CLUBS listings
Phactfile
Soulsa, the disco showcase that pays dues to the origins of house music, has proved a big hit with Glasgow club kids, and is set to shift up a gear to a larger venue and a weekly slot. Jack Mottram provides the one man colloquium.
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Soulsa, is that the hon bon shaking dance craze of the new millennium? Nope, that's salsa. Soulsa is a pre—club that has been causing something of a stir over the past few months thanks to a commitment to the best disco money can buy.
Cool, I'll dig out my aim wig and glitter make-up. Oh dear. This isn't a Carwash style kitschathon, and if you turn up draped in a feather boa expecting to hear cod classics from emasculated Australians or hen night favourites from Gloria Gaynor, disappointment is inevitable.
So what's it all about then? You may have noticed that house music, from structure to samples, owes more than a little to the club sound of 705 gay America. in fact, since the French invasion of bright and shiny, filter-heavy, stompers, a fair proportion of up-toothe~ minute house releases could easily slip unnoticed into a purist disco set, and vice versa. Andy Unger, resident at Soulsa, spent much of last summer catching snippets from his disco crates played out at clubs around Scotland and had something of a revelation: if the kids love house, hip hop and techno rooted in underground dance music of the past, they're bound to latch on to the pre.old skool sounds in his collection.
Let me guess. The rest is history . . . Well, nearly. After a few days working out how to mix organic disco beats, rather than the metronome pulse of house, Unger launched his night in the minuscule Diablo club and, in the space of a few months, the place was rammed with punters ready to be fired up before a night out by the music behind the music on offer elsewhere.
What's next? From Friday 3 March, Soulsa is set to go weekly at a new venue, but the mission remains the same - to build up an evening of underground disco, incorporating anything with a solid groove from the late 605 to mid 805, until the crowd reach fever pitch and spill out into clubs around the city, primed to hear the evidence of musical evolution.
a Soulsa runs every Friday at Eat Drink Man Woman.
84 THE LIST l7 Feb—2 Mar 2000
CLUBS: GLASGOW THURSDAYS continued
I Tunnel Thursdays at The Tunnel. 11pm-3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Tunnel regulars Kevin McFarlane and Scott Mackay, plus Lisa Littlewood in Room 'I\vo, spin house for a dressed up crowd of students.
I Upfront at The Asylum. 10pm—3am. £1 (free to CUSU members). Weekly. Eddie Tonner and Scott Mochar with quality house and trance.
I Yang at Yang. 11pm-3am. Free before midnight; £3 (£2) after. Weekly. Fantastic night featuring live funk action from Elevation Trio in the bar and weekly residents Bob Peck and Charlie lnman slamming out their trademark block party hip hop, funk and breaks. 24 Feb sees Mystec in the main room with Dirty Wriggles and Good Hands spinning bass- heavy techno and electro.
Chart & party
I Ga Ga at The Velvet Rooms. 11pm—3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Cheesy party selections courtesy of Paul Melon in the front room, with Tchiko spinning soul and R&B.
I Loveshack at Fury Murry ’s. 11pm-3.15am. £4 (£2). Weekly. Jim Downie with a blend of commercial classics, vintage indie and a touch of disco. I Rumble at The Garage. 11pm—3am. £4 (£2). Weekly. Absolutely crackers student night, stuffed to the gunncls every time with kids sharking to the sounds of chart hits, indie favourites and lowbrow house.
I Superstar at Trash. 11pm—3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Party tunes, pop and indie faves for students and the like-minded. I Klass at Destiny. lOpm-3am. £2 before llpm; £3 after. Weekly. Casual night at the new wrought-iron exhibition- cum-club, with commercial sounds. This is the only time when denim and trainers are acceptable apparel here, so you don’t have to iron your Ben Sherman.
GLASGOW FRIDAYS
Pro-club
I Brian Murnin at The Living Room. 9pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. A year on, and Brian continues to ‘play the songs that make the whole world sing.’
I Budda at Bar Budda. 8pm-midnight. Free. Weekly. Chris Harris spinning groove-led house to the usual party-up crowd.
I Bughouse at Balsa. 9pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. Chunky house grooves to liven u the city centre.
I Critical Mass at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy. 8pm-late. Free. Weekly. Jon Fopp with a selection of breaks and beats.
I Cul De Sac at Cul De Sac. 9pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. Tech- phunk sounds from Anton and Doug.
