CLUBS listings Phactfile
The Renfrew Ferry has played host to some classy nights over the past year, and now there's Fusion, a club that has the balls to ask ’Are you ready to have your lives altered forever?’ lack Mottram asks himself silly questions to find out if the night can match the
hype.
'. . . lives altered forever?’ what’s the sketch, free plastic surgery, a new identity, flights to Rio? Sign me up. Good Lord, which shady promoter have you offended this time? Anwvay, needless to say, the Fusron gang are offering a more subtle opportunity to re-Jig your lifestyle.
Oh well. Fusion. though - I hope this isn't some ill-advised foray into Riot GrrrI-gabber-breakbeat- glitch-pop-Ioungecore, or whatever. No, although that sounds like a promising new genre. Again, your bull in a china shop approach has led you astray, the fusion on offer at Fusion takes the form of a wander around the highways and byways of house music in all its myriad forms.
How lyrical. Would you like to be a teeny-weeny bit more specific. Get lost. Pick any of the qualifying epithets commonly applied to the word 'house’, they’re all likely to get a look in at some point in the evening. In other words, it’ll be deep, funky, euphoric, Chicago, progressive, uplifting, vocal, hard and kitchen.
Kitchen? OK, I made that one up, but the idea is to seamlessly meld together the various styles as the night progresses, warming up the kids.
Cool. So who's spinning the discs? Ken Ferguson takes care of matters Chicago, Robin (as in Trade) deals in hard and progressive numbers, former engineer DJ Greg prefers uplifting vocal house and youngster Mick P goes deep.
Is that it? I have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Yes, gossip fans will be thrilled to learn that Ken Ferguson is the elder brother of hard house superhero Fergie. Fans of a good atmosphere (or 'vibe,’ as ’cool’ people would have it) will be ecstatically happy to find that the club is mixed, so no beery idiots Will call you a poof if you happen to have a nice haircut.
I: Fusion at The Renfrew Ferry,
Glasgow, Sat 77 Feb.
80 THE llST IS Feb—l Mar 200)
GLASGOW CLUB LISTINGS continued
GLASGOW TUESDAYS
Pre-club
I Colin Davie at Spy Bar.
()pm midnight. Free weekly. .\Ir I)ayie goes on a tongue-in-cheek journey throngh the history of Iiouse music.
I Dub Night at The Variety Bar.
Spin midnight. Free. Weekly. Stey ic Donaldson (Bar 10) playing. oddly enough. dtib.
I Club Salsa Sabrosa at Havana Bar. Spin midnight. £4 (£3.50). Weekly.
I)Js Keith and Alexis pros ide yott with a cool night of Latin tunes. with merengue and salsa classes from 8pm.
I Bar 10 at Bar I0. 7pm~Iate. Free. Weekly. A chance for aspiring I)J talent to get noticed: eyery week three bedroom turntablists spin their discs. the best being selected by the crowd. who then progress to the final. where I)Js and promoters from various clubs grant the cream of the crop a chance to play at their venue or club.
I Passion Pour La Vida at October.
Spin midnight. Free. Weekly. The aw ard- winning I)J Ja//. drives tip the temperature in Princes Square with a Latino/Spanish extravagan/a.
I Rio Carnival Night at Ilayana Bar. Free. 27 Feb only. Free dance classes from 8pm. followed by a night of samba action.
Club
I Discolite at Q. Ilptn 3am. £3. Weekly. A new gay night of disco. both cheesy and classic. from I)Js Wayne and Darren
w ho'll be spicing things up with the odd disco-flavoured pop hit.
I Eden at Alaska. I lpm 3am. £4 (£2). Weekly. One for the students. with the Usual classics of academe downstairs thanks to Alan Ronald. plus some charging party tunes and a smattering of hottse upstairs from Scott .‘ylackay' of The 'I'unnel. Further proof that Tuesday is the new Thursday.
I F.U.N. at Planet I’each. I lpm-3am. £3. Weekly. (lay night featuring the traditional hodge podge of cheesy chart action and camp handbaggage courtesy of DJ (ieorgie Boy and regular live I’As.
I Media at Media. l lpm- 3am. £tbc. Weekly. A full-on llayoured mix from Iain Thomson.
I Whadsup? at Reds. £3 (£3). Weekly. House and garage anthems from Fraiser Latta.
Chart & Party
I Laid at Shack (formerly The Temple). I0.30pin 73am. £3 (£2). Weekly. Student night with the chart tunes. regular tribute bands and the odd foam party.
