MIXED BAG
Nameless The Attic, Edinburgh, Weekly Sat.
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Nameless residents named: (from left) Brainstorm, Mikey Stirton and Rob Dylan
All you want is a relaxed night of no-messing, quality dance music, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the huge number of glammed-up hard house nights clogging up Edinburgh's club scene. So what's a mixed-
bag enthusiast to do?
Well, heading to Nameless, the latest club night from the heads behind Pure, is a good start. With the wheels of steel being manned by an ever changing roster made up of some of the best local talent around, you ain't gonna be disappointed. Brainstorm (Pure), Rob Dylan (Camel Beats), Mikey Stirton (Ultragroove), Noodles (Radio Babylon), Twitch and Sandy Paris (both Pure) form the large rotating core, but regular local guests along the lines of George T (who’s coincidentally dropping in on Saturday 17 February), help keep the beats a-coming thick and fast.
‘lt's based around the house ethic,‘ says Brainstorm. ‘But it is by no means confined to that. We've got a fair bit of variation within the residents that covers the deeper end of house to techno and breakbeat stuff. We want to keep it fresh and fun which is why none of us play every week.’
So yet another credible night is helping to rehabilitate the Attic as a real, if very small, clubbers’ mecca. 'The Attic is about the right size, the night's meant to be quite low key,’ says Brainstorm.
Bit of a departure from Pure then, one of Scotland's most successful clubs ever? 'Basically we fancied doing something more relaxed, something different,’ says the veteran D]. ‘It will never be entirely detached but it isn’t a direct replacement for Pure.’ Low-key and relaxed it may be but who knows, in a few years' time maybe people will be talking about Nameless in the same reverential tones as they do about Pure now.
(Henry Northmore)
I Squalor Show at PopRokit. 9pni- lam. Free. l7 Feb. Fortnightly. Allegedly an old school beats and breaks selection from Well Stirred and DJ Frosty. The reality hovvever. sees no mark l)Js playing house pap for private parties.
I Sub-Atomic at Bar Union (formerly Bliss). ()pin—lam. Free. Weekly. A selection of the Atomic Baby backroom boys (Scott Brovvn. Bruce Nicholson. Stevie Wilson and Scott MacKen/ie) play a frisky range of US house and garage. Check out the next Atomic Baby at La Belle Angele on 24 Feb.
I UrbannHangSuite at Bann‘s.
l lprn--3ani. Free. Weekly. Light vegetarian snacks served to a swinging soundtrack from l)Js signed to (irand Central. Fat City. Tummy Touch and Pork Recordings. I Yush! at the City Cafe. ‘)pin~lain. Free. 25 Feb. Fortnightly. A]. (head honcho behind [Edinburgh's leading hip hop label. Yush Recordings) selects the upbeat hip hop. funk and ragga. He's joined by the fresh prince of R& B. the Mad Ambassador.
Club
I Acetate at The Liquid Room. l().3()pm—3airi. £8 (£7). 17 Feb. Fortnightly. Plastic fantastic night for those vvho like to groove in a funky house style. hosted by the very talented Murray Richardson. (iail Sellars and Marco Smith. Forthcoming dates include the first birthday on 3 Mar vvith special guest the.
I Ascension Goth Club at Holyrood l'niori. lll.3()plil~3illll. £3 (£2). 24 Feb. Monthly. Pansexual types run amok at this leading shovvcase for goth and rock numbers.
I Atomic Baby at La Belle Angele. l().3()pmw3am. £8. 24 Feb. Monthly. Michael Kilkie and Stuart Duncan stoke tip the house fire for another night of pumping trance and progressive heaven.
I Blast at Cltib Mercado. l lpm»-3am. £l() (£8). 24 Feb. l-‘ortnightly. The infamous lluggy Burger Queen and his trusty sidekick Markell throvv open the doors to another roof raising funky
glamfest. lf yotr fancy starting early. check the pre-club at Acanthus.
I Blitz at The Venue (top floor). Monthly. Next date 7 Apr.
I Blue Strawberry at The Liquid Roorn has novv finished.
I Boogie Mo' Dynamo .ii Wilkie House. Monthly. Next date 3 Mar.
I CC. Blooms at C.C. Blooms.
l(l.3()prn - 3am (bar from (rpm). Free. Weekly. [)1 Ally is back again vs ith more of her trademark high-carnp-to-house deckiiical expertise.
I Cool Runnings at The Venue (top floor). Monthly. DJ l)irtsman has been ousted by Cream. Next date tbc.
I Cream ill The Venue (till lintirsl. £ l 5. 24 Feb. Monthly. The date responsible for the biggest booking debacle since The Venue and Wilkie llouse joined forces should (if all goes according to bad planning) see Seb Fontainc. Lisa Loud. Les Ryder and (ia/ Long play some progressive house tunes and the like. See llitlist.
I Deep Sensation at Noa. lilpm 3am. £7 (£5). 34 Feb. Monthly. l'S house and garage vvith Martin Valentine. Neil Ferris and (iavin .-\nderson.
I Digital at The Venue (top floor). li).3()prn 3am. £5 (£4). 17 Feb. Monthly. Techno and tech-house get a seeing to from the multi-talented residents J Cammera. Mitchell and Finnie.
I District at Noa. Monthly. Next date 3 Mar.
I The Egg at The Wee Red Bar.
llpmr 3am. £4 (£3.50). Weekly. Still the best mix of indie. (i()s garage. Northern sotil. ska. soundtracks you're likely to stagger across.