I Edward's at Edward’s. 9pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. Upbeat selections from Keith Pyper to get you going for the weekend.
I Nomad at Nomad. 7.30pm-midnight. Free. Weekly. Kris Keegan, Ian Thompson and AJ join ‘Donut’ Jay at the latest pre-club. Free camera hire adds a nice touch.
I Paul Cawley at Air Organic. 9pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. In addition to running Soma’s break beat sister label Fenetic and Psy Phi, Paul Cawley warms up for the weekend with brand new breaks, hip hop and drum & bass.
I Planet Vampire at Bar Jedi. 9pm—midnight. £3 (£2 ). 25 Feb only. A bloodsucking evening of vampiric multimedia entertainments, with video animation and the like supplementing the music. Dress up in full Vlad Dracul gear, or generally show your dark side.
I The Pleasure Lounge at Ad Lib. 5pm—9pm. Free. Weekly. Something of a pre-pre-club this, with Special Favours resident DJ Mingo-go spinning the usual eclectic selection, from lush pop to electro via ‘phuturistic sleaze’.
I Radar at The Cross Bar. 8pm-midnight. Free. Weekly. Wiggy selection of esoteric dub and progressive techno.
I Russell's at Russell’s. 6pm—12pm. Free. Weekly. DJ Yaw kicks out the best R&B, hip hop and swingbeat.
I Soaterama at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy (ground floor). 8pm—midnight. Free. Weekly. An across the board blend with an emphasis on the unexpected, from punk to drum & bass.
I Stateside Sounds at The State Bar. 4—7pm. Free. Weekly. Paul Shields selects alt-country favourites, rock classics and blues cuts.
Club
I Alaska at Alaska. llpm—3am. £8. Weekly. Currently without a name of its own, the new Friday line-up at Alaska includes some of the best DJ talent in Glasgow. The collective includes Paul ‘Pce Wee’ Welsh (Radio Clyde), Mark (Straight Ahead), Kev (Goodfoot) and Shu Hirata (World Service) who are set to bring together disparate styles from soul, deep funk and retro breaks in the bar area to future jazz and house in the main room.
I The Ark at The Tunnel. 10.30pm—3am.
£7 (£5). Weekly. The mighty triumvirate of Scott Mackay, Michael Kilkie and Zammo keep the crowd on their toes with top quality hard house, while Simon Foy kicks out smooth vocal house and garage in the back room.
I Blood at Planet Peach. 11pm—3am. £5.
18 Mar only. The Subbie seems to have settled in to its temporary home with Subculture and Optimo, and Blood should handle the transition with ease. Tonight features Kierran MaCann and DJ Q with the usual selection of sublime house.
I Buddasole at Club Budda. 11.30pm—3am. £5. Weekly. Solemusic head honcho Stevie Middleton with seriously high calibre soulful house and garage. For music lovers.
I Bump 'n' Hustle at Babaza. 6pm—3am (DJs from 11pm). Free before 11pm; £5 after. Weekly. Paul Traynor and Jamie Strang of Archaos fame with fine and funky R&B cuts, hip hop and some classic soul and funk thrown in to keep the capacity crowd going. Arrive early to avoid disappointment, as this is one of the busiest regular Friday nighters around.
I The Cathouse at The Cathouse. 10.30pm—3am. £4 (£3); £1 before 11pm. Weekly. Rock, grunge, indie and a dash of break beat across three floors at Glasgow’s top venue for rockers and alternateens.
I Friday Frolics at Havana. llpm—3am. £5 (£4). Weekly. Steven Foy and CJ provide an across the board blend of commercial house and dance classics.
I Gold ‘n' Delicious at Archaos. 11pm—3am. £5 (£4). Weekly. Dress smart and prepare to party in the main room with Ryan Kerr and David Gilmore spinning dance classics, garage and house from the commercial end of the spectrum. Betty’s features Ian Thompson with dance classics across the spectrum, while Paul Traynor provides a collection of R&B, hip hop and soul cuts in the exclusive Skybar.
I Global at Universe (Coatbridge). 11pm—2.45am. £5. Weekly. Tunnel types Kevin MacFarlane and Stephen Lee spinning garage, vocal house and anthems.