I Goo Goo at The Velvet Rooms.
I lpm -3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Paul Melon claims to be ‘The King of ('heese'. while I)ave .‘yltilholland w'hacks out the commercial house and garage.
I Shooting Stars at The (iarage.
I Ipm— 3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. (ierry and Iain keep the drtmk kids happy with charty house and po 3 hits. I The Shimmy Clui) at Bennet‘s. 11.30pm 3am. £3 (£I .50). Weekly. A straight-ish and studenty night at the gay venue. with Raymond Davren maintaining the party atmosphere.
I T.I.T. at Trash. l().3()pm—3am. £4 (£2). Weekly. (irahame Ferguson and Robert and Scott Free spin upfront house in the main room. pop for the studes in room two and relaxed grooves. The kids love it. despite the name.
I Yang at Yang. l lpm -3am. Free before midnight; £3 after. Weekly. Northern soul and funk grooves from (ierry Love (Teenage Fanclub) and (‘hris (ieddes (Belle & Sebastian). Live bands appear on an ad hoc basis upstairs.
GLASGOW WEDNESDAYS
Pre-club
I Algo Differente at Havana Bar. 8.30pm -late. £4 (£3). Weekly (not 27 Feb). Arrive early for salsa tuition. then revel in the Salsa Sabrosa crew's high octane Latin set.
I Club Santiago at I3rel. 9pmwmidnight. Free. Weekly. Latino grooy es with Marcelo and .\Ianuelo ('ifuentes.
I The Jengaheads at The Liy ing Room. 9pm midnight. Free. Weekly. Martyn Jengahead is at the helm of this night. which showcases new releases. acetates and the like. With occasional bongo action.
I Fluid at The I’olo Lounge.
l()pm lam. Free. Weekly. I).I Wayne I)i.xon mixes up classic funk. soul and disco with a dash of contemporary btisiness. and there are half price cocktails to make sure things go with a swing.
I Rio Carnival Night at Hasana. 8pm midnight. Free. 27 Feb only. Indulge in the carniyal atmosphere with a free samba class from S.3(Ipiii. I Russell's at Rtissell‘s. U I lpm. Free. Weekly. I)J Yaw brings his world music extravagan/a to the
yup tie masses.
I S u Hirata at The (’ul I)e Sac. Spin midnight. Free. Weekly. .la//y breaks. hip hop. electro. drum & bass: whatever gets played otit. it‘s bound to be the best available.
I Yang at Yang. Spin lam. Free. Weekly. Michael I’ecls‘ mixes. cuts and breaks those heats.
Club
I Bennet's at Bennet's.
I I.30pm 3am. £2.50 i £1.50). Weekly. Sara with an upfront dance mix. (lay. I Deathlehem at The I3llt Note (‘lth. I lpm 3am. £2. Weekly. Residents I)umptruck. Demonic and (‘raig look set to scare the punters silly with mean old rock aitd metal think Korn and Slipknot bay ing a scrap with Black Sabbath and A(‘/I)('. I F.A.B. at Baba/a. l lpm 3am. £3 (£2). Weekly. I)J Skud blends garage. R&B and fttnky house. playing to a dressed-up crowd who help to make this one of the busiest midweek nights in Glasgow.
I Hotdog at Reds. I lpm 3am. £3 (£2). W'eekly. An Ann Stunmers- sponsored night that’s about to spice tip your life. .‘VItisic‘ comes in the form of dance classics from Keith I’y'pel'. but it's the I’V(‘ underwear. joy juice and willy-shaped ice-cube makers that we’re alter.
I Joints And Jams at Planet I’each.
I lpm 3am. £3 (£2). Weekly. Iliin calibre night of hip hop. swing and R&B froin a rotating roster of DJ talent including Martin llesketh. I’uppa Shango. John Lyons. l).\/I(i and James Fullerton.
I Overground at The Velvet Rooms. l Ipm---3am. £4 (£2). Weekly. Indie sounds and chart classics from Joe McKay.
I Shag Tag at Archaos. l lpm 3am. £4 (£3). Weekly. Insanely successful night based on a complex numerical flirting system: everyone gets a number upon entry. then. if someone catches your eye. you write their number on the board next to your own. with the idea being that they then rush up to you and get biz-ay'. Music-wise. it‘s banging house and trance in the main room and across- the-board ‘madness’ from (‘.J. downstairs.
