Scottish Clubbing Highlights: May 2019

Missing Persons Club: VTSS & DJ Bus Replacement Service @ La Cheetah Club, Glasgow, 3 May

Warsaw-born DJ and affiliate of the brilliant New York-based Discwoman collective, Martyna Maja, aka VTSS, makes her Scottish debut at Missing Persons Club as part of La Cheetah’s continuing 10th birthday celebrations. Joining Maja, and also making her Scottish debut, is Doris Woo, who goes by the colourful musical alias of DJ Bus Replacement Service and is known to sport a Kim Jong-un mask on occasion, which, as you can imagine, is a rather interesting sight to behold.

Minival 11: The Castle Party @ Drum Castle, Banchory, 11 May

Aberdonian party crew Minival celebrate 11 years on 11 May from, um, 12pm (it almost worked). They’ve even been kind enough to bring their regular castle party closer, relocating to Banchory’s Drum Castle this time around, roughly only a half hour drive outside of Aberdeen city centre. Needless to say, the line-up is as appealing as the regal location, with a live set from Henrik Schwarz, as well as DJ sets from the likes of Bicep, Job Jobse, Moxie and Mafalda.

Room 2 Dance with Overmono, Pangaea & IDA @ Room 2, Glasgow, 11 May

Following the launch of Room 2’s new in-house night last month with Joy Orbison, Cera Khin and Junglehussi, this month they’ve invited an equally exciting trio of DJs along to play. Glasgow-based DJ IDA is very much on the rise at the moment and she warms up for two big hitters in the techno game – one-third of the team behind Hessle Audio, Pangaea, and the collaborative project of brothers Tom and Ed Russell, Overmono.

FLY Open Air @ Hopetoun House, Edinburgh, 18 & 19 May

Since expanding to two days in 2018, FLY Open Air is set to get even bigger this year as Boiler Room make their Scottish festival debut with a stage takeover across both days. FLY Club residents Jasper James and Theo Kottis are joined on the Boiler Room stage by new for 2019 residents Eclair Fifi and Big Miz. While further sets across the weekend come from Solomun – making his first Scottish appearance in a decade – Seth Troxler, Honey Dijon, Nina Kraviz, Peggy Gou and more.

Texture x Palidrone: Giant Swan (live) @ The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 23 May

Specialising in all things loud, heavy and industrial, Bristolian duo Giant Swan are known for their distinctly punk attitude to performing techno and they make their Edinburgh debut with a live set for a joint affair from Texture and Palidrone. The duo, comprising of Robin Stewart and Harry Wright, return to Scotland just a month after performing at Maximum Pressure’s Easter party at SWG3 in Glasgow, so if you missed them then make it your mission not to miss them again.

Broadcast presents Ruf Dug @ Broadcast, Glasgow, 24 May

In addition to running his own Ruf Kutz label and hosting a monthly radio show on NTS, Ruf Dug also found the time to open his own record store in September 2017 with friend Randy Brunson. Hi-Tackle is situated above Manchester’s Hidden nightclub and operates an appointment-only policy throughout the week, except on Thursdays, with the set-up more like the box room of your vinyl head pal’s flat than your average record store. Suffice to say, he’s a crate digger through and through and is sure to arrive in Glasgow with a bag full of treats.

Erol Alkan: To the Rhythm @ Summerhall, Edinburgh, 24 May

It’s difficult to describe Erol Alkan as anything other than a bonafide dance music legend at this point. His label Phantasy Sound has seen releases over the years from Daniel Avery, Gabe Gurnsey and Connan Mockasin, among others, and his credentials as a DJ and producer are second to none. Alkan brings his To the Rhythm tour back to Edinburgh, courtesy of Sneaky Pete’s, in which he performs all night long, controlling everything about the set from the sound to the lights.

Pulse with Anetha @ The Mash House, Edinburgh, 25 May

Also making the trip east in May, following a set at Maximum Pressure’s Easter party in Glasgow last month, is Anetha. From her base in Paris, Anetha co-manages the Blocaus Series, launched in 2016 to develop the French scene, on which she has also released her own music, including her most recent EP Bionic Romance. Pulse residents Darrell Harding and Sean Laird will be on hand for the warm-up.