend in 2012, to a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and a Boiler Room session, as well as shows at Fabric and a spot at Awakenings festival. Hailed as one of Scotland’s best new producers, support booking Hans Bouffmyhre is also a good reason to arrive early (8 Apr, £8-10).

Techno also reigns supreme at The Mash House on 22 April, when Dutch guru Bart Skils shows off his beloved percussive beats. One of Holland’s most respected and in-demand exports, Skils has worked with the likes of Joris Voorn, Christian Smith and Adam Beyer, and this touch of Amsterdam’s finest is sure to get crowds moving. Adam Beyer, meanwhile, makes an appearance of his own at Nightvision’s massive closing party on 29 April, ensuring that both floors of The Liquid Room will be pounding with the Swede’s characteristic hard, looped cuts and thoughtfully blended selection of tracks. Teamed up with Jamie Jones’s melodic groove, and with more acts TBA, this one is bound to fill up quickly (£8-12).

Clubbing in Dundee (and elsewhere)

Dundee’s highlight this month is the iconic 'Baron of Techno' – Brighton-born, Amsterdam-based Dave Clarke makes his highly anticipated Headway and Reading Rooms debut. Don't be put off by the techno statesman’s prickly relationship with the music media; his intimidatingly gruff performing demeanour masks a love of insistent, schizophrenic, hip-hop infused beats that has permeated his decades-long career. With residents Andy Barton, Graeme Binnie and Neil Clark in tow, we can’t think of a better, beastier way to mark Headway’s 12th birthday (29 Apr, £10-15).

Finally, if you fancy taking your techno out into Scotland’s wilds, consider making a weekend of it at Skye Live 2016. Two days of DJs, bands and fresh coastal air, this boutique mini-festival is held in Portree, on the beautiful Isle of Skye. Happening over the bank holiday weekend, the festival’s thoughtfully curated lineup boasts a number of techno and electronic heavyweights, including perennial favourite Âme, electronic pioneers Simian Mobile Disco, archive-mash up geniuses Public Service Broadcasting and Belfast duo Bicep, as well as a swag of home grown talent in Jackmaster, Denis Sulta and OOFT (29-30 Apr, day tickets £55, weekend tickets £95).

Don’t Miss: Helena Hauff, Lory D (live), Wardy & Dom D’Sylva – La Cheetah Club, Friday 8 April

Tickets are moving like lightning on this one, and with good reason – our fine friends at La Cheetah have managed to deliver Hamburg high priestess, the darkly divine Helena Hauff AND Italian techno stallion Lory D, all on one late-night (4am) licensed bill.

If you missed Hauff's performance at The Art School last year, mark this as a very fortunate chance to catch this artist on the rise. Hauff's rapidly expanding fanbase hinges on her bleak aesthetic and industrial, throbbing beats, with many ears pricking up after the release of 2015's debut, the decadently shadowy, analog-production slanted Discreet Desires. Having built a reputation for being a rather taciturn performer, the Golden Pudel alumni has nonetheless raised eyebrows with a string of killer sets, including her much lauded Dekmantel festival turn last year.

Though Lory D's music may not have infiltrated the mass market, the former frequent underground regular at Paisley's Club 69 is no stranger to our shores. Credited with migrating the acid house sound from London to Rome, the elusive artist has been quitely making his indelible mark on the Italian stage since 1989. Add to the mix the esteemed, apocalyptic slant of the Sounds Never Seen label owner, and the scene is set for a dark techno showcase of epic proportions (£10-12).