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S È T R U O C K C N A R F
VITALIC The French techno/house producer brings his live band to Edinburgh
I n the near two decades since he started making and playing music, Pascal Arbez has managed to surf the waves of taste without being trapped in the hole of typecasting. Discovered by Michael Amato, aka The Hacker, and signed as Vitalic by DJ Hell, his first flush of fame was during the gaudy days of electroclash. ‘Some people say I made electroclash,’ he says, ‘but I was on Gigolo [Hell’s label International Deejay Gigolo] and that was the sound of Gigolo. I was just in that place at that moment.’
His French origins (he grew up in Dijon) might also have aligned him with the unmistakeable sound of super-sleek French Touch house, but he steps back from that pigeonhole too. ‘I’m a bit apart,’ says Arbez. ‘My influences are more from Giorgio Moroder or disco, a bit of techno, a bit of
48 THE LIST 21 Mar–18 Apr 2013
everything. I don’t think I have the sound of a Justice or a Daft Punk or a Kaminski. They are really French.’ What he has specialised in, since the Poney EP launched him in 2001 and the albums OK Cowboy (2005) and Flashmob (2009) escalated him to the level of mainstream artist/ DJ, is a dynamic big-room club sound which skirts the middle ground between credibility and popularity. But for his new album, Rave Age, he’s trying something new – a full band live show for the first time in his career. ‘When I made the album, it was disco and rock at the same time, so I thought it would be different to have a try. It’s impossible to go through time with no changes.’ (David Pollock)
Pulse & Karnival, Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Fri 5 Apr.
HITLIST THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION
✽ Electric Frog Easter Weekender It looked like it might never happen again,
but Glasgow’s finest dance weekender is back in style with Simian Mobile Disco, Todd Edwards (pictured), Derrick Carter, Martyn and more. SWG3, Glasgow, Sat 30 & Sun 31 Mar.
✽ Musika Detroit master Carl Craig hasn’t visited Edinburgh in
over a decade. Now he’s back with solid support from Heidi and WildKats. The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Apr.
✽ Numbers & Vitamins Two of the best nights in Glasgow team up to present UK garage pioneer DJ EZ, with residents including Numbers’ Jackmaster in support. Sub Club, Glasgow, Fri 22 Mar.
✽ Two Zebras & A Giraffe A brand new
party playing garage, UK funky, house, bass and bashment, featuring guests
including Planet Mu’s Ital Tek (27 Mar) and Doc Daneeka (17 Apr). Saint Judes, Glasgow, weekly Weds.
✽ Optimo (Espacio) The Easter special and quite probably the last ever Sunday
Optimo, with special guest DJ Barnt (Comeme, Kompakt and Magazine). Sub Club, Glasgow, Sun 30 Mar.
✽ The Go-Go Celebrate 13 years of retro funk,
soul and garage at this brithday special with Les Bof! live. Studio 24, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Apr.
✽ Substance Expansive techno from Berlin resident Objekt (Hessle Audio) with a rare
Edinburgh outing from Optimo’s JD Twitch. Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 22 Mar.