Clubs
www.list.co.uk/clubs
‘I’M AN ARTIST THAT LOVES MAKIN’ ELEKTRONIK MUZIK’ Hitlist THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION*
Felix da Housecat
✽✽ David Holmes Chance to check out why Holmes (pictured) is still one of the best DJs in the UK. Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Fri 28 Aug. ✽✽ Modern Lovers A new guest for the cross-country soul and psych night, with John Maclean of The Aliens and ex-The Beta Band taking to the decks. The GRV, Edinburgh, Fri 28 Aug; Flying Duck, Glasgow, Sat 29 Aug. ✽✽ Electric Frog Street Carnival Glasgow gets its own Notting Hill experience but with an even better soundtrack featuring Stacey Pullen, Theo Parish, Tim Sweeney and more. Eastvale Place, Glasgow, Sun 30 Aug. ✽✽ Million Dollar Disco A bank holiday special from DJ Al Kent, featuring the Detroit- bound might of guest star Theo Parrish. Big Joint, Glasgow, Sun 30 Aug. ✽✽ Club For Heroes The underground disco night goers weekly and moves to a new venue. Perfect excuse to celebrate with a guest set from Twitch. The GRV, Edinburgh, Thu 3 Sep. ✽✽ Eyes Wide Open Now in a new venue following Twisted Wheel’s closure, Glasgow’s leading freakbeat and garage night serves up live guests The Junipers and DJ Dishie. Blackfriars, Glasgow, Fri 4 Sep. ✽✽ Tokyoblu Come join the celebrations as we say a fond farewell to Tokyoblu at the Cab as the house band play their last ever set. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 4 Sep. ✽✽ Melting Pot It’s a meeting of disco minds, as London’s Horse Meat Disco and Warm guest. Admiral Bar Basement, Glasgow, Sat 5 Sep. ✽✽ Second City A brand new night from members of the Seinan Music team brings us Berlin producer Heiko MSO. Stereo, Glasgow, Sat 5 Sep. 27 Aug–10 Sep 2009 THE LIST 21
Two tribes
Henry Northmore checks out two big club events, Xplicit and Musika, that help bring the Festival to a suitably frenzied finale
T he closing weekend of the Festival Fringe has become a traditional highlight in Edinburgh’s clubbing calendar. And this year doesn’t disappoint, with dates from Vegas!, Optimo, Tackno, Taste and more across the bank holiday weekend, but it’s two consecutive nights at the HMV Picture House that really stand out due to their impressive and varied roster of guests.
It’s a game of two halves, with genres all tied together by sheer quality. Headed by two of Edinburgh’s most respected club nights, Xplicit take over the venue for a Friday night of drum & bass, breaks and hip hop, while on Saturday Musika weigh in with the best in electro, house and techno.
Xplicit usually specialise in hard drum & bass, but for their festival closing party they have widened their remit for some bass heavy electro from Hervé, liquid drum & bass pioneers London Elektricity (Hospital Records) and the dazzling turntable talent of Scratch Perverts. Not forgetting the enviable cut and paste skills of DJ Yoda (aka Duncan Beiny in real life). ‘I would say that I’m a hip hop DJ, but I don’t really play much rap music,’ explains Yoda. ‘In other words, I mix and scratch, but I play any kind of music that I like, from the more traditional types of club music to country, reggae, TV themes, Indian music, Brazilian music . . . anything!’ A true child of the hip hop era it’s unsurprising Yoda moved into DJing. ‘I grew up on hip hop, and throughout the whole of the 90s I don’t think I was exposed to a single song with a guitar in. As rap music started to go downhill – around 2000 in my
books – I suddenly discovered all these other kinds of music existed.’ It’s this incorporation of seemingly random records, genres and soundbites that makes Yoda’s shows so dynamic and unpredictable. The following night is just as exciting, with Glasgow techno heroes Slam, underground house from Smokin’ Jo and a live set of ‘stadium rave-tech’ from Japanese Popstars at Musika. All of course headlined by Felix da Housecat (Felix Stallings Jr when not behind the decks). Felix was an electronica early adoopter in his native Chicago. ‘I was doin’ it at 14 years of age. It was called house music then,’ explains Felix via email, ‘so I was born into it. Muzik is muzik but at the end of the day I am an artist that loves makin’ elektronik muzik. Boo! Pow!’
Starting in house alongside contemporaries such as DJ Sneak and DJ Pierre he helped pioneer the electroclash movement with his album Kittenz and Thee Glitz especially the single ‘Silver Screen Shower Scene’ featuring vocals from Miss Kittin. There’s still a strong electro element coupled with deep P-funk grooves and a pop sensibility running though current album He Was King. ‘I usually feed off thee people,’ adds Felix. ‘So I never know what’s gonna go down. I jus’ flow, whenever u plan things too much it never goes accordingly to plan. But I do look forward to rockin’ it out.’
A deliciously enticing double bill to end this year’s
Festival. Xplict, Fri 28 Aug, is followed by Musika, Sat 29 Aug, both at HMV Picture House, Edinburgh.