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Clubs PROFILE
Commix DRUM & BASS JUNGLE NATION Stereo, Glasgow, Fri 12 Mar
With the demise of Pangea, a rather large gap in Glasgow’s drum & bass scene looks set to be filled with the launch of Jungle Nation, which has been running for 13 years in Aberdeen. ‘We have been looking to do something in Glasgow for a while but the opportunity hasn’t arisen,’ explains promoter, Tez Hussain aka DJ Tez. ‘We feel the time is right now, as there are a lack of consistent drum & bass nights especially ones that look to book established guests.’
Commix have been enlisted to kick off the Glasgow launch. With releases on Hospital and Metalheadz, the Cambridge duo have cemented their status within the liquid, funky, ‘stuff your girlfriend will like’ side of drum
& bass. ‘“Be True” is one of our favorite tracks of recent years,’ adds DJ Tez. ‘We feel Commix would be a good introduction into Glasgow as they appeal to a wide range of D&B heads.’ Co-promoter for Glasgow events, Iain Morrison aka
DJ Amba will be joining DJ Tez on warm-up duties. Amba has been shaking up Aberdeen’s scene recently with nights like Everything Else Sucks and Hush Hush, and has supported Zinc, Foamo and Jack Beats, among others. That said, he will be discarding his fidget for drum & bass at Jungle Nation. Scotland’s liquid drum & bass don, DJ D_Fade, a resident of Edinburgh’s midweek mayhem party that is Split, will complement Commix perfectly. On mic duties will be fellow Split resident and common sight at Scottish drum & bass nights, MC AC. (Pete MacLeod)
TRANCE TIËSTO Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Mar
Whatever you might think of Tiësto you cannot deny he’s perhaps the world’s most successful DJ. He was the first DJ to play a solo stadium show (rocking 25,000 people at Arnhem’s Gelredome in 2003); he was the first DJ to play at an Olympic Games opening ceremony (Athens, 2004); he headlines numerous festivals across the globe and topped DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs in 2002, 2003 and 2004 (and has come in second or third every subsequent year). ‘Being picked as the number one DJ in the world is a great honour, but I
try not to think too much about labels,’ explains Tiësto (real name Tijs Michiel Verwest). ‘I truly love producing and performing, and I’m happiest when I’m connecting with my fans. If I didn’t love what I’m doing, none of my success could have happened. I really just concentrate on playing great sets and producing the best new music I possibly can.’
And this 12,000 capacity show should be something special, as the Dutch master will be promoting his latest album Kaleidoscope, which features collaborations with the likes of Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Kele Okereke (Bloc Party), Nelly Furtado and Calvin Harris. Tiësto aims to makes sure every set is an event. ‘I like to push the boundaries to deliver a special live show. I strive to make every performance an experience. When you are blessed to have such a large gathering at a show, you better have something that people walk away from feeling like it was one of the best times of their life.’ (Henry Northmore)
KODE 9 Real name Steve Goodman Occupation Incognito DJ, producer and owner of the excellent Hyperdub label, which gave dubstep broadsheet appeal by releasing both of Burial’s albums. Where is he from? Raised in Hamilton, he’s lived in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Coventry, gained a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Warwick, and has made his home in South London for the last decade. How did he get started in music? ‘I started DJing in Edinburgh in the 90s, at the Venue and the Vaults – a bunch of us ran our own funk, hip hop and house night called Arch. Then about ‘98 I got incredibly bored with jungle and really into UK garage, so it was mostly for the music that I moved down south. I started Hyperdub as an online forum in 2000/2001, releasing my own first single in 2004, then Burial’s a year later.’ What does he think of the current dubstep scene? ‘It’s blown up a lot in the last couple of years, which means you get a lot of people who assume that anything is dubstep, you know? They’re maybe quite young, and they don’t know that bass existed before it [laughs]. Sometimes I feel like I could release an R&B single and people would still call it dubstep, but I try not to whinge about it so much. Whinging about something’s not the way to get away from it.’ How’s your own production going? ‘I don’t have a lot of time to do it these days, which I whinge about too! I’m halfway through an album, though, which is sounding good. It should be out later this year.’ (David Pollock) ■ Kode 9 plays Numbers at the Sub Club, Glasgow, Fri 5 Mar, alongside Martyn and Floating Points. 4–18 Mar 2010 THE LIST 37