Clubs listings
4 25TH ANNIVERSAFW i'iE-LAUNCH MASSA
See listings for full details of current club nights.
Let’s go back, way back to October 1977 when Edinburgh - indeed, the whole western world - was caught in the grip of disco. Saturday Night Fever was top of the film and music charts and Edinburgh entrepreneurs Joyce and Dennis Chester seized the mood of the moment by opening Scotland’s answer to
The new and improved Massa
Studio 54: Buster Browns. Named after a bourbon cocktail, Buster’s, as it
soon became known, sought to replicate the glamour and decadence of its
New York counterpart - right down to having a horse on the dancefloor.
‘It was a bad taste party and l was wearing a very short skirt, roller boots and a Miss Piggy mask,’ says co-owner Joyce Chester (the club has been co- owned by the Chesters and Stuart Cheyne since 1994), still laughing about the story now. ‘When the horse got scared, I had to try and drag it out of the club
and ended up with my skirt up around my neck - at least I was wearing
knickers - just at the point that the 30-piece police pipe band we’d invited to
play turned up.’
Meanwhile, the regular who brought the horse down to Buster’s ended up with two police charges — one of being drunk in charge of a horse and the
other for not having headlights on his not-so-trusty steed.
It’s one of many tales of shame that’s made the club what it is today. A name
change in 1994 transformed Buster Browns into Club Mercado and this
month, as the club celebrates its 25th anniversary, it also celebrates a stream-
lined new look and the launch of its new name, Massa. Latin for ‘mass’, a large gathering of folk, albeit religious, Massa will
continue to play host to the city’s more glamorous dancefloor devotees. A
complete design overhaul of the venue, created by Cubit Design, has
introducted clean white walls, beech panelling and vibrant red leatherette seating. ‘lt’s like getting the perfect present,’ says operations director Jason Clarkson about the fantastic face-lift. ‘lt’s beautifully wrapped and the content
is amazing.’
With club nights now running from Wednesday to Sunday, featuring firm favourites such as Eye Candy and Tackno, and new nights including drum & bass monthly Restless and dirty disco/garage showcase It List, Massa’s the
latest incarnation of a club venue known to its owners, management and faithful following as ‘the home of the good time’. (Catherine Bromley)
Back of A List card
Your pass to great club nights in Glasgow 8. Edinburgh
This pass entitles you to a discount (stated in the Club Listings) at the clubs listed on the front of this card. You can use this pass as many times as you
want in the two weeks it’s valid and when this one runs out, you can get a brand new card in the next issue.
Valid from: 1 7/1 0/02
Until: 30/1 0/02
The Lists A LIST card '8 a o scount S(:.“(3l"(3 om. am Is available to those aged 18 years and Older. Ar pai'tiz,i;>atiiig (:It.t)$; l'tZ-f;(1-l‘.‘(‘: the ixght to refuse admission. The pass has no l"()l‘~()i£il"y ‘."£1i’.l(3{il‘.(i :s vaiso for one, one person.
84 THE LIST '
I Eye Candy at Massa (formerly Club .Mercado). llpm—3am. £10 (£8). Weekly. Residents the Eye Candy Twins and Nejat Barton host their infamous glam and mainstream house party in the newly refurbished venue. Remember to ‘dress glam or scram'.
I Fiesta Latina at Teviot Row L'nion. 9.30pm—2am. £4.50 (£3.50). 19 Oct. Monthly. Still going strong after ten years of supplying the best in salsa. merengue. mambo and other Latin rhythms courtesy of DJ Pancho with a free dance class from the Salsa Angels at 9.30pm.
I The Funk Traln at Potterrow Student L'nion. 10pm—3am. £3—£5. 19 Oct. Monthly. A dose of funk. dancefloorjazz and other rare grooves. I Funkysensual at Po Na Na. 9pm—3am. Free before 1 1pm: £5 (£4) after. Weekly. Hot mix of sexy funky house music from DJ Mark Bee.
I Give it Some! at Bongo Club.
1 lpm—3am. £5. 19 Oct. New night for the Bongo. featuring the best in funk. soul. jazz and all that inspired hip hop. I H:24 at Heriot-Watt University L'nion. 8pm—lam. Free. Weekly. Live DJs. chilled atmos and international beer promos all add up to the perfect Sat night alternative at your L'nion (students and their guests only).
I Headlock at the Venue. 2—5pm. £5. Weekly. New nu metal night for the hordes of under 18 metal fans out there. Expect a riotous mix of everything from Slipknot to Green Day.
I Headspln at Bongo Club. 10.30pm-3am. £7. 2 Nov. Monthly. The best in hip hop. funk. soul. house and breakbeat from the resident DJ display team featuring Allan. the Resonance (Dava and Colin Millar) and Steve Spin. I Joy at Ego. 1 lpm—3am. £10 (£8). 26 Oct. Monthly. L'p-front. dirty house grooves on the main floor from Maggie and Alan Joy. joined by Edinburgh’s king of trance Kev Wright (Sublime). Plus Trendy Wendy and Sally Finlay‘s cheeky mix of soul. funk and chart in the downstairs suite. Note that Joy is a club for gay people and their friends.
I Launch Party at the Beat Jazz Basement. 10pm. £2 (free before 10pm). 19 Oct. Edinburgh‘s finest freestylers host their launch party with special guests playing live.
