Scotland Clubbing Highlights – January 2014

With an explosive run of club nights across Christmas and NYE, it’s perhaps understandable that January sees a bit of a slowing in pace across the country. Yet, you shouldn’t be fooled into thinking there aren’t ample opportunities to break some of those half-baked resolutions you made as you struggled through New Year’s dinner soaked in sweat and suffering from tinnitus. For one, the reopening of The Art School in Glasgow is well worth noting in your diary (see our main feature). To save you scanning the schedules for other options, here’s our pick of the rest...  

We begin in Edinburgh where Bixon celebrate their birthday with a visit from Berlin-based producer Junes. Launching his own label, Galdoors, in 2013, the Londoner announced his own presence with the Colours EP – a deep and penetrating house four tracker which showed early promise. A favourite of the Bixon crew, Junes will take to the turntables on 17 January to help them mark their milestone (Sneaky Pete’s, £5).

Elsewhere, ever-reliable techno troopers Jackhammer provide a lively end to the month with the visit of US heavyweight Joey Beltram. Bursting onto the scene with his classic 1990 stomper, Energy Flash, Beltram has become one of the most recognisable names in underground electronic music. Releasing tracks for some of the most respected labels around (R&S, Warp and Tresor among them), the producer, who started DJing at the age of 13, worked continually throughout the 90s and early 00s. In recent years his production output has slowed, allowing him to focus more on touring as a DJ (31 Jan, The Caves, £10).

First up in Glasgow, we have a heady dose of rave from Get Sorted at Fabriq. One half of iconic 90s duo Altern 8, Mark Archer is in town and he comes with a trusted reputation. A veteran of the UK scene, Archer’s music is exemplary of the party spirit which spread across the country in the early 90s. Regardless of whether or not this year’s web campaign to have Activ 8 reach number one is successful, Archer is bound to be in his usual buoyant mood behind the decks (4 Jan, £8-12).

Fresh from celebrating their 5th birthday in December, Bigfoot’s Tea Party keeps the momentum going into the New Year with a stellar booking in the shape of Dutch maestro, Alden Tyrell. Having established himself on Clone records with his glorious retro-futuristic forays through Italo disco and electro, Martijn Hoogendijk has recently developed the knack for producing searing techno and jacking Chicago style house, as exemplified with recent releases on Clone’s Basement and Jack For Daze series. With a back catalogue as impressive as his, this live set promises to be one of the best nights out this month (24 Jan, Sub Club, £5-7).

The next night there’s more live analogue goodness on offer as #notsosilent welcome Swedish techno outfit Skudge to La Cheetah. Producing pulsating, dark tracks which swirl and oscillate in the most gratifying way, the duo are among the most talented of those breathing new life into techno at the moment. Often laced with elements of dub, and always with a discernible groove amid the gloom, Skudge’s warped soundscapes feel a little like a synthesis of Robert Hood and Moritz von Oswald’s more dancefloor oriented work. In short, we recommend you get yourself down to this one (25 Jan, £8-12).

At the end of the month, Broadcast on Sauchiehall Street hosts Croydon’s Plastician, one of the earliest champions of dubstep and the first DJ to bring the sound to the masses on Radio 1. Also celebrated for his contributions to the grime scene in the UK, Chris Reed currently holds a weekly slot on Rinse FM where his bass music style is increasingly complemented by a wider range including house and disco. He is joined for the Terrorhythm event by fellow Rinse FM head and Hyperdub mainstay Scratcha DVA (31 Jan, £5-10).

Finally, on the same night, La Cheetah continues its strong start to the New Year with a set by 3024 label head Martijn Deykers AKA Martyn. The Dutch producer has been doing his thing since 2005 – a career which has seen him offering up rapid fire drum 'n' bass, deep dubstep of the respectable variety and latterly house and techno, always blurring boundaries and evading simple classification. With his label he has championed the likes of 2562, Julio Bashmore and, more recently, Trevino. As you would expect his DJ sets play out like a genre-dismissive compendium of everything you want to hear in club music (31 Jan, £10).