NEW NIGHT SPANNER Riverside Club, Glasgow, Fri 12 Oct.
The Riverside has carved a niche for itself as the natural home for nightclubs that focus first and foremost on music. whether it's Melting Pot‘s disco evangelism or Mish Mash's bongo-led eclecticism. The latest addition to the venue's roster is Spanner which. after a successful two-year stint under another name at Paisley's Club 69. is shifting to the city centre in a bid to bring everything from forward-looking Detroit techno to the glitchier end of the avant-garde electronics spectrum to a new audience.
‘lt'll be a nice change from doing it in Paisley.‘ says promoter Richard Chater. ‘In my view that venue was the best possible for the type of thing we are trying to do. but a lot of peOple found it difficult to get out there or were a bit put off by the idea of coming all the way to Paisley.
'We're cariying on what we were doing before. playing booty bass. electro and more IDM type things. but trying not to be too arsey. We want to put humour back into this son of iii-.isic. The emphasis will be firmly on the music of cOurse. but we don't want people standing there listening and just taking it in; everyone should be having a laugh at the same time. We'll be playing more upbeat electronics.
RE-LAUNCH up! Venue, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Oct.
Clubbing is about pulling stupid moves to repetitive beats. having a laugh and letting whatever hair y0u have down. which makes it alarming to note the number of po-faced people involved in the industry. No danger of that with Up!. a club that signals its enthusiasm with an exclamation mark and its intent by erecting a bouncy castle in the
guys giving out sweets and so on. Basically we always want the club to keep a sense of fun.“
Having a laugh may be high on the agenda. but that doesn't mean that the boys at Up! aren't serious about their music. Cairns discovered Nic Cavendish. half of the residents team which also includes Alan James. at a wedding — where. and this is some first. he didn’t play any Abba. lt's unlikely he‘ll be playing any at Up!
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Spanning the musical spectrum
and there'll be the odd vocal track. a bit of old rave. old acid classics. It's going to be a good opportunity to push this kind of stuff in Glasgow itself. There‘s definitely the peOple out there into this kind of music but. apart from Off the Hook and some of the stuff they play at Optimo and the Diskono nights. there really aren't a lot of people playing the music we play.‘
To get the ball rolling. Chater and resident DJ Dave have pulled together something of a showcase for the Manchester-based electronic imprint Skam. featuring Team Dyobi. fresh from a tour with Autechre. and Skam's own Mike Williamson representing the Gescom collective. 'Skam. in my book. are one of the most consistent labels out there.‘ Chater says. ‘Gescom have been particular favourites of mine for a long while. and having seen Team Dyobi live a couple of times I knew they were people I definitely wanted to come to the club. We want to have a guest every time at the club. someone with a name but who hasn't been in Glasgow before who fits in the electronic and electro music policy. We're interested in bringing people from Rephlex. Plasmic and Warp. people from the Dutch electro scene. and people from Detroit. it's going to be based around bringing people to Glasgow who haven't played here before.‘ (Jack lvlottram)
middle of the dancefloor.
'The bOuiicy castle isn't something we do all the time.‘ says promoter David Cairns. 'partly because it takes up so much space on the dancefloor. But we like to do it occasionally. and it'll probably happen again in the next few months. And there's other stuff as well — there's a lot of dressing up that goes on. and we have a box of outfits for people to put on. and dressed up
76 THE LIST I1- 18 Oct 2001
either. 'I guess I‘d call what we do progressive trance.’ he says. ‘with a house element to it as well. It's uplifting but it's also atmospheric and really dark.‘
After a year and a half as a Friday nighter. first at Studio 24 and then at The Venue. Up! is moving to a Saturday night slot this month. To celebrate they'll be giving away free passes at the pre-club party between
Tke your pick from the dsing up rail
9pm and midnight in Pivo. Cavendish is delighted at the move. ‘Friday nights are harder for clubs.‘ he says. 'they don't have as good an atinOSphere. Saturday's always got a really positive mood about it.‘ (James Smart)
clubs@list.co.uk
The latest club news...
PRESSURE HAS MUSTERED what could conceivably be the best line-up in the world . . . ever! for their October club date at The Arches. In Room 1 we have hip hop superstars DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist performing as part of the Product Placement Tour; in Room 2 we have Percy X, Christian Smith and Justin Robertson and in Room 3, we have Dano and Onionz. The date for your diary is Friday, 26 October and tickets are £18 in advance.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL ARE launching a new Asian Arts festival this fOrtnight. incorporating contributions from one of the UK's top Asian DJs. London-based DJ Ritu. Homeless at On Air East will be hosting a one-off instalment of Ritu's 'Kuch Kuch' Club on Friday. 12 October. where Bollywood movies and the best in Bhangra. Hindi. Ghazal and 'new Asian fusion‘ combine to form a rather unique after-hours experience. Tickets are £7 (25). available from Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre on Of 382 606 220.
EDINBURGH STUDENT radio station Fresh Air FM is back on air for a four-week stint in October. Showcasing the best in local talent, the station will feature contributions from respected Edinburgh club nights such as Manga, Sublime, Vegas and Radio Babylon. Tune in to 87.7 FM and check out the station’s monthly club night, FAT (Fresh Air Thursdays) when it re-launches at The Honeycomb on 18 October. EDINBURGH TURNTABLIST NEALL Daly aka DJ Plus One has won the title of World DMC Champion. At the tender age of twenty. Daly is the first UK DMC Champion to win the title since Cutmaster Swift and The List w0u|d like to Join all the hip hop headz in saying ‘DJ Plus One — we salute you!‘