.h m: I
roing eir iiiettle
‘WE DON'T ANNOUNCE THE
LINE-UP BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
WANT ANY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF THE NIGHT'
ii" I Fr
SOLID STEEL never announce their guests until the night in question — until they’re on the dancefloor. David Pollock checks out the Club enigma.
here aren't many clubs. you would imagine.
that could neglect to announce their line-up tor
the entire eyening and still get people t‘locking in on the night. Some might be making a \‘irtue ol the local talent they haye on ot'l‘er. others may simply be placing an unrealistic expectation on their own popularity. while you'd expect those with proper big name guests to be unable to keep quiet about it.
Not so Solid Steel. They do haye big-name guests (belieye us. they’re good. all drawn l’rom the Ninja Tune stable). they know precisely how popular they are. but they jtist want to get back to the old- l‘ashioned element ol surprise. Although the Solid Steel name itself should be all the enticement most l‘olk need. giyen that the club was initially a pirate radio station from house pioneers .lonatban More and Matt Black. otherwise known as (‘oldcuL with the baton passing by osmosis oyer a ten-year rtm at Kiss FM to cut-up collectiye DJ Food. Not surprising. giyen that (‘oldcut originally were 1)] l-‘ood. with incumbents Strictly Key and DK slipping in oyer the years to take the club to its newl'ound home on the internet. on (‘1) racks and in a city near you.
'We don't announce the line—up because we didn't want anyone coming down with any preconceiyed notions of the nightf explains Strictly Key. ‘;\t the London Solid Steel night all anyone knows is that we [he and DR] are the residents. and hopefully they trust us enough to like what we play. It someone comes down thinking. "()h. Luke \‘ibert's playing." [he's not playing lidinburgh. hint-spotters. Or maybe he is'.’ Who knows'.’l then they know what they‘re
34 THE LIST 7 .‘~.t.‘:'
going to get. liyen it it's a relatiye unknown he'll still haye the skills to rock the place. and people‘ll go home saying. "We just saw this guy. we dunno who it was btit be was ama/ingl" It's like they l'eel included in this secret thing.
"l'he main things the music and the socialising] he continues. 'lt‘s not about big names and all that nonsense.‘
That should be no problem at all. giyen that lidinburgh‘s only Solid Steel night so tar in January was the busiest the new Bongo ('Iub has cyer seen. according to local SS promoter I).l Redo. Making contact with DJ Food and ('oldcut's label Ninja lime to sound out interest in his own band. lidinburgh‘s
lunk-laden hip hop cadre l.i\'esciences. a bit ol
mutual dialogue saw him get itt\'ol\ ed.
"l‘hey already haye nights in Bristol. Birmingham and Londonf says Redo. '.\'ow it's lidinburgh. with the possibility of (ilasgow in the tuture.‘
This ‘branding' ol' Solid Steel nights across the PK and the world is something that Key and UK are keen to encourage. although they‘d neyer describe it as such. ‘lt‘s more a stamp ol'quality.~ says Key. 'aiid not
some Renaissance or (iatecrasher kind ot' thing. ()t
course. it's too early to tell it people will see it like that. but all we‘re trying to do is spread the word about the radio show. about the ('l)s. It‘s like l).ling. we just want to mix eyerything up.‘ ('onsider the word spread.
Solid Steel at the Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 18 March.
Subculture t in“ up...“ ._.
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VEGAS! lt'f; y'xeird not llét‘xll it; it at the l err; l)lll '.‘/lr,,' not It‘,‘ otit sortiethiiiti slightly different tonight? llllf; (jr‘eat ‘5‘.‘/|llt} till it i. ‘.‘/lill llf; untoudertiil east of characters. is (joint; to be great anus/here ()ra/i Moi; (i‘i’;ii,rjo'.'.. Sat ’26 Mai:
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