CLUBS
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The Creators
‘lt’s just getting wilder and wilder for us now,‘ says Juliano (aka Julian Baker) from London production team The Creators. He and partner Simon Gilbert, otherwise known as Si, have been low key cornerstones of the UK hip hop arena for the past five years, but with a worldwide, multiple album deal with Wall Of Sound‘s new splinter imprint Bad Magic, you're going to hear an awful lot more of The Creators.
The two met almost a decade ago when Juliano was hunting for obscure records in, of all places, Cornwall. 'I was in some camp site and this guy was DJing hip hop and that was him,‘ he remembers. 'We got mad pissed up, mad blunted, and managed to get booted out by the police. We just sparked it, we were both into breaks, both into beats, both into being creative, know what I’m saying?’
Their production work is championed as much by Stateside DJs Funkmaster Flex and Stretch Armstrong as by Tim Westwood over here. For the follow-up to their debut album The Masterplan, they've been working with the likes of Mos Def, Kwali, Consequence (from A Tribe Called Quest) and Phill Da Agony of The Alcoholics. They prefer to bring the artists over to
their UK studio to work, and it's far from sane. ‘It was mad, just wild chaoticness to tell you the truth man,’ he says. ’A certain person pulled like twenty bags of weed outta his hollow shoe. Me and Simon were astonished, I guess they were just making sure they didn't have to
wait.’
Their credentials are bolstered by their sideline project of tracking down the most obscure beats and fat breaks and selling them on. 4 Hero, KRS 1, Q Tip, DJ Spinna, the
Creators creating
Global Communications guys and Jazz Fudge have all benefited from The Creator’s vinyl investigating. Juliano can't move for records in his house and says he's got more records in his room than there is room.
'We got more records loaned out to people than banks
have loaned out mortgages, you know what I’m
(Rory Weller)
saying?’ There’s a lot more interest with them, though.
I The Creators play at Psy phi at The Sub Club, Fri 20 Aug.
Bhangraheadz
It's not often that a club night can genuinely be described as new. Clubs come and go, but for a while now Glasgow Clubland has seen innovation within established genres, rather than an attempt to strike out in a new direction. Bhangraheadz is set to change that.
As the name suggests, promoter
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Desi Bombsquad at Bhangraheadz
Mehal hopes his night will be the basis for an increase in bhangra music's popularity. 'We know it’s never going to be as big up here as it is in the Midlands or London. We're at an experimental stage at the moment, but hopefully we'll kickstart a scene.’
In an effort to attract a mixed crowd, rather than existing bhangra die-hards, resident DJs the Desi Bombsquad will be adding Western beats to the mix,
with R&B, hip hop and soul featuring heavily. Not a purist venture then? ’We want each month to be a special event,‘ says Mehal, 'so the music policy will change from night to night. We’re into mixing it up a bit.’
He's not exaggerating. The next night features Canadian DJ Jazzy 8, who is known on the scene for being something of an eccentric. Future events, meanwhile, will include anything from DJ Punjabi, serving up a bhangra/R&B soundclash, to four-piece D.I.P., an hour long bhangra-Boyzone extravaganza.
On a more serious note, with the recent brouhaha surrounding questionable door policies, Bhangra- headz can guarantee a hassle-free night out: ‘There are a lot of Asian people who are a bit wary of clubs at the moment, and we’re obviously not going to have those problems.’ So, for fans and the curious, Glasgow now has something to offer right across the bhangra spectrum, from break-beats to boy bands. (Jack Mottram)
I Bhangraheadz at The Temple, Mon 23 Aug.
Alaska
From day one, Alaska has proved something of a hit with Glasgow clubbers. And, since explaining a club’s success is a near impossible task, this could be due to the impressive minimalist decor, the unstintingly up for it crowd or a commitment to a broad spectrum of high quality music. ‘We were trying to go for something different,’ says Paul Sweeney, veteran party promoter and manager of the club. 'We didn't want Alaska to be too commercial or too underground - good music is what it’s all about.’
This manifesto has resulted in Alaska playing host to everything from the hyperactive glam of Love Boutique to the talc-on-the-floor Northern sounds of Straight Ahead. And the high calibre tunes look set to continue. Future guests include Modaji, who is fast establishing himself as a pioneer of effortlessly cool tech-Latin soul fusion, and Paul Welsh of Radio Clyde fame, who spins pretty much anything as long as it's funky.
A club's name isn’t made on the basis of music alone, however, and Alaska stands out largely thanks to its design. According to Sweeney ’the club is meant to be seen as two distinct areas, downstairs we wanted to create a space where people could have a late drink and relax, but upstairs, it’s all about the dancefloor.’ In short, Alaska has that special something that makes for a proper club, so get down there quick smart or prepare to look shamefaced when your grandchildren ask, ’Where were you when Alaska was going off?‘ (Jack Mottram)
I Alaska is at 142 Bath Lane. Mojaji guests on Fri 20 Aug, Paul Welsh guests on Sat 27 Aug. See club listings for individual club details.
Paul Welsh Guests at Alaska
STAR RATINGS fluid Unmissable . **** Very ood sunk Wort a shot it Below average * You've been warned