Chart & Party I Cheese On Toast at Shack (formerly The Temple). 10.30pm ~3am. £3 (£2). (‘heesy tunes with boo/e sauce to help wash it down. I Klass at I)estiny. l()pm 3am. £2 before I lpm; £3 alter. Weekly. For those who fancy a party night otit. btit can‘t stand those pesky kids cluttering tip the joint. Over 28s only.
Pop 8: Tarts at The (‘athouse. I lpm-~3am. Free before I l.30pm: £2 (£I.50) after. Weekly. I’arty~up disco and funk. I Souped Up at The (iarage. I0.30pm--3am. £3 (£2). Weekly. Daft pop and student antics.
clubs
Edinburgh clubs
Regular weekly clubs plus one off events are listed by city, then b day, then alphabetically by title. Clu s will be listed provided u -to-date details reach our offices at east eight days before publication. Lack of information may result in clubs being omitted. Edinburgh club listings compiled by Catherine Bromley.
EDINBURGH THURSDAYS
Pre-club
I Focus at The ('in ('afe. ‘tpm lam. Free. I5 Feb only. (III and Han get in together in a Ieftlield dance. hip hop. funk and tan sty Ice.
I Fuel at Rash. 0pm lam. Free. Weekly. |)J Raymi I3 generates a Ingli- \oItage supply of hip hop. funk and house.
I Immersed In Music at last).
‘Ipm lam. Free. Weekly. Tim Makon and ('olin (’hapman play delectable house grooycs for the laid—back drinking crowd.
I La Fromagerie at The Meadows liar (downstairs). 0pm lam. Free. 22 Feb Fortnightly. Wake up and smell the cheese from Iidinburgh‘s original I-.-/. slea/ies AI and Ram the Mullet.
I Made In Iguana at Iguana.
0pm lam. Free. Weekly. (iary Mac (Sublime) manages a inclange of totiin breaks. frisky beats and classic house tunes.
I Mellow Mellow Right On at The (‘arwaslr 0pm lam. Free. Weekly. I)J Sofa Boy gets comfortable with an eclectic mix of chilled funk and tin ia/I sounds.
I Oxygen at ()xygen. llpm lam. Free. Weekly. The experimental Iiuropeaii \ ibc of the ‘Iilectronic Music ('Iub'. where all manner of local Iiye performers drop by to turn on. tune in and freak otit.
I Perception at Bar I'nion (formerly Bliss). llpm lam. Free. l5 Feb. Fortnightly. Deep to progressiye house from I)erek Martin and (iay (irant.
I Prefix at Bar l'nion. 0pm lam. Free. 22 Feb. Fortnightly. ('hris Bryant and Derek Selmes sort the deep and funky wheat from the house chaff.
I Rookie Night at I’opRokit.
l0pm lam. Free. Weekly. The tension mounts as the city 's unknown I)Js get closer to that all important competition final that could w in them a set at the new Iloney comb. Send your tapes to
Iloney comb lints.. PO Box 23377. Iidinburgh IiIIS ()WI '.
I Salsa at Iil Barrio. 7pm late. Free. Weekly. Learn Salsa and Mcrengue with some top Latino experts. See (‘Iassil'ied for more info.
I Salsa Experience at Bai-acoa.
8pm lam. Free. Weekly. I)J Jorge plays the Latino grooyes to make you salsa. with dance classes from many talented professionals.
I Salsa Viva at ('uba .\'orte.
l()pm Ian). Free. Weekly. Salsa and Latin I)Js on rotation.
I Shadowskill at Bani Bou. ()pm lam. 22 Feb. Fortnightly. (‘onfucius say this new ()riental style bar got plenty good drum & bass and hip Iiop with DJ Sam and Redo.
I Soft Rock at The Pond Ilar.
9pm» lam. Free. Weekly. Horrible soft rock in the comfortable surrounds of Leith's premiere watering hole.
I Strange Beats at The Watershed. ts’pm lam. Free. Weekly. A solid ftmk and sotil selection at this Stockbridge style bar.
I Tango el Porteno at (‘liih Java. 8pm midnight. Free. Weekly. Informal tango night with free beginners class from ts’pm.
I Undercover Brothers at The (‘ity ('afe. 8pm lam. Free. Weekly. Sly sax and perctission accompany the decks selection from Adrian. Lyrical enhancement comes from hip hop ragga brother .'\.J. lYttsh Recordings).