I Goodfoot at The Bedsit. 10pm—2am. £5. 3 Mar. Fortnightly. Peerless Northern action from Scott Brown and the lads, featuring stomping classics, rareties and the occasional funk flavoured cut. Continue your obsession with willfully obscure soul sounds, or find out exactly why old blokes from Stockport will re- mortgage their homes to purchase a 7m single.
I Life at Life. 10pm—3am. £5. Weekly. Friday nights at the classy new venue feature two of Glasgow’s finest in the shape of Nick Peacock with big jazz and dancefloor soul, and Muchail, chopping together funky breaks and rare disco classics.
I Mumbo Jumbo at Trash. 11pm-3am. £tbc. New night featuring R&B cuts and dance anthems.
I Mystec at Club 69. 11pm-2am. £7. 18 Feb. Monthly. A new night in the Paisley basement, bus travel to the sticks included in the price. The electro, house and techno are provided by the Dirty Wriggles and Dribbler and the bus leaves The Variety Bar at 10.30pm sharp.
I Polo Lounge at The Polo Lounge.
1 1pm-3am. £5. Weekly. Michelle provides a mix of house and indie classics while Andy rocks the Trophy Room with 805 and 90s hits at this gay
I Privilege at Havana. 10pm—3am. £3. Weekly. Andy Guest playing across the house spectrum, from vocal to the more bangin’.
I Pressure at The Arches. 10.30pm—4am. £10. 25 Feb. Monthly. How do they do it? Pressure is, yet again, one of the best nights on offer this month. Stuart and Orde are joined by the peerless Gene Farris, Stacey Pullen and Christian Smith, playing his brand of hard stuff live.
I Reds at Reds. 11pm—3am. £6 (£5). Weekly. Club classics and house sounds from Alan Ronald.
I Relief at The Arches. 1 lpm—3am. £8 (£6). Weekly. Residents Silicone Soul and Laurence Hughes seem to be going from strength to strength these days. There are no guests booked for the next couple of weeks, but the first birthday party is coming soon.
I Sleazy Listening at Glasgow School of Art. 10.30pm—2.30am. £5. 25 Feb only. A one off special hosted by Lex Bastard, with naked go-go girls (on video, unfortunately) and prizes for the sleaziest dressed. DJs are Ms Bastard, Kelvin Bridge (aka Twitch), Duglas T. Stewart and LJT Bosom. Live debut from Erobique.
I Soulsa at The Brunswick Hotel. 9pm—late. £3. 25 Feb. This is the last chance to catch the disco fever at the Brunswick, as Soulsa is set to switch venue next month. The DJs are keen to show that disco doesn’t just mean Daft Punk and their filter happy peers, preferring instead the genuine classics the revivalists sample and, well, ripped off. See Phactfile.
I Sub-Bass at Planet Peach. 11pm—3.15am. £4 (£3). 25 Feb only. Another rotating relocation from the Subbie. This is a new night from the Jengaheads, who are joined by Jim Hutchison in the booth and, playing a full live set, Marco Bernadi.
I templeVision at The Temple. 11pm-3.30am. £6 (£4). Weekly. George Bowie of Radio Clyde fame and Trevor Reilly spinning trance and hard house.
I Test at Planet Peach. Next date 3 Mar. I Trash at Trash. 11pm-3am. £5 (£3). Weekly. Grahame Ferguson and Stevie Smith play a blend of R&B, cheesy house classics and funk.
I Yang at Yang. 11pm—3am. Free before midnight; £5 after. Weekly. Dema & Nice, core members of the super-skilled Freek Menoovers crew, rock the bar with turntablist hip hop while Kushi provides deep house beats in the back room.
I Yum Yum at The 13th Note Club (basement). 9pm—3am. £4. Weekly. Latin grooves, jazz, hip hop and the like predominate, but pretty much anything goes. Includes access to Big Daddy downstairs.
Chart &. party
I Glamorama at The Apartment. 11pm—3am. £8. Weekly. Good time club selections from party king Jim Da Best. I Carwash at g2. 11pm—3am. £3 (£2). Weekly. A night of disco, funk and soul classics.
I Cheesy Pop at Qudos (QMU). lOpm—Zam. £3 (£2). Weekly. Students and up to four guests. Seven years on and rampant hordes of mucky minded, vodka- fuelled urchins still flock to hear DJ Toast’s Edam selection. A riotous evening, with the emphasis on pure unashamed fun.
I Crash at The Shed. 10pm—3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Dave Ross rocking the