Xplicit: Drum & Bass From Coast to Coast

The drum & bass scene in Scotland takes no prisoners, and over the years it has witnessed its fare share of ups and downs, casualties and successes. Thankfully, the scene this side of the border is experiencing one of its growth spurts, with drum & bass music in huge demand, and the clubbing masses insisting on seeing the freshest acts week-in-week-out. ver the past 18 months Xplicit has rapidly become one of the top Scottish nights, featuring as an essential part of the Edinburgh drum & bass calendar. The night attracts sell-out crowds nearly every month and, in its' short life, Xplicit has booked some of the scene's top DJs, as well as hosting the XtraBass Tour, broadcast live on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

Prior to Xplicit's Glasgow launch night, The Skinny caught up with promoter Simon McGrath in an attempt to find out why the night has been so successful, and what he feels makes the Scottish scene tick. "Everyone that's on board with Xplicit makes it what it is, the whole team, its just close knit," says Simon. "We all have previous experience and we all have the same ideas on where we want to go. We try and sit down and discuss who we want to book and who we want to see. At the end of the day it makes it much easier to sell to someone if it's a DJ you want to see, because you really believe in it."

Xplicit's next Edinburgh event presents production veterans Ed Rush and Optical with the tour of their new album 'Chameleon' on 17 November 2006 at the Bongo Club. The pair have been smashing it on dancefloors for years, and are sure to cause a stir with what is a very different sound to their previous outings on Virus Recordings.

So, where does Scotland fit into the UK scene, and does it get the respect it deserves? "Well, actually yeah, a lot of the DJs like Pendulum love coming up to Scotland. A lot of the DJs we've had up here end up hittin' us up on myspace, going on about playing up here - they love playing in Scotland. The crowd's different to London, a lot more friendly, and there's no hostility." With that in mind Glasgow has been waiting for its' next big drum & bass night since LiveVEvil was wrapped up in December last year. The city's scene is about to get a sonic assault to rival any of Xplicit's East Coast nights, as they unleash their West Coast wing, featuring the now commercially-massive Planet Pendulum Tour as the first guest.

For the launch night at the Glasgow Art School on 10th November, Xplicit has pulled together its' residents, along with some familiar names on the Clyde side of the country. "We want to keep moving forward, and Glasgow has been lacking a drum & bass night since LiveVEvil. Manga did well there with Andy C in January, and it just seemed to be the next step."

It seems Glasgow is ready for a drum & bass juggernaut like Xplicit. Expect the unexpected from Pendulum, who remain diverse in their tune selection during live shows. Their heavy edge, with a few surprises along the way, always makes for a night of full blown, razor sharp entertainment. A return to the Glasgow circuit is made by Paul Reset & Morphy, while Xplicit's residents ENO & MC BZ are assisted by MC Verse in hosting this essential showcase. One thing you don't need to doubt is that Xplicit will keep drawing the big names on the East Coast. 2007 is sure to be exciting, whichever side of the M8 you stay on.