Scotland Clubbing Highlights – March 2014

We begin in Edinburgh with the Wee Dub Festival, a three-day celebration of the reggae-derived sounds of roots, dub, dancehall and jungle, held over five sessions in the city’s Old Town. Among those set to deliver the sub-heavy sounds are Leeds outfit Iration Steppas ft. Danman, who have gained international recognition for their contribution to the dub scene, transporting the vibe of their hometown Subdub events to venues all over the world. They are joined, amongst others, by the legendary Glaswegian crew Mungo’s Hi-Fi (who will have their fully rigged soundsystem in tow), and this one looks set to be one of the highlights of the festival (Sat 8 Mar, Studio 24, £12-15). Elsewhere, MC Gardna will bring a more hip hop-tinged form of dub to Teviot Underground (Fri 7 Mar, £7-10), while African Head Charge and Big Toes Hi-Fi are a couple of the acts on offer at The Caves (Sun 9^th, £11-14). Full weekend tickets cost £45.

Next up in the capital, Unseen welcomes former Altern 8 member and old skool rave supremo Mark Archer to Studio 24. Involved in the UK scene since its earliest days, Archer was a founding member of Bizarre Inc before going on to infiltrate the UK pop charts with Altern 8 releases like Activ-8 (Come With Me) and Evapor 8. The former was the subject of a fan campaign to claim the UK Christmas number one spot in 2013 (it reached number 33), exemplifying the lasting impact Archer’s work has had on fans of rave music. He is joined on the night by Unseen residents, Nomad and Neil Templar (Sat 8 Mar, £5-7).

On Saturday 15 March, Gasoline Dance Machine takes over Cabaret Voltaire with an appearance by local producer and DJ Dean Newton AKA Bluford Duck. With a sound tailored for the dancefloor, and taking in influences as diverse as house, rave and Italo disco, Newton will likely find admirers in a younger generation of clubbers increasingly enthralled with modern re-interpretations of classic sounds such as piano house and vocal-driven garage (£5-7).

The following weekend one of Edinburgh’s best artists in recent years takes to the Wee Red Bar at the College of Art for a night hosted by Warm Fuzzy. Gavin Sutherland AKA Fudge Fingas has steadily built a reputation for producing remarkably infectious house music, always built around a solid core of deep funk. Over the past decade or so, Sutherland has released several brilliant records on the likes of Rush Hour, Prime Numbers and Edinburgh-based label Firecracker. As a DJ, Fudge Fingas is as comfortable easing through laid back grooves as he is dropping full on tweaking acid tracks. This one comes highly recommended (Fri 21 Mar, £5-6).

Finally, there’s bass-driven electro on the menu at the end of the month as Jackhammer welcome Control Tower boss Radioactive Man to the Wee Red Bar. Keith Tenniswood has had a long and varied career, first coming to prominence in the mid-90s as part of Two Lone Swordsmen with Andrew Weatherall. Since then he has developed his own sound as Radioactive Man, focussing on a punchy style of electro which he has released through a number of labels including Weatherall’s Rotters Golf Club and his own Control Tower outlet. Joining Tenniswood is Edinburgh-bred Detroit techno aficionado Stephen Brown. A gifted producer and DJ, Brown has forged links with the Motor City through his releases on the legendary Transmat label as well as on DJ Bone’s Subject Detroit. His live sets rarely disappoint so this one should be lively (Sat 29 Mar, £8).

Across the M8, March offers up a wealth of clubbing options in Glasgow, with La Cheetah in particular having a strong month. Continuing the impressive run of guests in the Motor City Electronics series, the basement of Max’s Bar this time plays host to a bona fide Detroit legend in the shape of Moodymann. Gifted, prolific and fiercely independent, Kenny Dixon Jr has become a success story in house music without ever compromising his sound or his unique identity. From his earliest tracks on his own KDJ imprint to the albums he has released through the likes of Planet E and Peacefrog, Moodymann has continually ploughed his own furrow, releasing deeply funky club tracks, mellow introspective soul gems, playful R'n'B, pulsing techno and whatever else takes his fancy on a given release. His DJ sets are as varied and unpredictable as his back catalogue would suggest and with Kenny Dixon Jr playing to a relatively small crowd in a basement club environment, this one has classic written all over it (Fri 7 Mar, advance tickets sold out, 70 available on the door).

The following night, La Cheetah bid farewell to Moodymann of Detroit and open their doors again as Pistols at Dawn host Chicago disco master Rahaan. Regarded as one of the best selectors around, the resident of the legendary Smart Bar comes to town with a reputation for bringing the heat in his hometown and across the globe (Sat 8 Mar, £8-10).

Over at Saint Judes on Bath Street, Marek Hemmann plays for Solstice as part of his Bittersweet album tour. Having released an array of sun-soaked party tracks like 2009’s Gemini, Hemmann’s most recent album finds him still with one eye on the dancefloor but with more room for excursions into moodier techno textures and the occasional refreshing departure from the four-on-the-floor approach (Fri 14 Mar, £10).

On the same night L.I.E.S head honcho and increasingly hyped record spinner, Ron Morelli is in town to line up alongside Martin McKay of Glasgow’s legendary Rubadub records. This one is sure to bring forth eclectic sounds from stonewall classics to obscure gems (La Cheetah, £10 adv).

On Friday 21 Mar, Rødhåd returns to Glasgow to shake the hallowed foundations of the Sub Club for the Animal Farm crew. Billed by the promoters as the “real life techno viking,” the bearded Berlin native belts out dark mesmeric techno and always strikes a fine balance between blistering power and sullen atmospherics. Having honed his craft through playing extended DJ sets at the legendary Berghain, Rødhåd is definitely a force to be reckoned with. He is joined by up-and-comer and fellow Berliner, Kobosil (£12 adv).

Elsewhere, La Cheetah has another tantalising prospect lined up to close the month. The ever-impressive Offbeat crew follow up on last month’s Tabernacle Records showcase with a night focussed on the impeccable Creme Organization.  Label head DJ TLR will take to the decks, exhibiting the kind of reliable selection that has filled the Creme Organization back catalogue with classics from the likes of Legowelt, James T Cotton and more recently John Heckle, Neville Watson and Willie Burns. The latter, who has made waves with his releases on Creme as well as on L.I.E.S and Trilogy Tapes, will also perform (first 50 free, £8 after).

Rounding things off in Glasgow, Nice ‘n’ Sleazy plays host to The Guild of Calamitous Intent who have scheduled a guest appearance by Hamburg-based producer and DJ Helena Hauff. With just one record to her name – a piercing assault of acid lines and hardware-based percussion on Actress’s Werkdiscs label – Hauff is fairly new to electronic music production. Yet her skills as a DJ have seen her start to make an impact beyond the Hamburg club scene with a style that’s heavily centred on electro and the grubbier recesses of house and techno. We reckon this may be one of the best nights of the month (Sat 29 Mar, £4). Get to it!