Cut Chemist
Funk la
‘COLLECT ING RECORDS SERIOUSLY IS LIKE A GOOD, SPORTING RACE'
MOTHERFUNK reaches its eighth birthday and moves to the weekend for this one-off special with guests Cut Chemist and Egon. David Pollock talks to the folk
behind the funk phenomenon.
ho would he the poor mug who wants to go out in lidinhurgh on a school night. ch‘.’
l'nless you happen to he a student. ol‘
course. the y'ast majority ol' whom will take what they get and like it. Otherwise. l‘rom Monday to Wednesday the choices ain‘t great. and only the most dedicated soul will he ahlc to w eay‘e a path between clubs and late opening hars ol' any sort ol‘ quality.
.-\side l'rom 'l‘ucsday s. that is. .\'ot much else might he happening in the city. but any Iidinhurgher worth his or her salt knows that Tuesday night is Motherlunk ning and a good time is always guaranteed.
It wasn't always the way. though. Nine and a hall
years ago. the cluh's l'oundcrs and residents (iino and Fry er ran the Venue‘s pay-in Thursday night gig Mothership. liighteen months later and a chance request led to the birth of a local legend. ‘\\'c hoth went to (‘hocolate (‘ity at the Venue l‘or years when we were students and we loy ed the funk l‘loor.‘ explains Fry er. ‘But when that linished we were so stuck for something to lill the gap midweek that we started Mothership. .-\l'ter just oyer a year. I mentioned to the guy at the Venue ahout doing a tree cluh earlier in the week. .\'o-one went out on Tuesdays in those days and we didn‘t care about the money as long as we could play the tunes we loy ed. Both ol‘ us were pretty sei'iotis record collectors hy then. He said "yes". we got photocopying l'lyers. and two weeks later we had three or low hundred people in.
as THE LIST .; -..- c... _;\ K .1
The cluh. as l‘ry er points out. has ncyer looked hack. men when their moye to the new lloncy comh saw an untidy incident where two Motherlunks appeared in the listings tor a time. and the capital's cluhhing community came out in support ol' the pair. .\'ow lirmly' at home. l'rycr actually commutes hack for the club l‘rom his day joh in London. dealing in rare and collectahlc records. He‘s also the hoss ol' his
own lahcl. tracking down the last sury iy ing copies ol'
long-deleted 45s isome l'rom the original artists. who now work as lorry driyers and suchlikcl and re- presses them l‘or the tans. These interests led l'iry er to a l‘riendship with the hirthday hash‘s guest. Jurassic 5 and ()/omat|i turntahlist (‘ut (‘hcmist lw ho will he
appearing alongside lunk DJ and I’eanuthuttcr \Voll‘
collaborator Iigon ).
“I'm lucky I can meet guys like ('ut ('hcmist through my joh.‘ says My er. ‘hccaiise otherwise there‘s no way we could hook him. (‘ollccting records seriously is like a good. sporting race and whether you‘re (‘ut (‘hemist or 1).] Shadow. it‘s all just down to hard work. So people get to know each other. I know (‘hemist‘s going to he hringing hip hop. Bra/ilian. old l‘unk 45s. hut hopefully some exclusiye tracks l'rom his new solo alhum. too.
‘Hay‘ing guys like that heing in our cluh is great. They tell its that. alongside Deep l-‘unk in London and Searching in Japan. w e‘i‘e the hest. In the world.’
Motherfunk at the Honeycomb, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Nov.
Ilit >l<
THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION
=31 Goodfoot A true institution in Glasgow‘s Northern Soul scene. Fraser Dunn joins the mighty Goodtoot team for this 13th birthday party With rare funk as standard. Riverside Club. Glasgow, Fri :3 Nov.
:2: Colours They ceitainly don't baulk at the big nights. Here's a ground—shaker of a party with Carl Cox (picturedl being the obvious big draw. The Arches. Glasgow, Sat 6 Nov
=1: Eskrima Plastigue De Reve from the International DJ Gigolos plays out. as do the SpeZialmaterial DJs and Posthuman. Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Sat 6 Nov.
:2: Handbag Holocaust A new gay night celebrating the weird and wonderful. Everything freaky, bizarre and taboo is welcome here. This is a disco dolly and fruit fly—free zone. Barf/y. Glasgow. Thu 17 Nov.
31¢ Satchmo Club Funky underground progressive house at the launch of this new semi- regular night. Big name guests for the opening night are the Tilt boys (Parks & Wilson and Andy Moor) plus Paul Daley. The Honeycomb, Edinburgh. Fri 12 Nov.
:2: Musotica It‘s their first birthday so they've drafted in some NY talent in the shape of Abe Dugue and Gennero Ie Fosse. for some tuft, funky techno grooves. The Venue, Edinburgh, Sat 13 Nov.
:2: Numbers Back for another blistering electronica session. Actress play live, Nok La Rok and Marcia Blaine School for Girls are DJs for the night, With Retina Glitch providing the visuals. Brunswick Hotel Basement, Glasgow, Sat 73 Nov.
:2: Vegas There isn't much more we can really say about the much loved Vegas. but this seventh birthday looks like a doozie: two live bands (Craig McMurdo 8 His Orchestra and Button Up) plus some good old fashioned saucy burlesque from Miss Lilly White. Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Sat 73 Nov.