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Has dance taken up the DIY ethos kick- started by punk? In Demand Recordings' CRAIG WOOD seems to think SO. Words: Jim Byers

‘I can remember watching programmes about The Sex Pistols when l was wee.‘ recalls Craig Wood of Edinburgh‘s independent house imprint In Demand Recordings. ‘and seeing Malcolm McLaren and thinking he‘s the one I want to be the guy who has all the ideas and is in control and setting his own agenda.‘

The 27-year—old Wood has been setting his own agenda with admirable determination recently. He is the perfect example of how the dance music scene in this country has changed lives. Like Terry Farley or Ashley Beedle before him. he has channelled his love of football.

lifestyle.

fashion and music into a realistic career instead of

just a lifestyle.

Wood is part of a small band of people in Scotland working hard to rid the country once and for all of its perceived ‘Scotland The Rave' tag through the promotion of quality underground music. He currently promotes two club nights in Edinburgh Solefusion once a month at The Honeycomb and Underground Demand fortnightly at The Gallery. He also has a hand in the monthly Urbansole at Tin Pan Alley in Glasgow. In the meantime. he acts as an agent for Solefusion/l'rbansole resident Craig Smith and runs the In Demand Recordings label. which has three releases under its belt. a fourth in the pipeline and a fifth imminent from Chicago‘s Roy Davis Jnr.

Wood spent five years working in an office before going to college to study first Arts Management. then

Wood is the perfect example of how the dance music scene in this country has changed lives. Like Terry Farley or Ashley Beedle before him, he has channelled his love of football, fashion and music into a realistic career instead of just a

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Craig Wood: forging a career from his favourite sounds

Media and Cultural Studies with Human and Professional Communication. Following that. he completed a short Dance Music Management course in London. Wood‘s big break came with the launch party for In Demand Recordings at Solefusion in April last year. In what turned out to be an inspired move.Wood negotiated to bring Matt Jam Lamont and The Tuff Jam Experience to the club. The combination of quality London garage and a live PA was a massive success. Solefusion has gone from strength to strength ever since. with Wood taking responsibilty for its promotion and pushing its claims for national and international recognition.

While he would be the first to admit that his In Demand empire has a long way to go. Wood‘s many enterprises are moving along nicely. despite the difficulty of working outside the London-based scene. ‘I hate going on about being Scottish.‘ he says. ‘I don‘t feel particularly Scottish. I‘m just a person. same as any other person from any city. I could be from Leeds or London but I‘d still be doing the same thing.

‘Being Scottish can work to your advantage though.‘ he admits. ‘lt‘s a novelty certainly with the Londoners. A lot of them think that Craig (Smith) is the only garage DJ in Scotland and I‘m quite happy for them to think that. even if it is rubbish.‘

Smith’s career is certainly on the up at the moment as a result of his involvement with Wood. He has played twice at Back To Basics in Leeds and is about to play in London for the first time at the highly respected Garage City. He has also been asked to contribute a track to the soundtrack of the forthcoming film of Irvine Welsh's Acid House.

He may never outgun (‘ream or the Ministry but Wood and his various In Demand enterprises are proof that quality music is alive and well in Scotland. He has taken a risk in pursuing his dreams. Respect to him and to all those like him for taking that risk.

See Clubs listings for details of Solefusion, Underground Demand and Urbansole.

clubs

Hshngs

Regular weekly clubs plus one-off

events are listed by city, then by then alphabetically by title. (In

day, s

will be listed, provided up-to-date

details reach our offices at least

seven days before publication. Clubs

listin s compiled by Rory Weller Ellie arr.

and

GLASGOW FRIDAYS

I The Ark at The Tunnel. l0.30pm—3am. £6 (£4). One ofThe Tunnel's key nights

of high glam splendour. with possibl

y

Scotland‘s top hard house DJ Michael Kilkie joined by Scott Mackay in Room One. plus Duncan Reid and Simon Foy in

Room Two. Early drinks promos. I Bar 10 8pm—close. l‘ree. Stevie

Donaldson and guests getting the weekend

off to a hot and sweaty start with thei

hard house/funky techno mix. Pre-club.

I Club Apt at The Apartment.

llpm—3am. £7. DJ Alan Ronald with

housey big beats for a dressy crowd. I CIub X at Club Xchange. llpm—3

£5 (£3). Gay. Happy house and nu-NRG

at this gay venue. Drinks promos. I Exotica at CCA Cafe Bar. 9.30pm—midnight. Free. Andy Divin

e of

the Glasgow School ofArt Divine Sound System for eclectic laid back beats. Pre-

club.

I Freestyle at The Asylum downstairs

bar (Caledonian University Student Union). 8pm—lam. £3 (free before

l0pm). DJs Kenny and Bone dropping

breaks. beats and future funk.

I The Herbaliser at The Sub Club. llpm—3am. £7 (£6). 21 March only. Ninja Tunes' The Herbaliser returns bigger and better with a full live set. DJs Paul Cawley. Alex Horton and (

plus )llie

Teeba DJing at this night presented by

Phar ()ut. See Phactfile and Hitlist. I Human Nature at Lime. llpm—3

£4 (£2.50 with matric card). DJ lan with

funky dance. Drinks promos.

I Ice at Archaos. llpm—3.30am. £5 A night of deep garage and house frt Gareth Sommerville (Yip Yap). Stev Middleton (Sole Music) and Geoff (Archaos). Paul Traynor with hip ho swing. etc in Room Three. Up Yer Ronson returns on 2! March.

I Katch at The Cathouse. l lpm—3a

(£4). ie

P.

m. £3

(£2/free before I 1.30pm). Three floors of

rock with drinks promos.

I Kung Funk at The 13th Note (ground floor). Spin—midnight. Free. The former Soundclash and Sonora DJs with phat

jazz beat cake. hip hop and extreme leftfield drum 'n' bass. I Love Bug at The Garage.

l0.30pm-3am. £3 (£4). DJ Graeme with an eclectic mix of good time party tunes.

Drinks promos. I Mean Street at The 13th Note

(basement). Spin—midnight. Free. Rock

‘n‘ roll revolutionaries. Pre-club.

I Misshapes at Cafe Qudos (Queen Margaret Student Union). 8.30pm—2am.

£2.50 (£2). Indie. jangly guitar stuff. I Open at Glasgow School ofArt.

l()pm—2.30am. £6.50 (£5.50/£4 GSA students). The trance techno meisters celebrate a year of hard partying with an extra special bash featuring the fantastic

DJ ()beron. GK Machine. Dubware Sound System. Loco and Dubmissio Side attractions include guest drumn

and performers. shiatsu. aromatherapy

and muchos fun and games all night. I Orange Peel at The Asylum

(Caledonian University Student Union). l0pm—3am. £3. DJs Dan. Chris and Nick

with hard dance and techno.

I Parklife at The Arena. 10.30pm—3am. £4 (£3). Glasgow's first and foremost

Britpop night playing classic

dance/pop/indie/retro/soul sounds from

the 60s to the 90s. Drinks promos all night. I Phar Out at Glasgow School ofA

fl.

l()pm—2.30am. £3. Deep dub and drum

'n' bass. Resident DJ Paul Cawley is joined every week by guest DJs.

Continued over page

21 Mar-3 Apr l997THE LIST 65