The Formula @ Why Not, Edinburgh, Weekly Thursdays from June 1st

With all the club closures going on in Edinburgh, the market seems to be moving towards safer options: house rather than techno, big names at the weekends at the more well-known nights, and student fare during the week. Refreshing then, that Emjayz Marketing have chosen to offer something a little bit more eclectic on a Thursday night at Why Not. Pitching the night as a showcase for urban music, The Formula will offer UK hip-hop, R&B, dancehall and grime, with live performances from local and London artists every week, and hosts DJs Beef, Krinkle Cut & U-Turn joining MCs Jee4Ce (last seen busting some hyper-intelligent rhymes on B-Burg's debut LP) and The Remedies keeping the crowd moving. It's hard to say whether the George St crowd will embrace the more leftfield elements of the night, offering as it does an alternative to the old, played-out, grindingly familiar urban flavas of venues like the recently deceased Establishment and its ilk, but with a music policy that favours the homegrown alongside the well-known, exciting guests like grime acts 16 Bars and P.D.C. toughening things up, and much booty to be shaken by R&B crews like the Narni Shakers, The Formula seems to be offering anything but the same old same old. It only costs £3 for students, so as a start-up night it deserves your support and custom, if only for trying something a little bit different.