Aim, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, Oct 27

British hip-hop has long been regarded as a rather London-centric genre with limited wider relevance or appreciation, and only a few artists have really broken free from that stereotype. One exception is Manchester based producer Andy Turner, AKA Aim. From jazz and rock roots with his band The Chelsea Flower Show, he became involved in the fledgling Manchester music scene and set up his own record shop selling everything from deep house to west coast hip hop. It was while scouring rival record shops for hidden gems that Andy's fine taste was spotted by Mark Rae (one half of Rae and Christian), and he was urged to send a demo over to Mark's label, Grand Central Records, where he was snapped up immediately. Over the next six years the release of groundbreaking albums like 'Cold Water Music' and its more than able follow up 'Hinterland' staked his claim as a talented producer of downtempo, soul-laden hip-hop, and led to remix work for the likes of The Charlatans, Ian Brown and St Etienne. In 2004 a change in direction for the label led to Andy leaving the now defunct Grand Central and setting up his own label Attic Records, which is soon to release his third long player 'Flight 602.' The album is accompanied by a UK tour from him and his nine-piece live band which hits Scotland this October with two dates. You can see Aim at the Liquid Rooms (Edinburgh) on Oct 26 and at King Tut's (Glasgow) on Oct 27, for the thoroughly reasonable price of £10. [Peter Walker]