Melting Pot: Seventh Heaven

March sees Melting Pot reach its seventh birthday; no mean feat when you consider how niche the Glasgow club's disco manifesto was, starting out. "We wanted to diversify from what we were doing with Traxx at The Soundhaus," explains resident DJ Andrew Pirie. "Though it was primarily a house and techno night, the disco and soulful elements had always been popular and we were keen to create something new with these."

Calling the off-shoot Melting Pot, the name has come to perfectly encapsulate the ethos of a club that, as co-resident Simon Cordiner puts it, "plays disco and everything else beyond." A ceilidh hall known as The Riverside was chosen to host the first night, the venue becoming its home for the next six years. "We felt it was a really good space... something quite unique which fitted the vibe we were trying to create," muses Andrew. "We'd seen how you could get a really good atmosphere in it... its acoustics were perfect too."

"Right from the start we imagined Melting Pot as a one-roomed, Loft-style party," adds Simon. Their first Saturday saw Bill Brewster, author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, guest and his vast musical knowledge and record collection set the standard for future bookings. "The strategy was to get good but not big name DJs, people that might not be so well-known in Glasgow but who would understand the Melting Pot vibe," explains Andrew.

"It was a brilliant night," recalls Simon. "He played some tracks that were pretty challenging but people still danced to them." Andrew notes that this is something Melting Pot always sets out to achieve: "The fact that you can play anything, records that you might not normally get away with... you can take risks and they'll come off."

During their stay at The Riverside they welcomed DJs like Simon Haggis, Jeremy Newall, and Chicken Lips' Steve Kotey to play, though they've never based their success solely on guests. "We only had them two or three times a year," comments Simon. "No disrespect but the resident nights were just as busy, probably because a lot of these guys were not really known in Glasgow."

One such DJ is Greg Wilson, whose first Melting Pot gig four years ago helped mark his return from a twenty-year retirement. At the time many were unaware of his pedigree as an ex-Hacienda resident, who, in the early eighties broke the then emerging electro-funk sound in the UK. Now a firm favourite of club, Greg makes his seventh appearance at the second part of this month's birthday double-header, with Optimo's Twitch booked to play a disco-set at the first part.

"Before the venue opened there was a queue of people waiting outside and it filled up in no time," recalls Greg on his first visit. "There was a dedicated audience who were there to dance and the atmosphere was fantastic. It's undoubtedly one of the best underground dance nights in the UK," he continues. "The night has lasted this long because its heart [is] in the right place - from the people who promote it and the DJs who play there, to the crowd it attracts."

Despite building up a seriously impressive soundsystem at The Riverside, courtesy of Andrew's audiophile tendencies, the venue closed a year ago and Melting Pot now resides at the Admiral. Though its differing acoustics have presented some challenges for the pair, they both agree these have been resolved, pointing to a rosy future for the club. "We feel fantastic about where Melting Pot is right now," offers Simon. "We've got the soundsystem nailed and we're in a good venue that gives us scope for different possibilities."

And on the night's longevity, Andrew concludes that "the crowd are the key... they're so knowledgeable. That inspires us to keep going, knowing there's people who are really passionate about what we do and the music we play."