Motor City Drum Ensemble
Clubs
HOUSE & SOUL EVENT SCOTTISH SOULFUL WEEKENDER 2 Cairndale Hotel, Dumfries, Fri 2–Sun 4 Nov
‘We lost a lot of money,’ is one of the first things Yogi Haughton says about last year’s debut edition of his Scottish Soulful Weekender, a live-in party in a Dumfries hotel for fans of his particular axis of musical taste – broadly, Northern Soul and Chicago house. He says it through gritted teeth, but it’s the first clear inkling you get that he’s in it for love over profit.
‘We were 100% happy with it,’ he goes on. ‘The feedback was incredible and very positive. I know for a fact it takes about three events to get to the break-even point, even big festivals like T in the Park took time to get going.’ To say that this year’s event looks merely quite good is almost to do it an injustice. ‘Tony Humphries is an absolute legend of the house scene, I can’t remember the last time he played Scotland,’ says Haughton, faced with the task of picking highlights. ‘The younger crowd are getting excited about Motor City Drum Ensemble and Prins Thomas, and Ian Levine is a special DJ.’
Greg Wilson, DJ Spen, Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson, Rahaan and a grand finale from singer Driza Bone are among the more exciting names booked. In each case it’s not just the stature of the artist which appeals though, but the eclecticism of the bill they add to. ‘Take Snowboy,’ says Haughton. ‘He’s proper jazz, so there’s really something for everyone, and it all reflects my musical taste. I’m a bit of an oddity on the soul scene, because I like all genres of music.’ (David Pollock)
Mickey
FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY GASOLINE DANCE MACHINE Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 20 & 27 Oct LIVE TECHNO/ELECTRO SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 10 Nov
One year on with the Gasoline Dance Machine story, it’s back to where it all began for the all-encompassing electronic party. After being moved on from Cabaret Voltaire when the venue closed for refurbishment in February and having spent a period up the road at the Third Door alongside Cab’s former manager Sarah David, this i rst birthday party and the Hallowe’en-themed Gasoline Death Machine party the following week will be like a homecoming for residents Cheap Picasso. In recent years a new generation of live dance acts have easily stepped into the shoes of pioneers such as The Prodigy and Underworld. However, Simian Mobile Disco took a circuitous route to the world of electro glory. Starting life as one half of indie pop experimentalists Simian. ‘We started doing remixes and mixtapes when we were still in Simian, and when the band broke up [in 2005] we carried on doing that,’ they explain. ‘It was a natural progression really.’
‘It’s really nice to be asked back,’ says Adam Le Chic, one half of CP alongside The splinter group of Jas Shaw and James Ford were aided in their
Tom Stewart. ‘The venue’s completely transformed, it’s a good crowd and a beautiful set-up.’ The plan, he says, is to continue where they left off last time. ‘The aim was always to take an 80s synth and electronica inl uence and incorporate it with a more modern house style,’ he says. ‘We use really cool props too, big neon signs and LED striplights, to keep it retro but underground, rather than tacky.’ The boys’ pre-Gasoline CV included appearances at such well-known Edinburgh
nights as Heavy Gossip, Musika and Karnival, and their previous track record for guests includes names like C90s, Mustang, Erol Alkan and Cosmonauts. Le Chic says the plan is to once more bring national and international guests to the city, although he thinks the monthly night might only be able to manage it once every other month for the moment. They’re starting as they mean to go on though, with a birthday appearance from Mickey, resident at Belgium’s Libertine Supersport. (David Pollock)
transformation into a ‘psychedelic shifting pattern techno’ act by the storming remix of ‘We Are Your Friends’ by contemporaries Justice. A massive crossover hit that helped cement their club credentials. Now on their third studio album in their SMD guise, the band released
Unpatterns in May of this year. ‘There’s less focus on full vocal “songs”, and more on dance music structures. We’ve tried to just use voices as elements, loops and phrases that are manipulated, as just one part of the music, rather than them dictating the form of the tracks.’
Ford, of course, has gone on to become one of the most sort after producers in the UK working with Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine and Klaxons but he’s returning to the fold for this tour. ‘We’re bringing our synths, drum machines and effects on the road so you can expect a proper live performance. With some big l ashing lights thrown in too. . .’ (Henry Northmore)
54 THE LIST 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012