Karnival Presents Popof

Karnival celebrates six years of clubbing by introducing the Parisian rave scene escapee Alexander Paounov, otherwise known as Popof, to Edinburgh. The last few years have not been short on having some major international names guesting behind the decks – Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe and Digitalism have previously played as Karnival has grown from its humble Thursday night beginnings to take its rightful place on a Saturday. 

Kev Hendry's night continues to draw some of the highest calibre DJs and producers although not without the odd mishap. “One international DJ developed a sudden taste for whisky before his set and just managed to hold it together till the end. He was found loitering in the elevators of the prestigious Missoni Hotel just hours later, completely naked,” he says. The French producer with the task of marking another milestone in the night's history is certainly of the quality that Karnival has become famed for attracting. Having begun as part of the free rave collective Heretik System, Popof has gravitated towards a more minimalist techno and electro sound. This led him to get noticed by some of the biggest names in the scene including Tiga and his remix of his huge Sunglasses at Night is sheer electronic mayhem on the grandest of scales. [Neil Murchison]