Clubs
INTRODUCING The best new nights in town. This month:
Y D E N N E K D
DARE! Residents: Much respected house DJ Jon Pleased Wimmin (pictured), who has played at some of the biggest nights across the globe from Cream and Miss Moneypenny’s to Fabric and Pressure. Guests: Nothing is confirmed but expect the cream of local DJs and some big names over coming months once Dare! is a bit more established (remember Mr Pleased Wimmin has an enviable contacts book). Music policy: The soundtrack will be electronic dance music but kept loose and free flowing with cuts from the likes of Todd Terje and Mylo alongside classics from Blondie, The Human League, Soft Cell or Giorgio Morodor, plus modern eclectica from MGMT, CSS or Hercules & Love Affair to keep things interesting. What they say: ‘Dare! is a celebration of electronic dance music in all its finery, from past classics to what’s new, a club that puts the enjoyment of quality music top of the agenda. Dare! is a space where you can dance, drink and socialise with like- minded people and listen to the new and old wave of throbbing dancefloor delights. We aim to create an atmosphere that harks back to pre-house clubs where the key is escapism and losing your inhibitions. Dare! is an inclusive night regardless of age, sexual preference or gender. This complements the approach to the music and with this we are sure to guarantee a right knees-up for all.’ What we say: A dig through JPW’s record crate is always going to throw up some classic tunes and it sounds like he’s got free reign to play what he wants so there should be enough curve balls to keep the dancefloor swelteringly hot. Also the intimate environs of the Speakeasy at Cabaret Voltaire should lead to a night of new friends as well as a new appreciation of electronica from through the ages. (Henry Northmore) ■ Dare!, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Nov. 40 THE LIST 19 Nov–3 Dec 2009
www.list.co.uk/clubs Ben UFO
DUBSTEP FORTIFIED Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Fri 27 Nov
Hessle Audio is a dubstep label, and its origins were in the most dubstep of locations. The queue for seminal, scene-defining night FWD>> at London’s Velvet Rooms (which currently lives at the city’s Plastic People) was where Ben Thomson and David Kennedy first met. Already DJing individually, the pair were both studying in Leeds, which is where they founded their own radio show (and, by extension, the Leeds dubstep scene) with Kevin McAuley. From there, it was a short step to their own label and a dubstep identity of their own as Ramadanman (Kennedy), Ben UFO (Thomson) and Panagea (McAuley). ‘Shops are saturated with dubstep releases now,’ says Thomson, ‘but two or three years ago what we were doing was pretty left of centre. Plus we don’t
have such a big garage influence; we wanted to bring a bit more of the swing, the shuffle of house music to the rhythms. You see that now in London, so many kids who are basically making house music, but without knowing the classic house tracks or the conventions of the genre. That’s the direction we’re going in.’ Originally intended as their own vehicle, the Hessle
Audio team have also released tracks by TRG and Untold. At the moment they’re strictly a 12” only label, and Thomson says they’ll think long and hard before moving into albums – despite the genre’s increasing ubiquity, he considers Bristolian producer Tom ‘Peverelist’ Ford’s forthcoming debut to be the first dubstep long-player that’s truly worthy as ‘a listening experience’. Their hosts should take note, because their own label Fortified Audio is about to launch with a release from Loops Haunt. (David Pollock)
DOWNTEMPO THE SLOW CLUB The Flying Duck, Glasgow, Sun 22 Nov
As the name suggests, The Slow Club doesn’t go for furious beats and sweaty dancefloors. ‘It’s the dark candlelit bar at the end of the world where everything is not quite right, yet perfect, somewhere to get lost in, immerse yourself in,’ explains promoter/DJ Michael Feeney. ‘The music policy is eclectic but never fast. Modern electronic, soundtrack, abstract, drone, drunken jazz, tango.’ So expect to hear tracks by the likes of Boards of Canada, Tom Waits, John Barry, Jasper TX and Serge Gainsbourg. The night has been built from the ground up – from the décor and
soundtrack to the projected films and live music from houseband Smackvan. ‘This sort of environment suits their particular brand of slowed- down reflective rock particularly well,’ adds Feeney, who is also a member of the band, which specialises in downbeat, understated indie with releases on Sano Records and Benbecula. This date also promises a set from Arcs, an experimental side project that has risen from the ashes of now defunct indie janglers Annie Christian.
And it’s not the first time the mellow and moody strains of their own brand of slowcore have echoed across Glasgow: The Slow Club relaunched in June after a 12-year hiatus. Now they return to their original birthplace from back in the halcyon days when The Flying Duck was still The Apollo. When asked why they’re returning after such a long break, ‘I woke up’ is Feeney’s arch reply. (Henry Northmore)