E E i:
preview
brought to you by
Lizzard Lounge
The effects of the imminent demise of Cafe Graffiti have been felt throughout Edinburgh, if not the country, and nowhere more so than with the organisers of the clubs resident there. Toby Shippey and Joseph Malik have been responsible for one of the most strongest and consistent clubs at the venue — the Lizzard Lounge.
In its two and a half year existence, the Lizzard Lounge has played host to scores of guests and rocked the dancefloor with a plethora of musical styles, with Latin, funk, hip hop, ragga, salsa, reggae, soul, jazz and drum 8: bass all getting an airing along the way.
The one thing that has set the club apart from many is the live performances. Local bands have mixed things up with artists from all over the world. ’It sort of changed the way people looked at clubbing in Edinburgh,’ believes Malik. ’You can go to any club night and for the first two or three months it will be great but eventually the buzz will die down. We managed to change the club every week. We are the only regular Saturday night club that runs weekly; one week it would be a Latin theme, the next ska, the next hip hop — different music, different bands.’
Each date we've been doing recently has been a kind of send off,’ explains Malik. ’Carlos (Pena, Edinburgh’s premier Latin vocalist) has had a night, Aqua Bassino has had his, El Cometa, who were one of the first bands to ever play at Lizzard Lounge are coming up soon and we finish with an all-star night with a cast of thousands.’
’We’ll miss Graffiti, it’s an amazing venue,’ admits
Getting down Lizzard style at the Lounge
Shippey. ’So many places these days feel like hairdressers - they have so little atmosphere.’
The future it seems remains bright as both Malik and Shippey have plans for the future. ’l’ve got something up my sleeve,’ declares Malik. ’but I'm not able to announce it as yet. All will be revealed in January.’ Shippey is equally optimistic: 'T he club will continue but not in its present form. We could do one-offs at different venues, something like that. We'll wait and see how things go.’
Whatever form the Lizzard Lounge takes in the future, the ethos on which it was built will no doubt be continued through whatever new projects develop. (Mark Robertson)
I The Last Ever Lizzard Lounge at Cafe Graffiti is on Sat 18 Dec. The Grand Graffiti Ball at Cafe Graffiti is on Fri 37 Dec.
where a DJ could manipulate sound and remix video at the same time would create a more intense clubbing experience.‘
Having taken this decision to move the club experience forward, Coldcut were brought up short by a lack of suitable technology. In collaboration with software developers Cam Arts, they designed VJam: ’The software enables a VJ to treat visuals in the same way as a DJ does sound: you can scratch the audio and visual components of a video clip, you can cut between clips or loop them,’ says Moore.
This involvement in the vanguard of VJ technology has given Coldcut the opportunity to create a show like no other. The live set up is centered
Coldcut
Coldcut have never been shy of embracing new technology, being among the first artists using a sampler to make an impression on the charts, and more importantly, the group have consistently tried to push at boundaries and confound expectations in the wide world of clubbing.
In recent times, Matt Black and Jonathon Moore have turned their
Cut from a technological cloth: Coldcut
attention to club visuals, and have already moved far beyond the usual slide projections and video loops. 'A DJ may be able to create different moods,‘ explains Moore, 'but they aren’t very interesting to look at. There are exceptions, like Kid Koala who will be supporting us at the Arches gig - he puts on a twenty minute burst of jaw- dropping hand-eye coordination, but we felt that introducing an element
around improvisational interaction between Moore, who produces music without the help of sequencers or prerecorded material, and Black who layers audio~visual mixes and scratches over the beats provided by his partner. Coldcut then are essential viewing and listening if you fancy a taste of what the future holds for clubbing.
(Jack Mottram)
I Coldcut play Pirate War The Arches on Thu 2 Dec. VJam is available for the PC from wwwninjatunehet.
E'l'l/J
CHILL FILTERED
@-—-I
"m om!
Club news
CALLING ALL BUDDING hacks - The List is looking to up the number of club and dance music writers on its team. If you think that you are able to write an interesting sentence and have a good idea of what’s going on in Glasgow and/or Edinburgh, give Simone a call at the Edinburgh office.
MORE HOGMANAY BASHES for your consideration. Cafe Graffiti are throwing an impressive bash featuring practically everyone who’s ever played, and will be the final date there as a club (£50, call 557 8330); Revolution are throwing one of the cheapest bashes (£20, call 229 7670); while The Ark, The Attic, The Liquid Room, Gaia and The Venue are teaming up to offer ’five clubs for £100'. For the cover charge, not only do you get entry into all five clubs all night, but there's a free bar. I’ll repeat that: a free bar. Tickets from any of the venues, Ripping Records and Virgin.
lF YOU FANCY moving your 1210s out of the bedroom and into the DJ booth, the Pure 6 Mixing Championships might be a good place to start. The remaining heats take place 2 and 9 December, with finals on 16 December at The Halt Bar, Woodlands Road. The competition will be judged by representatives of Bomba, 23rd Precinct, HMV and Tower. All styles are welcome, as long as you are a genuine bedroom type and not a glory seeking semi-pro. For more details phone Dave, Guy or Si on 0141 564 1527.
AS THE LIST goes to press, the Sub Club is set to reopen on 16 December with Derrick Carter guesting at Blood. But since the club is waiting for approval from building control to begin repairs, this remains a provisional date. To avoid disappointment, clubbers are advised to call the Sub Club Crisis Line on 0141 332 9900.
On a brighter note, however, The Glasgow School of Art is operating as usual after a brief period without a license, and will no longer be running pre-club nights on Wed-Fri.
New life at Blood: Derrick Carter at Subby reopening
2-16 Dec 1999 THE "8181