3B4ZERO The Arches, Glasgow, Fri 27 Aug
The build up to the release of Slam's new album, Year Zero, reaches its crescendo as Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan take to the Arches for their last 3b4zero night. These special parties have been running all summer, filling in for the hibernating Pressure, but this one’s the biggie - a live album showcase set from Slam flanked by DJ sets from Derrick May and Vince Watson.
‘These nights have been going really well,’ says Meikle. ‘They give me and Stuart the chance to play exactly what we want at our own pace. Sometimes at Pressure we‘re on at the beginning and then we have to go home.
‘l’m really looking forward to the last 3b4zero though and not just because we’re playing live. Vince is one of the emerging talents from Glasgow. It’s very hard to pigeonhole but it’s very musical techno. And Derrick May is one of the biggest musical influences on us. He’s a fantastic DJ, but it's his productions that are seminal. There aren’t many people around who are as out on a limb as he is. You never really know what he’s going to play.‘
Year Zero has been whipping up a frenzy of anticipation since McMillan and Meikle previewed some tracks at King Tut’s back in May, and it’s easy to see what all the fuss has been about. The album is a dazzling mix of techno and vocals, Tyrone Palmer and Dot Allison returning from the last LP Alien Radio to be joined by Anne Saunderson (Inner City), Envoy and Billy Ray
Martin. In short, it‘s perfect for the live arena. ‘Tyrone’s across from Chicago and hopefully Envoy will be at the Arches too,‘ says Meikle. ‘The two vocal tracks on Alien Radio were very much experiments, experiments that went very nicely wrong. So we decided to try and replicate that and
Clubs
‘Experiments that went very nicely wrong‘ Slam
bring in some other vocalists.
'Writing actual songs is still very new to us, so we're pushing into unfamiliar territory. But we were pleasantly surprised and that's probably thrown up more ideas for album four. We’re longing to get back into the studio.’ (Darren Watts)
Raising consciousness, Josh Wink
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JOSH WINK
Do This Do That at the Honeycomb, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Aug
The fact rs that Josh Wrnk men were he to record an entrr'e alhurn ot Nepalese cowhell players set to a -i .1 heat ~ wrtl never he ahle to shake ott the huge. trance shaped spectre that ‘l-lrgher State of Consciousness has become. But let’s be honest. there's no shame rn that. It renrarns a trrst class anthern to thrs day
Yet there are so rnang more strings to the how of Phrladelphran decksnran producer lahel hoss Josh Wrnkelman that rt seems almost churlrsh to accredrt 100°. of hrs success to rust one tune. Farr enough. 'HSOC'
rrecor'ded as Wrnksr rnrght have heen a detrnrng} rrrorrrent rn Ems (tlul) crossover culture. but let‘s not forget that two of hrs other alrases also pulled ott the sarne luck to notatrre degrees. lhere \'.'dt§ V‘Jrnx' ‘t)on't l augh'. r.'.rrth rts rnt;rrtteratrle :audh alone: hcok. and also Brie Us "in: Ream '.
All three added up to a lenutm career thus tar tor the straight—edge. vegan star. out hes trred to keep thrngs duerse ever srnce. Recent r'ernrxes tor the likes of Ladytron. Paul Oakenfold and Depeche Mode sunr thrs up. and the rnan hrrnsell has sard: Some people get pigeonholed as hmnu rnto Just one thing, I hate that. When there are rules rt doesn't heconie art and it‘s not iun.‘ Expect the unexpected. rDaxrd Pollock.
llt )US PROGRESSION The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Aug
i’roriressron are rnakrnr; a hatirt ot thru. lheyre «losrnrr the l r".tr.’.il ,o-t .ritarlr .'.rth a rrr; ssrve lrrre up. rncludrno fipanrsh house nraster Wall. topr arr/i let ill'l'le Records Mark Knrriht hut headrnr; the trrll Is .Jon (larter
Of all the rrrrnr scene explesron‘. to haze ()Ullllirr’i urnr e trre HIM-tril' ,n of rnr r'ir-lf: dance rrrusrc. durte pr ssrtrlr, the rnost sronrtrcant ot rererrt tunes. at iminl rrr thr- UK. has treen the one .uhreh anointed around the l it:£t‘."lr|, ‘Eorral trar k rrr the rnrd to late tilts. Many ot the narnef, ‘.'.Ih(, player! rn the rtulr", lrirnla, haw urn. r- oone on to trecorne household narnes people lrke the ( ,‘hernrral Hr rttr‘:l‘., Hrchard l earless. i attio‘, Ship and the short inert trrrt .rtrrarrt tir'; Hurt rir-nrr: grew trorn the very sarne era.
()ne rrran who also fared '.‘/ell from those da,5., and who ntrll rrr/r're'. hr'. lrxrrrr; :r‘. a superstar [)J ot hroh regard. rs ()arter. Perhaps he"; rrrore tarrrrlrar to «trimarrr rm; rnarnlrners as the spouse of one Sara (Lox. trut tan‘. of popular vulture with lrrrrr-
than a doldlrsh's rrrernon,’ span .‘xrl ser- Socral reurdent (garter a‘. an rrrtwiral part of the last decade of firrtrsh dance. It rnrriht he tor hrs rrr‘.ol.ernerrt rn thr- rnreptror. ot Wall of Sound Records. rt rrrrdht tre tor hr“. rrrrrnerou‘. [)l’i’illt,il’rll Irrrr‘M‘, rrrro',t tarrrorrsl,. Monkey Matra. and sorrow lrke “."Jork Mr iorl,” arrri 'Worrrerr Heat lhr-rr Men'r. It rrrroht even he tor illf, trel’rrlritrUI, storrnrnr; nets. t rtlrer .‘ra,, k'r' you'll trnd at least one reason to pa. respect. rUa‘xrrl i’ollorlr
The highly Social Jon Carter
1" i4 x; ’: Ber, 23 .~'- THE LIST 43