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PREVIEW HOUSE
MUSIKA & STEREOTYPE Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct
It seems that scarcely a day goes by without news of a merger or takeover bid screaming across the screens of 24-hour news channels. Stereotype and Musika have obviously been watching the markets to discern which way the wind is blowing, because they’ve decided to join forces for this Ocean Terminal extravaganza featuring Dubfire of Deep Dish, Popof, Tokyoblu and KOS.
The headliner has been picked to perfection as anyone who has witnessed a set by Deep Dish will attest to their ability to provide big-room action that retains its self-respect. If anyone can supply enough sub-bass to power an event of this size, it’s Dubfire.
As one of the event organisers, the ever-amiable Huggy is keen to stress that respect for the punter was always at the heart of the combination of the two clubs: ‘When we discussed putting this event on together, we all agreed that it’s very important to give something back to the people who are paying for tickets.’ This means Huggy and Derek Marin at Musika have paid as much attention to the venue as they have to the line-up. ‘lt’s a big venue, and we wanted to do it right, so we’re bringing in a very, very good sound system,’ explains Huggy. ‘We’re also changing the way the place looks, moving the DJ box a bit. There's a lot of production stuff we’ll be doing to make sure it looks and sounds just right.’ (John Regan)
PREVIEW HOUSE ULTRAGROOVE Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Oct
‘We had 500 people in for Joey Negro on Saturday.’ beams Ultragroove's promoter and resident DJ Gareth Sommerville. ‘which made it the biggest club in town by some way.’ He's justifiably proud. because Ultragroove has become one of Scotland's most enduring clubs on the basis of more than just nostalgia. or an ever-ageing set of regulars. By sticking closely to the original style of house music laid down during the late 80s in Chicago and only being swayed by new trends in so far as it keeps up with what's happening in the current market. Ultragroove still attracts crowds of all ages for a fortnightly fix of unpretentious electronic action.
‘I'm not sure precisely why we've survived this long,‘ says Sommerville. 'but I certainly didn't expect us to when we started at La Belle Angele way back in 1999.‘ Although the destruction of the club's old venue by fire in December 2002 would have necessitated a move anyway, Ultragroove (Sommerville and co-promoter Fraser McGlinchey) had very luckily already migrated across the road to Cabaret Voltaire at the time of the fire. ‘I think when people come down they know they‘re going to get a certain quality of music.’ he adds. ‘a certain type of crowd, and a club which is authentic and true to its roots. We're not into one thing one minute and then binning it for something else the next fortnight. which a lot of clubs get by on.‘
Among Sommerville’s favourite Ultragroove guests over the last nine years have been Miss Honey Dijon, Derrick Carter and Kerri Chandler, who played the last date at La Belle. He also names Germany's Ame. who make a return alongside Trus'me and Linkwood at this ninth birthday special: “It's really deep house. but with an organic edge which the crowd were really into last time they played. That's my biggest hope. actually. that people who come to the club can see just how heartfelt what we do is.'(David Pollock)
PREVIEW TECHNO SUBSTANCE
The Caves, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct Inspired by Glasgow's notorious Test. and galvanised by the closure of The Venue and the final Dogma parties. Adam Richardson saw an opportunity to start a new night that would fill a gap in Edinburgh's depleted clubbing diary. Over the past two years. Substance has thrived at Henry's Cellar Bar and Richardson is looking forward to the club's second birthday.
Admirably resisting the temptation to book a superstar DJ. Substance’s promoters have selected artists who have demonstrated a commitment to musical innovation through their consistently challenging recorded output. Neil Landstrumm and Subhead have been making pioneering techno for labels such as Tresor, Sativae and Mosquito, then there's old school rave legends Altern8. while Lory D has been regarded as a hero in his native ltaly since the birth of acid house. although wider recognition largely eluded him until a number of his early recordings were collected on the Sounds Never Seen compilation, released on Rephlex in 2003.
Lory D
October's Substance will be held in the dramatic subterranean environs of The Caves. and Richardson is clearly excited about the upcoming party: “We wanted to do something big for the birthday. and obviously The Caves is a pretty special venue.’ he explains. ‘And we've managed to secure artists who are still making as interesting tracks now as they always have. I never thought when we started this that we'd ever be in a position to be booking any of these guys, never mind booking them all together. Strange things happen I guess.‘ (Colin McKean)
16—30 Oct 2008 THE LIST 37