Clubs PROFILE
ALTER EGO Also known as: German duo Roman Flugel and Jorn Elling Wuttke. Occupation: ‘The Pet Shop Boys of techno’, asserts their MySpace. It’s hard to argue.
Where did they come from? Longstanding legends of the German techno scene in all its forms, the pair started working together in 1993, first as Acid Jesus and then as Alter Ego. Early releases appeared on Sven Vath’s label Harthouse and were either played or remixed by artists like Black Dog, Luke Slater and Andy Weatherall. That might give you some idea where they were coming from.
Where are they now? At a peak of respectability, thanks to more than a decade and a half of shared history, the joint formation of respected techno labels Playhouse, Klang Elektronik and Ongaku, and an early 00s reinvention as heroes of the electroclash scene (RIP). To find out why, check out tracks like ‘Betty Ford’, ‘Why Not?’ and the ubiquitous ‘Rocker’. You’ll know that last one, give it a listen online. Or dig out the Katy Perry mash- up ‘I Kissed a Rocker’ for added contemporariness. Or better still, come see them at Optimo in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Any other business? Yep. Sad to say that the first of these dates will also be the last regular Optimo in Edinburgh. In the face of not so much falling attendances as fluctuating ones, Twitch and Wilkes have decided to call a halt to a gig which at one time (when it was at the Venue) even challenged Sunday night Optimo in Glasgow as the nation’s best night. Instead, expect one- offs in the city when the guest or occasion demands it from the duo, and a massive end-of- Festival party here. (David Pollock) ■ Alter Ego play Optimo at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 29 Aug; Optimo at the Sub Club, Glasgow, Sun 30 Aug.
Got an opinion? You can now Comment on all our articles at list .co.uk 22 THE LIST 27 Aug–10 Sep 2009
www.list.co.uk/clubs Stacey Pullen
TECHNO/HOUSE ELECTRIC FROG STREET CARNIVAL SWG3/Eastvale Place, Glasgow, Sun 30 Aug
‘The Street Carnival came about from us deciding that we’re the north’s version of the Notting Hill Carnival in London,’ explains Jack Revell, aka Numbers DJ Jackmaster and one of the people behind The Electric Frog Street Carnival, a new all day event taking place at the SWG3 gallery warehouse space in the west of the city, ‘I’m sure in 5 years time you’ll see Jack’s Reggae Reggae Sauce on sale worldwide.’ A brave claim, but condiments franchises aside, this could be what Glasgow’s been crying out for.
For one reason or the weather, outdoor events in Scotland’s cities have rarely been attempted. Electric Frog aims to set that right, and with a nicely weighted
stack of local and international DJs and producers they’re not wasting time on warm ups. ‘The line up was carefully drawn up with a view to creating a flowing event that has no fillers,’ says Revell. ‘It’s all action from when the doors open at 2pm ‘til they close at 11pm. The likes of Tim Sweeney and Tim Goldsworthy, along with Rahaan and Floating Points will all perform in the afternoon, whilst Theo Parrish, Stacey Pullen, Optimo, Den Haan and ourselves will be performing in the evening.’ It appears all bases are reassuringly covered, and even the weather has been tamed. ‘We’ve organised two large gazebo structures and space heaters in case the weather is unpleasant, but hopefully they won’t be needed: it will be a gorgeous bank holiday weekend and the site will be completely open.’ (Richie Meldrum)
HARDCORE TWISTED & BRAINFIRE: TEN YEARS The Ferry, Glasgow, Fri 28 Aug. Noize Suppressor
Despite not being the most critically-acclaimed genre, hardcore has a long history of popularity in Scotland, and a still-strong fanbase. Possibly the style’s biggest monthly parties in the country are run by Glasgow-based promoters Alan Robertson and Al Innes, who DJ under the names Rob Da Rhythm and Al Twisted. Of all the nights they push, Twisted & Brainfire – named after their own individual nights, which started at Edinburgh’s Venue and Glasgow’s Big Joint respectively, and merged at Archaos soon after Innes moved to Glasgow – have the longest history, dating back to the first one-off charity Twisted a decade ago.
‘The nights are always packed out or near to capacity,’ says Robertson. ‘Like the last one we did at the Soundhaus with Angerfist [modern Dutch hardcore prodigy], we had to close the doors at half twelve because it was so busy. Twisted & Brainfire is our straight hardcore night so it’s a younger crowd, the same bunch you’d find at Fantazia. Whereas our Infexious nights, where we play more hardstyle and tech-trance, it’s an older crowd of the sort you’d maybe find at Inside Out at the Arches. Then our Dark Side nights are a mixture of young and old.’ There’s no doubt that Robertson and Innes’ clubs are good value for fans of the genres, with a bunch of regular guests from Scotland and European hotbeds of hardcore like Holland appearing at each. ‘For our tenth birthday we’ve got Noize Suppressor from Italy,’ says Robertson, ‘who I’ve been wanting to book for a few years now – I’d say he’s probably the most in- demand hardcore DJ in the world, and this is the first time he’s played the UK. Then we’ve got Neophyte from Holland and a Scottish legend in Scott Brown’. So, as they say, if you only go to one hardstyle tech-trance night this year . . . (David Pollock)