I Luvely at the Liquid Room. Monthly next date 2 Nov.
I Malestlca at the Venue. 10pm—3am. £10. 19 Oct. Monthly. Down and dirty house night featuring residents David Amos. Ed D. Trevor G and Bruno F-K across two floors. Gay friendly. straight friendly — generally just friendly. Joined by special guests and progressive house producers of fine repute Trisco (aka Jim Edwards and Harvey Dawson). the men behind ‘Musak‘ one of 2001's standout dance anthems.
I Messenger Sound System at Bongo Club. 1 lpm—3am. £7. 26 Oct. Fortnightly. Bass of bowel-shifting proportions as the mighty Messenger Sound System blasts out the best in righteous roots and dub reggae.
I Mlngln’ at Studio 24. 10.30pm—3am. £6 (£5 before midnight). 1‘) Oct. Fortnightly. Residents Brian Dempster and Alan Joy partake of the usual Mingin‘ madness. playing filthy house and twisted trance for a frisky and predominantly gay crowd.
I Mlsslon Jnr at Studio 2-1. 7—l()pm. £5. Weekly. Goth. rock. punk and of course all that nu metal stuff that the kids crave so much. So if you ever wondered where all those black clad youths from the top of Cockburn Street went after dark look no further. the best and original under 18's metal gathering in town.
I Mission at Studio 24. l()pm—3am. Weekly. Night of metal mayhem. goth rock and more from the darkside — a real Edinburgh institution that refuses lay down and die.
I Modern Lovers at Ego.
l 1pm—3am. £3.50 before midnight; £5 after. 2 Nov. Monthly. A swinging mix of funked-up northern soul. electronic exotica and freakbeats from Craig Jamieson and Andrew Divine. And seeing that it‘s their second birthday they’ve drafted in Erol Alkan from club of the moment. London's Liber-cool Trash (limited CDs up for grabs an' all). I Opal Lounge at Opal Lounge. 9pm—3am. £5. Weekly. Dave Shedden with his mix of disco and funky house tracks.
I Opium at Opium. 10pm—3am. Free. Weekly. Rock. nu metal and alternative/indie.
I Play at the Venue. 10.30pm~3am. £7 (£5 with llyer). 26 Oct. Fortnightly. DJ Kipp returns at his new night of only the choicest cuts in the world R&B. funk and disco. Each night he'll be joined by one of Edinburgh's finest purveyors of street soul and for his second foray at the Venue night duties he's secured the skills of Adrian Milarski (Audio Deluxe).
I Progression at the Liquid Room. Monthly next date 16 Nov.
I Rewind at the Liquid Room. 10.30pm—3am. £7-£8. 19 Oct. Monthly. A brand new night of retro cheese from resident Tony Blackburn . . . 1 kid you not. Fresh from winning the tackfest that was Help I'm a Celebrity Get Me 01“ of Here our Tony welcomes David ‘Dickie' Hamilton to the DJ booth. That'd be cheesetastic mate.
I Scratch at La Belle Angele. 1Month1y next date 9 Nov.
I Space Face at the Venue. 10.30pm—3am. £tbc. 19 Oct. The ex- Carbolic Frolic boys — Andy Williams and Scott Ferguson — are back to entertain us with their inimitable mix of hip hop. house. funk and disco. With a little help from their friends George T. Craig Smith. Alan Dundas and the Squalor show dropping in from time to time.
I Tangible at Commplex (formerly Club Java). 9pm—2am. £6 (£5 members). 26 Oct. New night of funky. uplifting house and live percussion with residents Sden (Perversityfl‘rade). Fence Windu (Nu Generation). Flossy and Deekio.
0 Ultragroove at La Belle Angele. 11pm—3am. £12 (£10). 19 Oct. Fortnightly. L'ltragroove lounge residents specialise in real deal house action from Gareth Somerville. Colin Cook and Mikey Stirton. Third birthday special with the considerable skills of Joey Negro helping out the celebrations as only he knows how. Also watch out for Metro Area (Thu 17 Oct at the Beat Jazz Basement) and Paul Murphy (Fri 18 Oct at Iguana) as part of their three day birthday party.
I Vain at Teviot Row L'nion. 9pm—3am. £4 (£3). 26 Oct. Monthly. Techno. goth. industrial. 80s and new romantic tunes. So that’ll be cheery then!‘.’
I Vegas at Ego. 10.30pm—3am. £9 (£7 in fancy dress). 19 Oct. Monthly. Hep daddy swing. country classics and sleazy listening with your high-kicking hosts — Frankie Sumatra. Bugsy Seagull. Dino Martini and the stunning Vegas showgirls. And do try to make an effort with the fancy dress code. eh‘.’ (Another Ocean Terminal special is on the way 26 Oct).
I Vegas Return of the Ocean Terminal 1 1 at Ocean Terminal. 10pm—2am. £12. 26 Oct only. These Ocean Terminal dos are rapidly becoming a Vegas institution as the full crew dish out the best in big sound. big band music. sleazy listening and scintillating swing. And welcoming Rik Flik and Pat M’Bongo (of popular music combo Johnny 7) into the fold to croon a few tunes and preside over the fabulous Vegas Lounge Singer of the year competition. Get your tickets early.
I The Weekend Starts Here at Potterrow Student L'nion. 9pm—3am. Free. Weekly. The mother of all student nights. eight bars. five clubs and two