www.list.co.uk/clubs
PREVIEW TECHNO CRISTIAN VOGEL AND NEIL LANDSTRUMM Kinky Afro at the Sub Club, Glasgow, Fri 26 Sep
‘The reason I stretch out into making music through many different avenues’, says Chilean-Dom, England- raised techno polymath Cristian Vogel, ‘is that fundamentally I’m not a DJ. Of course, DJing’s the
quickest way of paying the bills, but it’s also the part of
music I dislike most. It’s hard to do it and express anything other than volume and loudness. I prefer the one-to-one experience of music, of creating it to be
listened to on headphones or at home, and have done for
quite a few years now.’
Accordingly, Vogel’s CV is an ever more eclectic array
of experiments in new outlets for his creative skills. An earty-90s apprenticeship on the University of Sussex’
20th Century Music course opened his mind to the work
of Stockhausen and Eno, and this more cultured take on techno soon earned Vogel a place on Dave Clarke’s Magnetic North label. Since then he has recorded for Tresor, Novamute and Mille Plateaux, constituted one half of Supercollider alongside Jamie Lidell, scored short films and five contemporary dance pieces by Swiss choreographer Gilles Jobin, and formed his own four- piece band Night of the Brain.
His antipathy towards club performance shouldn’t be seen as a reluctance to attend this rare Scottish date, though, which will reunite him with his Edinburgh-based sparring partner and old Tresor labelmate Neil Landstrumm. ‘Playing Scotland’s always been one of the most fun experiences in this game,’ he says. ‘In Berlin, for example, people are snobby about techno and don’t always seem to enjoy going clubbing, but it’s always a laugh in Scotland.’ (David Pollock)
PREVIEW HOUSE TOKYOBLU Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 19 Sep
‘lt‘s a really exciting time for us right now.‘ says Tokyoblu founder and DJ John Hutchison. ‘After six years of constant, hard—at-it aiming to get somewhere, we’re only now starting to approximate what our plans were back then.‘
Tokyoblu has evolved into an all—in-one club night and live band extravaganza over its lifespan. Travelling from the Cocteau Lounge downstairs at Ego to the Venue, then back to the main hall in Ego (now Luna) and on to its current home at Cabaret Voltaire. the night has emerged as one of Edinburgh’s most dependable, yet the core collective's ambitions always lay somewhere beyond simply running an acclaimed evening out. This sixth birthday party is when all their ideas finally start to come together.
‘We have three singles coming out on the 29th of September,’ says Hutchison. ‘we' being the Tokyoblu live band, whose headline set is the highlight of each club night. ‘Then there's another out in November, one in December, and another coming out alongside a full artist album in March next year on our own label, Tokyoblu Digital.‘
It's a lot of work and the chance to play live sets at T in the Park, Glastonbury and Becks Fusions has helped give the group renewed focus. Yet the monthly club is still the main expression of what Tokyoblu is about. 'We all live for this one night a month,’ says Hutchison. ‘The hard work is done before the doors open, so what shines through is that Tokyoblu is essentially a group of friends having a bloody good time.' (David Pollock)
Name: Armin van Buuren Occupation: The reigning number one DJ in the world, if you believe the readers of DJ magazine. But of course, you don't get to such a pinnacle of global popularity these days without playing trance somewhere in your set. and, alongside fellow big-hitters like Tiesto and Paul Van Dyk, Armin van Buuren is trance.
Trance, huh? So he’s either German or he’s Dutch. Dutch, actually. Born in Leiden on Christmas Day 31 years ago, van Buuren was brought up in the provinces of southern Holland. When he was ten years old his mum won a computer and he didn’t look back from there, spending all of his paper round money on records and soon enough he was making basic music tracks on the computer. inspired by his then- hero Jean Michel Jarre.
What have been his highlights since? Where do we start? Performing as a DJ since 1995. the same year he left school, van Buuren’s career has rocketed since then. His topping of the DJ poll follows high placings throughout this decade. and his records are consistent chart successes around the world. He also presents a radio show entitled A State of Trance which is syndicated and broadcast over the internet around the world. and is a veteran of Godskitchen, Gatecrasher and lbiza’s Amnesia, among many others. Oh, and he also has a law degree.
Whom also can I hear hlm? All over Scotland on the same night as this Rehab date. Van Buuren will actually be playing three Scottish shows in one evening, with Perth’s Ice Factory and Bathgate's Room at the Top preceding his Glasgow set which will go on until 5am.
(David Pollock)
l Armin van Buuren plays Rehab at Byblos, Glasgow,
Fri 19 Sep.
18 Sep-2 Oct 2008111! LIST”