Redressing the Balance: Introducing Nightrave

“I think everyone is fed up with all these macho line-ups!” jokes Maya Medvesek on being asked her thoughts on the overwhelmingly male-dominated world of DJing. Though there are undoubtedly many girls devoted to cutting edge club music of all varieties, for whatever reason the DJ booths of most venues are still disproportionally occupied by members of the opposite sex. Some would point to the obsessive attributes guys allegedly possess, which make them avid collectors of items such as records. Others would argue club culture is as skewed by chauvinist preconceptions as any other area of life. Idiots will tell you it’s because girls can’t mix.

With the launch of Nightrave in May, Medvesek, better known under her production alias Nightwave, perhaps unwittingly issued a challenge to the status quo. Her residents, Lucky Me’s Eclair Fifi (who recently followed fellow Glaswegian Jackmatser in bagging a prized Radio 1 slot) and Subcity’s Jackie Your Body are both incredibly well-equipped to bring the party to any venue. Glasgow’s cosy La Cheetah basement has proven to be particularly conducive to their up-tempo DJ sets. Reflecting on a packed opening night, Maya speculates on one possible side benefit of having an all female lineup in charge of the proceedings. “We had three girls playing and, though I would never ever use this as a selling point in our PR, we did notice a lot of girls in the club - about 50%, which has never happened to me at that kind of party before. So I think more girls on the bill will attract more girls.”

Yet, it is important not to be misled. Though the prospect of more proportionate gender representation, both in front of and behind the decks, is an encouraging one, Nightrave’s mission statement is first and foremost concerned with offering an exciting blend of electronic club music of the type most likely to get crowds moving. As Maya explains: “The night is about good music, playing through a decent sound system, in a dark club where people can let go and enjoy themselves a hundred percent. There’s way too much hype out there and we’re trying to bring it back to basics! We play fun things like ghettotech, juke, Detroit techno, rap and grime. I also love La Cheetah and have always enjoyed going there, so it made sense to do a party there.”

Born and raised in Slovenia before moving to the UK, Medvesek has developed a captivating production style which is in part informed by her love of classic house and techno, in part by jazz and hip-hop, with the unmistakable influence of UK styles such as grime and garage also seeping in throughout her work. Her releases as Nightwave have graced such labels as Svetlana Industries, the increasingly celebrated Unknown to the Unknown and Glasgow’s own Fortified Audio.

“I really think Glasgow is the best place in the UK for music, maybe even in the world!” she says when asked about the local scene and the Glaswegian thirst for electronica. But, healthy as that scene may already be, with the club’s strong focus on genres such as ghettotech and juke, Nightrave promises to offer something a little different from the more run-of-the-mill house and techno events. “A lot of people are well-acquainted with old ghetto records and juke”, says Maya, “but I reckon the music appeals to newbies as well because of its ravey and funky energy, its combination of tempos and the funny, sleazy lyrics… it’s the antidote to the boring minimal techno and tech house that’s far too prevalent in my opinion.”

It’s hard to argue with this point. Many a faithful techno purist has become weary with the way in which the form has developed. Stripped down, at first to great effect, but with increasingly formulaic results, a lot of techno has become homogenised and essentially drained of its substance and impact. It’s no surprise that many have become much more enthralled by developing styles such as juke and footwork, which have reached wider audiences in recent years through the work of figureheads like DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn. Yet aren’t these sounds, which are arguably heavily derivative and indebted to earlier ghetto house, equally susceptible to being watered down and commercialised? Certainly the explosion of juke in particular has led to the release of some fairly tiresome records. For Maya, it’s simply a question of plucking out the gems from the pile. “As with any music trend, there’s always going to be people experimenting with it,” she says.

“But it’s quickly clear what’s good and what doesn’t work. There’s a lot of footwork and juke that’s really bad and that stuff doesn’t just come from new producers! We’ll try and get some exciting acts down but always keep a healthy balance between genres at our nights.”

If the opening event is anything to go by, Medvesek won’t have to worry about filling the club this month. All three residents’ sets were particularly well received last time round and the night was capped off in fine style with a surprise appearance by local Warp Records luminary Rustie. Given the positive feedback on that first foray, Maya has cause to feel Nightrave is indeed tapping into something people have been looking for in a club night. “We did extremely well and sold out within an hour,” she says. “It really was a fantastic night with brilliant energy. I think having Rustie as secret guest helped, although a lot of people had no idea beforehand. The plan is to do nights every couple of months in Glasgow and Edinburgh now. We’ll be doing one at Sneaky Pete’s in October.”

With the plans for Nightrave taking shape, Maya will also make a welcome return to production later in the year. “After a long break, I have two EPs in the pipeline for autumn,” she confirms. “One for Marble and a follow up EP for Svetlana Industries. I can’t wait for those to come out!” With a gap of a couple of years to further hone her production, and with such an apparent passion for so many different styles of music, it will be interesting to see how her sound has evolved since her last outing. Early tracks such as the frenetic but beautiful Jazz 312 and the brass-embossed Palenque already exhibit the clear signs that Nightwave is a sure-footed and skilled producer and it seems likely her music will only become more accomplished with time.

In the immediate short term, Maya’s focus is on this month’s night and the visit of Parisian ghetto champion, Big Dope P. Label head of Moveltraxx, responsible for releases from the likes of DJ Tameil and Todd Terry, he’s one of a number of French artists putting their own touch on the urban electronics of Detroit and Chicago. “I’m really excited to have him play in Glasgow,” says Maya. “He’s one of my favourite artists and is very consistent with his production. He’s created his own mix of ghetto house and rap, with a French disco influence.” Perhaps most importantly, “his DJ sets are high energy, which is perfect for Nightrave!”