' Purer than pure
Not content with being one of Edinburgh’s longest running, and arguably most popular clubs, Pure are preparing to take their Techno know-how to Glasgow. Philip Dorward finds out why.
Each and every Friday for the last three years and three months dynamic duo Twitch (Keith) and Brainstorm (Andy) have enthused consistently large crowds (a remarkable feat when you take into account that we Edinburgh people are more into the house of a public sort than that of Detroit) to the delights of their upfront deejaying style. As Twitch steps up to begin the rearguard action on the decks, so Andy meanders to the bar.
With beer in hand he is relaxed, too relaxed. His speech is a laggered Aberdonian drone. Everyone in Pure whizzes, there is a genuine look upon the face of many which says ‘Yes. I‘m having a brilliant night’. To a Pure virgin the best way to describe is as it reads on the flyer of their Barrowland gig which simply states: ‘This is not a rave. This is the next level up. It will be a techno party with taste, tone and texture.‘
‘1 think the key word there is party,‘ asserts Brainstorm. But why choose to have a party for Edinburgh’s most successful club in the ex-City Of Culture?
‘Simply because there is nowhere in Edinburgh big enough to do this. The Barrowland is quite like The Venue because it‘s got two floors. Also with the licences suspended in Glasgow it just gives us an excuse to play at the same time as the clubs. It‘s just nice to go for a big night out, with us basically moving the club to Glasgow for bigger sounds and bigger atmosphere . . . am 1 making much sense?‘
The temptation is to say no. but Pure itself makes a lot of sense. Pure is something special, it's very unlike any other club in Edinburgh. The original idea
was just to provide a club where you could enjoy the music and be yourself, and that‘s the way it remains today. What they gave the Edinburgh club scene was lease of life and we are forever in their debt.
‘I think what we've done in Edinburgh is to loosen
; it all offa bit,’ says Andy in contemplation, ‘Before
3 we arrived people either had to go to indie clubs like ? Shady Lady‘s or the other dance clubs where you had to get dressed up to get in. What Pure has contributed 3 is that you don‘t have to bother getting dressed up.
I you don’t have to care about how you look. It‘s like.
" ifyou‘re worried about how you look then it kind of
detracts from the enjoyment of dancing.‘ Yes luvvees, on 6 November leave the John
' Richmond at home, there are no Brucie bonus points
5 for flashing a designer label at Pure. It is LOUD.
HOT AND SWEATY. It is at its best when the place is fogged with smoke and the lights are all off bar the
i UV‘s above. Down below, public school students mix with phunky torsoed skinheads who are utterly
Psychlck Warriors 0v Gala
oblivious of a group of transvestites having a night off from Carbolick Frolick. Quite frankly you don‘t have to be ‘in‘ to be in with the Pure crowd, you just have to be there; the passion ain't for fashion but for joy Andy claims.
‘I think we're successful because we don't try and follow trends. Wejust try and pull everyone together for pure enjoyment with as little pretension as possible. People are just getting down and having a good time.‘
Good time is a slight understatement methinks. Pure .
have assembled a list of Pure greats for this one-off- no-doubt-to-be-repeated-at-some-point gig: Derrick May. Lenny Dee and Jeff Mills are some of the finest techno DJs in the business. add to that a trio of what can only be described as weird and wonderful acts. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia, State ()f Flux and Ege Bam Yasi and you really are in fora truly big night out.
Pure a! The Barrowland. Glasgow ()Il Sat 6.
! that. We put out some stuff most radio m l stations wouldn‘t dream of. I think it’s
' had new floors, toilets and a games
I another splinter label, Marimba, which
I 8'.“ Fl throw a valedictory party
A , at Glasgow School of Art on 5
November to mark the successful completion of their month-long special events licence on 24 October. Clubrunners who broadcast shows on the station included Pure, Pussypower’s Terry and Jason. Soundclash Republic, Rub-A-Dub. Rampant Sound, Escapism and Tankin‘. ‘We think it went pretty well really,‘ says Sweet FM‘s Alan Sversen. ‘We set out to be different and we think we achieved
‘ shown what can be done.‘ There are no a immediate plans to reapply for a fresh
I licence — ‘we want to let the dust settle‘ } — but proceeds from the party (for line- up see listings) will go towards a future bid.
i I The Vaults on Edinburgh‘s Niddry
; Street re-opens on Friday after a
a complete refurbishment. With a massive new PA system and lighting
; rig. the club at last looks set to fulfil
i Edinburgh’s groaning need for a large 3 capacity central venue. Co-owners iCallison Eaton and David Walsh have
room (with MTV and pool tables) put
g in; ‘We wanted to make the place good
enough to house London and US acts,’
3 Eaton says. The action kicks off on the 5th with a big name line-up including Mr C ofthe Shamen and Murder By
Sound. Keep an eye out for some
formidable players in the US '; house/garage league visiting in the near
future and a special Catch-a-Groove records night with Ricky Morrison in December — see listings for further details.
I 23rd Precinct Those ever-expanding 23rd Precinct people have launched yet
will deal with funkier house output. Its maiden release is ‘Skyscraper‘ by Bobby Dazzler, which will be followed at the end of November by Zest For Life’s ‘Manana Estadia‘. There are two Limbo releases scheduled for that time — ‘Track-a-lacka‘ by Babroo and a Probe 3-track EP ‘Edible Tracks Vol l‘. Out now on their techno limb Core is ‘Equazion Part 2‘, with Act of Force‘s ‘Hangar‘ EP out on 15 Nov. New releases from Q-Tex, Sublime. Strawberry Bazaar and a mini-LP from the smashing Havanna are expected in the New Year.
‘ 58 The List 5—‘I8 November 1993