Clubbing Highlights – January 2011

With (somewhat) well rested ears and techno fingers recumbent from the festive season we dive into January, arms and legs akimbo. The first month of 2011 is already shaping up to be an eclectic soirée for the nation’s clubbing community as the country’s capitals line up a fair few fantastic opportunities to show off your new jumpers.

Numbers and LuckyMe team up this month to bring home grown talent Rustie, The Blessings and Jackmaster to the booth of the Sub Club on 7 Jan. Numbers’ success story needs no emphasis here but suffice to say, with an already accomplished Warp signing and national mainstay at the helm it’ll be a glitch laden punch drunk party for sure. The Arches we all know and love are also bringing something special with Yuksek sound-tracking the usual Death Disco-derived debauchery on 15 Jan, and Laurent Garnier’s L.B.S. project giving you something to think about on the 28th. The former sees the Parisian electro powerhouse sharpening his tools for another shot on the chopping board, whilst L.B.S. (Garnier DJing, Benjamin Rippert bashing the keyboards and Stephane "Scan X" Dri operating the machines) combines DJing flexibility with live track manipulation to create an organic, improvisational experience for all involved.

To the east, Edinburgh’s Caves plays host to Pariah, courtesy of Heard It Through The Bassline on the 19th – a night oblivious to the notion of genre, rearing delightfully quixotic results. The party’s impressive lineup is also bolstered by Koreless, Bake of Glasgow’s young All Caps collective and the night’s own dub conductor, Coleb. Over to The Liquid Room and the city’s central DnB hub Xplicit welcomes back the much sought after Ram Records’ Sub Focus with open arms this month to help blow out the candles on the club night’s 6th birthday party.

Xplicit’s unparalleled rise to the top of Scotland’s drum and bass scene is one which demands respect, and with six years behind them are already well overdue for a bump up to the top of the class. The first Friday of the month also sees the fresh faces of the Lo’Tone collective manning The Store (formerly GRV) with a host of accomplished residents – Ameldrum (Coalition), Wasted Youth (AXIS, Split), D-Fade (Split) and Paranoise (VOLUME) all banging out a varied selection of upright party treats to keep the shelves well stocked.