I Essential at The Liquid Room. lt).3()pm— 3am. £7 (£5). 24 Feb. Fortnightly. A brand nevv night that sees Radio Forth's Kevin Jones join forces vvith Martin Valentine ('l‘aste/Frisko Disco) for some ‘essential' house and garage action. Nice lly‘ers mind.
I Eye Candy at Cltib Mercado.
l lpm~3airr £ M) (£8): £6 in fancy dress. 17 Feb. Fortnightly. (iraeme Popstar. Nejat Barton and Neil Crookston host their infamous. glam house party. Remember to ‘Dress glam or scram’ mind.
I Fiesta Latina at Teviot Rovv L'nion. Monthly. Next date l() Mar.
I Headspin at The Bongo Club. l().3()pm--3am. 24 Feb. Monthly. Talented types Colin Millar and Steve Austin pack the house otit vvith their inimitable blend of hip hop. breaks and beats in the main room vvhile Trendy Wendy and l)ava do quite nicely for themselves in the back room vvith their free range grooves.
I Hell On Earth at Wilkie llouse.
8pm ~~3am. £7 (£6 in advance from Ripping); £5 (£4) after llprn. 24 Feb. Fortnightly Live rock bands from 8.30pm and then hair shaking and groin thundering on the dancefloor from I lpm. lixpect everything frorn stadium rock to nu-metal classics and a strict no pop policy in the main room. Through the back in the Purgatory Lounge the playlist is on a much more industrial tip and the recent addition of random acts of heresy (e.g. virgin sacrifice) spices things tip no end.
I IT at The Honeycomb. Due to the opening of the Honeycomb being put back until Fri 9 Mar. the first lT vvill novv happen on Sat It) Mar vvith special guests l)anny Rampling and Steve Lavvler.
I Joy at ligo. Monthly. Next date 3 Mar. I Jungle Magic at The Venue. Monthly. Next date 10 Mar vvith Logical Progression featuring LTJ Bukein and MC Conrad.
listings CLUBS
I Kuru at ligo has novv finished. The night vv ill be re-Iatinching soon at a
I Last Night A DJ Stole My Wife at Po Na Na. l lprn 3am. £3. \Veekly. D] 4th Varmint. keeping it real vv ith the old skool to nu skool beats thing.
I Latin Explosion at The Mambo Club. ltlpni 3am. £5. Weekly. Your
vv eekly dose of high octane Latin rhythms (run exclusively by vvomen).
vv ith dance classes starting at 0pm for beginners and for more experienced salsa aficionados at ltlpin (priced £4 vvhich includes entry to the club).
I Luvely at the Honey comb. Monthly. Next (lttlc‘ l7 .\l;tl’.
I The Mambo Club at The Cavendish. |()prn 3am. £4 before midnight: £5 after. Weekly. The highly respected mix of reggae. ragga. R&B. rap and hip hop continues to be one of the strongest nights for music of black origin in
tovv n.
I Messenger Sound System at The Bongo Club. llpm 3am. £(i (£5). l7 Mar. Fortnightly. If you‘re having trouble vv ith your bovvel mov enients. five minutes vs ith the sound system here vvill keep you regular for months to come. Yes. it‘s a rumbling beast of a bass monster built to do justice to the roots and dub reggae sounds vv e knovv and love.
I Mingin' at Studio 24 (upstairs). l().3()pm Rain. £5. 24 Feb. Fortnightly. No-nonsense clubbing vvhere it's the hard house and sexy trance from the residents Brian l)ernpster and Alan .loy that matters and not the decor. dress code or attitude. Altogether a good place to let your hair dovvn then.
I The Mission at Studio 24.
llpin - 3am. £5 (£4). 17 Feb. Fortnightly. Astoundingly popular haunt for the alternateens of the capital. once again featuring three rooms of up—to-dale darkness: head upstairs for goth and industrial goings-on. to the main floor for rock. nu metal and guitar-based sotiiids and tip to the vvee front room for general vveirdness. sometimes on a skate. punk or indie slant.
I Nameless at The Attic.
l().3()pm 3am. £(i. Weekly. Novv featuring a sturdy line—tip comprised of Brainstorm. Rob l)ylari. Mikey Stirton and Roan Prankster. Nameless stands by its random music policy one that touches tipori house. techno and other styles of electronic sotiiid. See Previevv. I Oxygen at Studio 24. l()piri 3am. Members £8 before midnight. £l() after: non-iriembers £l() before midnight. £l3 after. 24 Feb. Fortnightly. The glamour pony rides into tovvn tonight to coiiriiiemorate the ()scars so dress like your favourite film star to get dovv n to some progressive to hard house action courtesy of the residents Johan and A] (iibsori.
I Phosphoresence at The Venue (lovver tvvo floors). l lpin 3am. £8 (£(r). l7 Feb. Monthly. Yoghurt Weaver and Pagan love their trance on the main fioor. vvhile the guys frorri (‘erotonin enjoy funky techno in the Cooler.
I Posh at Club Java. 9pm 3am. £7 (£5). 24 Feb. Monthly. A stylish soiree geared tovvards pleasing a slightly older btit just as up-for-it crovv d. linjoy coinplirrientary' champagne in the upstairs lounge of this stunning venue or trip the light fantastic dovs nstairs to some sassy. soul six/let's and tip-tempo easy-listening classics. See llitlist.
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15 Feb—l Mar 2001 THE “ST 83