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Producer Scarlet Lake is rather unique - he dares to mix drum 'n’ bass with classical composition.
Name Scarlet Lake, aka Ross Campbell. Occupation Deep drum 'n' bass producer, among other things.
Place of origin Glasgow.
Age 38.
Not the youngest of chaps, then. Don’t knock it, he’s one of the more exciting artists working on the scene, recording for Scotland's only drum 'n' bass label Temple Records, using his undisputed classical training to bring a new slant to the music.
What's he done so far? One single last year called ‘Expression' which received major rotation at all the best clubs down south. He’s got a new single 'Euromancer’ plus an album, out soon.
What's this about a classical training? He lectures in classical composition at the RSAMD and pop production for the North Glasgow College, as well as sc0ring film soundtracks.
And this is a good thing when it comes to drum 'n' bass? He's able to use some of the avant garde techniques of 20th Century composers and hopes to start using live instruments in his work, moving away from the same synth sounds commonly used, and get a more organic feel to the music.
What turned him on to 0&8? He reckons that, for the first time in a long while, dance music has become fresh and exciting with this form. While house doesn't have many areas left to go, drum 'n’ bass is so much more rhythmically complicated. ’You can turn on the radio and it takes you a minute or so to work out where the beat is,’ he says.
So he‘s anti-house then? Not at all, he's currently working With Stevie Middleton of Sole Music on deep house tracks under the name Oscuro P.
He’s bound to be a man with an ultimate dream Indeed, he wants to bring avant-garde ClaSSlCal techniques into dance mum and hard-hitting dynamic rhythms into the classical area. One goal is to cross-fertilise all styles of music and create a combination of them all. ’There’s only so far you can bend things until they break,’ he says, though. (Rory Weller)
I Scarlet Lake plays live at Pure Glasgow (Albion Street stage), 37 Aug. A single and album are to be released shortly. See feature, page 20.
66 THE LIST 29 Aug-ll Sep 1997
GLASGOW WEDNESDAYS
I Bennets l l.30pm—3am. £2.50. DJ Sara with upbeat dance. Drinks promos. I Betty's at Betty's Mayonnaise.
l lpm—3am. Free. Commercial dance with DJ Geoff. Drinks promos.
I Chopper at Betty's Mayonnaise. l0.30pm—3.30am. £3.50 (£2). Garage. house and 90s disco and pop from CJ (Archaos Thursdays). Note new venue change. Drum 'n' bass night. Juice in Room 2. Drinks promos.
I Cul De Sac Cul De Sac Bar. 9—l lptn. Free. Richard Brown of Glasgow's Soma Records guesting every week with a huge pile of white labels. Drinks promos.
I Depth Charge at Bar Booshka. 8pm—midnight. Free. Deep and funky American house from the Jackal.
I Disco Wonderland at The Cathouse. llpm—3am. £2 (£1.50; free before
1 1.30pm). Super sounds from the 70s with drinks promos.
I Elements at Trash. l lpm—3am. £4 (£3). 3 Sep and fortnightly. Glasgow's newest drutn 'n‘ bass night evolving at great pace with residents Kemal and Rob G of First Contact. Stevie and Tanya at the helm. Tonight’s featured guest is Doc Scott. regular at Metalheadz specialising in a harder. breakbeat D&B sound. back in town less than two weeks since his last appearance. Drinks promos.
I Fab at Reds. l lpm—3am. £3 (£2). Groovy garage and club classics. Drinks promos.
I Flex at The Velvet Rooms. 10.30pm—3am. £3 (£2). New regular Wednesday night from DJ Tchico playing Soul. ragga. funk reggae. swing and hip hop in Room One plus happy house. garage and classic dance in Room Two. I Go West at Cleopatra's. l0.3()pm—2.30am. £2 (£l with ticket). A mainly student-orientated bill of fare.
I Ground Control at Jet. Ilpiii—2.15ain. Kevin Dillon and Norden of the Ground Control sound system take up residency here every week for the fittest hip hop and drum 'n' bass night in the West End. Drinks promos.
I Jengaheads at The Living Room. ()pin—midnight. Free. l.azyass hip hop sound track from the Jengaheads (Paradise Island) with a special Jenga league every week. Drinks promos.
I Relax at Bar ll). Spin-close. Free. Downbeat dance night with Juna and Romeo. Pie-club.
I Sticky Fingers at The Attic. l0.30pm—3am. £2 (£l ). Gerry with indie and retro sounds. Drinks promos.
I Wednesday Night Fever at Lime. llpm—3am. £3 (£2 with matric card). Fresh 'n' funky 70s and 90s disco with DJ Ray Davren. Drinks promos.
GLASGOW THURSDAYS
I 21st Century Leisure Lounge at CCA Cafe Bar. ()pin—midnight. Free. 4 Sep and fortnightly. Moog modulating. breezy bossa pop. electro lounge lo-fi sleaze and exotic cocktail jazz from your host DJ Mingo-go.
I 4th Dimension at lsiel. 8.304 lptn. Free. Andy Young plays jazz. Brazilian. soul. fusion and funk. Drinks promos. I Big Karn's Party Night at Bennets. ll.3()pm—3am. £3 (£2). Kat‘n Dunbar with 80s. 90s and loads of camp nonsense. Drinks promos.
I Bloomers at Cleopatra‘s. l0.30pm—2.30am. £3 (£2 with ticket). Mainstream.
I Casino at Blackfriars L'ndei'gi‘ound. 8pm--midnight. £l before 9pm; £2 after. Northern soul pt'e-club.
I Casino Royale The Arches. l0pm—2am. £4 (£2). 28 Aug and monthly. Frankie Saveloy presents another of his loungecore nights of intoxicating mei't'iment. If you like your listenin ' easy this is a must.
