Synthetic 1st birthday, Berlin, Aug 31 (skinnyfest 3)

August has been a month of firsts and birthdays, and this event is no exception. Synthetic are one year old, and to celebrate they're throwing a bash with two of Edinburgh's techno-legends-in-their-own-right, Patrick Walker (Avionix) and Morphos (live). Walker is one of the artists behind the Avionix netlabel, sporting minimal techno, dub, and electro from local Scottish artists. He was recently signed to Kompakt, so keep an eye out for the resulting tracks in the coming months. Morphos is renowned for his platinum smile and you may have already caught him grinning behind his laptop at JakN. Both of their styles can be collected together under the umbrella term of techno, but there will be no hard and fast rules when it comes to their sets. More tunes come from the back room with Blag 1's d'n'b (Rogue State), reggae from Rod Gnarley, and a Final Scratch set from Tammo Banter. Synthetic are putting on the full birthday spread for the end of the festival, with free shots and a few surprises. [Alex Burden]