Clubs
INTRODUCING . . . Cagedbaby
THE BEST NEW NIGHTS IN TOWN: I AM
Residents: They go by the names Beta and Kappa. ‘We do a few things in Glasgow but we’d rather go with these faceless names, we might even perform in masks,’ explains Kappa. ‘It just gives you that chance to start from scratch and you know people aren’t coming because of a name, we’d prefer it if people came because the music is good or they liked what we did with the night.’ Guests: Loads drawn from their contacts across Glasgow including the likes of Matthias, Shaun fae Solar, Esa and Mia Dora (live), while London’s The Rogue Element guest in December.
Music policy: ‘Beta will tend to play more electro – he’s got the bass sound – and I’ll play a lot of other stuff around that. We’re trying to keep it vaguely electronic but there isn’t one specific sound, we’re totally free to play any kind of music, but this is what we like at the moment: electro, 80s stuff, bang up-to-date electro house, disco, Italo, hip hop, dubstep, it’ll touch on a few things.’ What they say: ‘We’ve put a lot of planning into the music and how we present it, we’ve been working on this for about a year now and we have lots of ideas. An electronic night for students is at the heart – it’s a Tuesday and the drinks are cheap – but we’re not going to pander to the lowest common denominator.’
What we say: Tuesday might be the second most un–rock’n’roll night of the week, but I AM could be exactly what midweek clubbing in Glasgow needs (ie a shot of credible, decent music). We know who Beta and Kappa are (but we’re not going to go around spoiling the secret) and they’re got pedigree as well as exemplary taste in music. It sounds like Tuesdays nights in Glasgow have got a much needed injection of quality, broadminded electronica, and that can only be a good thing. (Henry Northmore) ■ Weekly, Tue, The Sub Club, Glasgow.
48 THE LIST 23 Sep–7 Oct 2010
DUBSTEP/BREAKS/ELECTRO SCREAM! The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, weekly Thu
The return of the Liquid Room has reinvigorated Edinburgh’s nightlife, not only the return of much loved clubs (now playing out on a new £1.2 million soundsystem) but fresh nights like Scream!, a new Thursday nighter with some serious pulling power. Debuting with dubstep supremo Benga is one way to make a mark and they keep the momentum high with Stanton Warriors (23 Sep) and Thomas Gandey (aka Cagedbaby, 30 Sep). ‘I think it is important not to just stick to one genre
and get too pigeon holed, so I think you have to be a bit more open minded,’ explains promoter Paul Cunningham. ‘We felt each guest goes into one other, Stanton Warriors play breaks with a bit of dubstep and
electro, which Cagedbaby will play, so they all kind of cross into each other.’ Each night will be guest led, reflecting their musical style, but there will be a one-off residents party with a difference, with Scream! hosting ‘student DJ competitions, with DJs submitting their mixes, we will upload them to SoundCloud before letting the public vote on their favourites’. (Just send your name, a link to your mix and track listing via the contact form on www.liquidroom.co.uk.) Even with big names like Jakwob, Filthy Dukes, Carte
Blanche (aka DJ Mehdi & Riton) and Skream already booked for future dates, Scream! aims to provide an audio-visual clubbing experience. ‘We’re going to be adding lots of production elements,’ adds Cunningham, ‘décor, visuals, live visual aspects, each week will be different from the night before.’ (Henry Northmore)
TECHNO ABSTRACT FORMS LABEL NIGHT Slabs of the Tabernacle at La Cheetah, Glasgow, Sat 2 Oct Deixis
The London-based Abstract Forms label started, as most of these things do, as a cottage industry based on just one person’s tastes and interests. Damon Foster was looking for things to do with his own recordings as Deixis, and his own love of vinyl combined with the willingness of a few friends to contribute their own recordings convinced him. ‘I guess the label’s ethos is to release music by new and up-and-coming artists,’ he says, ‘and to play the music that I like.’ He describes his own tastes as broad, ranging from late 60s psychedelic
rock to early 70s funk and soul. ‘I believe that if you’re trying to make decent music you shouldn’t just limit yourself to one style,’ he says. ‘Electronically, though, I like Kraftwerk, Juan Atkins, the Detroit sound. I’d describe what I make as deep techno, it’s not a style that’s a huge seller but it’s an underground niche that’s always been close to my heart.’ It’s a taste that’s shared by labelmates Morphology and Arne Weinberg, both appearing here, and Kirk Degiorgio and Louis Haiman.
‘We only sell vinyl records,’ notes Foster proudly. ‘I’m not against digital sales, but vinyl just sounds better to me, especially when it’s mastered by someone who knows what they’re doing. I guess I’m a bit old-school in that way, I just like something you can design and hold in your hand, a nice artistic format, because I’m a designer myself in my day job. If I can look back on this when I’m a lot older and say, “Hey, I did that before vinyl disappeared,” then I’ll be happy.’ (David Pollock)