I Chie at Trash. llptn —3am £3 (£2). New night featuring DJ Rory (formerly of Cop and Chopper) in Rooiii ()ne with classic house and future anthems and Graham in Room Two with his indie/party mix. Drinks promos.
I Cop at Archaos. l(lpm—3am. £4 (£2.50).
Busy student house night from DJ CJ and Vance. 'Turn up. get down. cop off.‘ Drinks promos. Tam Coyle “The Fuzz‘ does his indie/pop/kitsch stuff in Betty's Ma onnaise. part of the Archaos complex. I III De Sac Cul De Sac Bar. 9—l lptn. Free. Mark Ryal from Aquaplanet and Redcell with an underground dance warmer before he heads down to the Subbie. Drinks promos.
I Dee Jays In Disguise at Variety. Rpm—close. Free. Hatch and Jilkes of the Knucklehead with a dubby mix of new dance and techno. Pre-club.
I Donkey at The Cathouse. l lpm—3am. £2 (£l; free before 11.30pm). Indie/grunge rock in the new Cathouse with drinks promos.
I Easy Life at The Tunnel l0pm—3am. £4 (£2.50 with matric card). Student night featuring Kevin and Scott (Tunnel weekends) and Lisa playing a mix of classic house anthems plus treasure hunts and wheel of fortune. Drinks promos.
I Flashback at Fiddlers Court. ()pin-midnight. Free. Deep house and drum ‘n' bass frotn JP and the Future Engineers.
I Free Flow at Glasgow School OfArt (downstairs). l0pm—2am. Free. Jazz/funk/ soul indie night with host Alan Rutherford. Drinks promos.
I Harder at King Tut‘s Wah Wah Hut (downstairs bar). 28 Aug and fortnighly. 9pm—midnight. Free. Righteous roots and dub.
I Helter Skelter at The Venue. l0.30pm—-3am. £3 (£2.50). The Venue is back up and running for tnore mixed up. student orientated music with retro tracks next to contemporary indie frotn Gordon Tennant.
CLUB REVIEW
Uptight
Glasgow: fortnightly at The Bedsit, 9pm—2am, £4 (£3 concessions).
Door policy Relaxed; but non-students must be signed in.
Clientele An amiable convergence of soul boys and retro chicks.
Music Northern soul, Hammond jazz, Latin soul and reggae.
Atmosphere Invigorating.
Bar promos None, but drinks are cheap (eg pints £1.50).
Now in its sixth year, the popularity of Glasgow’s finest Northern soul night shows no signs of abating. Uptight has recently gone from monthly to fortnightly, and this autumn sees the release of a compilation album of the club’s top floor-fillers. After stints at the Sub Club and the Art School, Uptight has now settled at The Bedsit, which organiser Scott Brown describes as ’the best venue yet'. A definite plus point of this venue is the choice it provides between the packed main hall, and the more relaxed ambience of the bar, where the Goodfoot mob drop groovy tunes and the drinks are mercilessly cheap.
I Hi Karate at Tin Pan Alley. llpm—3am. £3 (£2). New regular slot for the big beat Hi Karate collective of Neil McMillan. Andrew Divine. Crawford Tait and Bob Peck. Drinks promos.
I In Tone at Bar l0. 8pm—close. Free. Paul Cawley from Phar Out with a weird underground pre-club experience.
I Loveshack at Fury Murry's. l0.30pm-3. 15am. £5 (£3). Fine indie house and disco sounds in two rooms. Drinks promos.
I Natural Selection at Lime (formerly The Cotton Club). llpm—3am. £3 (£2). lain Fitzpatrick with funky dance and indie. Drinks promos.
I Orange Peel at Jet. l lpm—3am. £3 (£2). New weekly night from Orange Peel’s Dan Brown and Chris playing deep house.
I Passion at The Velvet Rooms. llpm—3am. £3 (£2). DJ Skud playing soulful grooves. mellow hip hop and sexy swing from Busta Rhymes to Marvin Gaye. A groovy alternative to student nights. Drinks promos.
I Red Cell at Sub Club. llpm—3am. £3. This deep as you like night comes to a close on the 4 Sep. so shed a tear for Mark Ryal. Kelvin Bridge. Lars and Dominic who have been bringing you the best in underground dance midweek for ever such a long time. Drinks promos.
I Reds llpm—3am. £3 (£2). DJ Graeme with a night ofclassic disco. peppered with the best contemporary house and garage. Drinks promos.
I Rumble at The Garage. 1 lpm-3am. £3 (£2). Cardow and Ross with an exceptionally busy night of charty dance faves. cheap drinks and drunk students. Snogtastic!
The main attraction of Uptight is the music: an uplifting blend of rare soul music that has the dancefloor packed all night long. As DJ Chris Barron remarks: 'This music has yet to be commercialised - we specialise in playing obscure records’. Uptight is almost completely at odds with Glasgow’s clubscene as we know it: from the basketball court marked on the dance floor to the conspicuous lack of mixing from the DJs. As each 45 fades out, the punters just stand there, smiling and waiting for the next tune to begin. The style of dress and manner of dancing is also refreshingly different from that of more mainstream clubs. Girls in 605 dresses shimmy beside boys in checked shirts and trainers. The scooter boys sip their pints and watch the dancing, which seems both more co-ordinated and less pretentious than at other dance clubs. All around laughing couples are dancing with each other, doing proper steps to records that are 30 years old. The atmosphere here reflects the philosophy behind the club, summarised by Scott Brown: 'We're playing music with love and everyone wants to come and dance to it.’ (Sarah Lowndes)
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Chris Farron. 27, DJ and Scott Brown. 29. organiser: ‘Pure unadulterated dance music'