Clubs
it go i'noNicA ROYKSOPP’S BIG NIGHT OUT
Barrowland, Glasgow, Fri 13 Dec
Royksopp have been busy. They’ve just finished touring with Moby and have already spent much of the year on the road. It’s helped debut album Melody AM, a harmonic mix of eddying pop and hazy electronica, become one of the year’s success stories. It also seems to have shunted the pair out of their respective trees. When The List spoke to the band six months ago they sounded bemused but cheerful. Now they sound cheerfully insane. They even felt at home at the P Diddy-helmed MTV Europe Awards.
‘The MTV event was not surreal at all,’ says Torbjorn Brundtland or Svein Berge (which of the pair is actually answering the questions is up for debate: just one of the joys of email interviewing). ‘Surreal to us would be pretending to be a snail, sexually aroused and heavily drugged up on yellow paint and mescaline, trying to dive into a painting of Hieronymus Bosch, and the MTV Awards was nothing like that. But still it was good fun.’
The Norwegians (they hail from Bergen, the same town as wistful folk/pop trio Kings of Convenience) are coming back to the UK with what they call ‘Royksopp’s Big Night Out’, a six date tour that features a live performance from the rather groovy FC Kahuna and a
PROGRESSIVE. HOUSP LEXICON AVENUE Progression, Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, Sat 21 Dec
USA. Finland. Hungry. Australia and now Scotland — Lexicon Avenue are truly global. Purveyors of dark house. Scott Bradford. Chris Scott and Mark Armstrong. came together through Newcastle's Flying Records outlet. Bradford explains: ‘I met Chris and Mark through the record shop I work in. Since we are all into similar music. we got together and made a track 'Hear I Am' and we've been working together ever since'
Releases have come thick and fast since then, through a variety of guises: New Phunk Theory. Little Green Men. and Echomen and Mooncat. Remix work also features on their CV thanks to some killer production on East West Connection. Dirty Vegas and La (pro. to name but three.
Out to promote their first mix CD. as part of the nitexlife series. the boys are keen to highlight its cross appeal. “The CD is an attempt to capture elements of what we do and covers what we play at our Shindig club night.' says Bradford. ‘Its not as dark as l eXIcon Avenue stuff - it has a good selection of house tracks. But it's difficult to represent everything we are about in 7/1 minutes.' (Stewart Dalley)
Newcastle’s purveyors of dark house
84 THE LIST 1’.) Dec 7M)? ;’ .Jait your.
DJ set from Tom ‘Cosmos’ Middleton. Combining live music with DJ sets can create an event that’s neither one thing nor the other at which people dance self- consciously and visit the bar a lot, but it’s all part of Royksopp’s plan to escape the rut that can afflict touring artists. ‘We make stuff up as for Christmas.’ we go on in the tour and try it out on different audiences. We make the live music a bit different every
‘Surreal to us would be pretending to be a sexually aroused snail’
so often to make it interesting for ourselves and for our listeners.’ The pair may be working on new material, but there are no imminent plans for a new album. ‘We are the kind of guys who like to take things at our own pace, and as of now it is still fun. We will be home in Norway
Even electro eccentrics, it seems, have to be back at mum’s for turkey and roast potatoes. (James Smart)
l i l ClHO iiousi EATH
DISCO The Arches, Fri 13 Dec
Havnig had Norwegians BJOFH Torske and Kaptain Kahber at the launch party. this month's Death Disco has an altogether moie Gallic flavour. lhe second slice of trans-euro excess features Etienne de Crecy and Jacgues Lu Cont Joining residents the Freelance Hellraiser. Mingo-Go and Bis' Onna X.
Etienne de Crecy was a key figure behind the French capital's rise as one of world's dance music hubs and undoubtedly helped shape the French electronica sound. He's best known for his Super Discount project. which quickly became a prerequisite for serious music collections across the globe in 1996. He followed it up by producing and remixuig Air's first single. 'Sexy Boy'.
Bringing an 80s electropop Vibe to proceedings is faux- Frenchman Jacgues Lu Cont. alias Stuart Price from exotic Reading. HaVing recently ()ll]()\/CU the accolade of being the musical director for Madonna's Drowned World tour. it was With Les Hythmes Digitales that Lu Cont made his name. Despite being Viewed as part of the electroclash scene With his involvement With Zoot Woman. he's sampled a variety of sounds from the more minimal electioiiica of Liberation. in contrast to the nu disco of later Les Hythmes Digitales album Darkdancer.
With a music policy as varied as this Death Disco should satisfy all comers. (Clara Suessl I Not to be confused Witn Alan McGee's DeathDisco. Barf/y, G/asgow. in If)‘ Dec; Gilded Saloon. [dinbu/g/i, .‘at M Dec.
Etienne de Crecy
DH P HOUSE‘ FUNKEY MAGIC Cocteau Lounge, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Dec; Berlin Bierhaus, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Dec.
The name of the night IS inspired by seminal 705 Japanese kung fu show Monkey and there are four guys involved: three DJs and one live percussionist. So the nuiiibeis are perfect. just perfect. for a Monkey re-enactment party featuring warm up from fish boy Sandy. followed by hot trotter deck manipulation from Pigsy. a spot of cloud surfing from Monkey and mad—z ss bongo action from Wise Buddhist priest lripitaka.
If only. Although DJs Jaco. Stukid. Spriiigfellow and percussionist Pete l’agg (collectively known as Hoffbeati dig Monkey. they claim that their deep house night. celebiating its second birthday this fortnight. is not.
Tony Hewitt and Hipp-E
nor Will ever be a 'freak show'. The emphasis is however on good clean fun and funky deep-house
Originally a monthly residents' showcase at the Cocteau lounge. the club has stepped up a gear in recent months. taking on guest nights at V Loft (upstairs at the Venuei and the Berlin Bierhaus and developing a French connection With regular slots at the Maiguise iii Lyon. Now. With their profile effectively established and strong contacts made With the Soma ciew in Glasgow and a number of underground house produceis across Europe. the Hoffbeat DJs are poised to unleash a two day birthday bonan/a par excellence.
Featuring San Diego's deep house dons llippE (H-Foundationl and Tony HeWitt on the lust leg at the Cocteau lounge and London's Lo He/ the next night at Beiliii Bierhaus. this post Christmas hootenanny comes at the knockdown price of 8‘12. You'd expect to pay that to see llipp-l' alone. (Catheiine Bioiiileyi