Overground: Edinburgh’s new lo-fi club night

The Skinny: How did the idea for Overground come about?

James: I had become active in a few online communities focussed on the new wave of lo-fi, raw house and techno. I could tell that this scene was where the most interesting stuff was happening, and no promoters in Edinburgh seemed to be taking notice of it. The purpose of Overground has just been to provide a platform for these acts, who would otherwise be unlikely to get booked here until they become more well-known a couple years down the line.

What do you think Overground offers, that other club nights in Edinburgh don't?

Firstly, one of the best crowds in the town. I've been lucky to gain a small but loyal following who are really into what I'm doing. The people who come are there for the music, and there's never been any violence or harassment. 

There's also nowhere else that caters to the same music policy. So far all the bookings have been Edinburgh debuts, with all bar one being Scottish debuts. There aren't really any other promoters in Edinburgh with quite the same music policy. I've collaborated on a couple of bookings with my mates who run excellent nights themselves, but have their own distinct focus and aren't as active booking-wise. Namely, Crème Fresh – who put on great house/disco nights, and Shapework – three boys with a focus on the bass-y techno to emerge from the ruins of the dubstep scene.

What makes The Mash House the best home for Overground?

In the past decade there's been a huge dip in the number of nightclubs across the UK, and this is particularly true of Edinburgh. Before The Mash House, the only places that would have suited Overground would have been Sneaky Pete's or Bongo, but they are always booked out with residencies. The Mash House has provided an alternative, and breathed much needed new life into the scene. It has an excellent soundsystem and three fantastic spaces to suit different scales of event. The staff have always been hugely supportive of my nights and are always a pleasure to work with. Shout out to Ben, Darrel and Jamie.

You were lucky enough to secure Mall Grab’s debut Scottish performance as your first ever booking. How did that come about, and how was the show?

Jordon aka Mall Grab was part of some of the same online communities I mentioned earlier. I had been following him for a while and could see the upward trajectory his music was going to take him on. At the beginning of the year I saw that he was touring outwith his native country of Australia for the first time. He wasn't hugely well-known, and I figured that none of the existing Edinburgh promoters would be showing much interest in him. I hadn't initially intended on booking guests, but after enquiring to his agent I ended up booking him cheaply for the day after my last exam. Booking my first international DJ during exam time may have not been the most sensible decision, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

Between then and the date of the show, his popularity deservedly surged and the night sold out in advance. For a weekday night at the Mash House, this was a complete anomaly. The night was such a success that I immediately arranged with his agent to get him back the next time he visited. He's also a really nice guy. In August I booked two of his friends Rudolf C and Shedbug during their first UK tour, and my record bag got stolen during soundcheck. Jordon heard about this and gifted me a record he's not putting out for another month, and has promised to send me more! I can also say from the promos he's sent me that his next release will be one of his best to date.

Next up you have techno teen prodigy Happa booked for December, what can we expect from that gig?

Happa is an incredible talent. Aged 14 his productions were being aired by SWAMP81 head honcho Loefah, and Mary Anne Hobbs of XFM/6Music described his music as the most remarkable thing she'd heard in as long as she could remember. At the same age, Four Tet sought him out to do a remix, which received widespread critical acclaim. He was already playing clubs like Berghain and Fabric before he was even old enough to legally enter as a punter. Considering all the buzz that's been surrounding him over the past four years, I'm extremely excited to be bringing him for his Edinburgh debut.

If you listen to his sets or read his interviews, you'll learn that he's not afraid to experiment and push the boundaries of what a techno DJ can get away with. No doubt he'll provide a strong selection of forward-thinking techno, drawing from periphery influences ranging from ambient to industrial. A top DJ like Happa in Edinburgh's finest club with a 5am license? You can't go wrong.

Any bookings on the horizon that you can tell us about?

February will see another Edinburgh debut from yet another fast-rising talent, and without giving too much away, I can also say that I've just secured an all-time hero of mine for Overground's first birthday in March. An incredibly prolific and influential act who is seen as a father of the scene I keep referring to. To my knowledge he's only played in Edinburgh once, 7 years ago, so I'm happy with him as my first non-Edinburgh-debut guest. Watch this space for announcements!

If you could book any DJ or producer for an Overground night, who would it be and why?

Well Avicii has supposedly retired so I guess he's out! Even if I could afford them, it wouldn't really fit with Overground to book any big-time legends. However there are a number of fantasy, unattainable guests I could list here. Jeff Mills is the world's most talented DJ in my books, but I doubt he'll be calling me up any time soon. If time travel is allowed then an Aphex Twin live set circa 1993 would be the absolute dream. I think Karenn have the best live set going right now, but I've been beaten to that one by Pulse. 

What are the best and worst aspects, in your opinion, about clubbing and nightlife in Edinburgh?

The worst would be the small number of good venues, but the best would be the quality of those venues. Each act I've brought over has loved The Mash House and I'm really glad to have it as Overground's home. Sneaky Pete's is one of the only places in the world you'll get to see acts like Erol Alkan, Midland or Daniel Avery to play to a crowd of fewer than 150 people, so I'm thankful for that place too. The licensing laws have made it difficult for a scene to really flourish here, but it looks like we might be leaving those days in the past. As a smaller city, Edinburgh is often missed out on many DJs tour schedules, but with more and more promoters pushing new exciting music, there's definitely potential for that to change.

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Overground ft Happa, The Mash House, rescheduled to 24 Feb 2017, 11pm, £8.50