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HITLIST THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION
✽ Electric Frog & Pressure Riverside Festival Some of the biggest names
in house and techno mobilise for this highly anticipated event. Jamie xx and Nina Kraviz join members of Underground Resistance, Slam and Optimo. See feature, page 45. Riverside Museum, Glasgow, Sat 24 Aug.
✽ Jackhammer Founding member of Underground Resistance and one of the most influential men in techno, Jeff Mills (pictured) lines up next to the unstoppable Ben Sims. Expect to sweat. Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, Fri 23 Aug.
✽ Hospital Records & Xplicit Present Hospitality Arguably the hottest label in drum&bass brings you a night of low-end energy with the mighty High Contrast leading the charge. The Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Aug.
✽ Electrikal Edinburgh’s bastion of bass fires up their soundsystem for a six hour festival special with the likes of Riddim Tuffa and Animal Hospital. Underbelly, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Aug.
✽ Acid Indigestion Move your ass and
feel the beat of local DJs, Paul Maslin and King Rib, celebrating all things acid. A buckshee (free) night of dancing. Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh, Fri 31 Aug.
✽ Made For The Night Made To Play label boss Jesse Rose curates a special
line-up that includes Chicago legend Chez Damier alongside underground stars Mosca & Oliver $. The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 7 Sep.
GEORGE FITZGERALD The burgeoning house producer refl ects on his rise from the underground
W ould it be hyperbolic to describe George FitzGerald as a star in the making? His brand of dark, bass-heavy house has already made him one of the hottest names on the underground, but with recent releases like ‘Thinking Of You’ and new single ‘I Can Tell (By The Way You Move)’ employing catchy vocal hooks and distinct melodies, you may see him charting sooner than you think.
This was exemplified when he went back to back with lord of the dance, Pete Tong at Radio 1’s annual Ibiza Weekend earlier this month – closing the entire ceremony in front of 7000 people and millions of listeners. It was undoubtedly a defining moment in his career. ‘It was very surreal and hugely different from a normal gig’, he says. ‘I was pretty nervous beforehand, but being onstage with Pete made all that go away. He’s a very cool guy – it’s like talking to the radio and it answering you back!’ There’s no doubting that the past few years have been hugely significant for house music
44 THE LIST 22 Aug–19 Sep 2013
in general. Signed up to Scuba’s Hotflush label in 2010, FitzGerald’s rise has run parallel with perhaps one of the most exciting times ever for electronic music. The Top 40 is no longer just for pop princesses and manufactured nonsense; it’s been blown wide open by the likes of Disclosure, Duke Dumont and Breach. ‘I feel like it’s more a case of the mainstream coming to us at the moment’, FitzGerald suggests. ‘I think there’s a lot of hit potential in house music, but whether that will continue to translate to the charts is another matter – it’s certainly not something I’m explicitly aiming at. In any case, house music seems to be the thing in the UK right now. It’s great to see young crowds into it, rather than old farts whining about how everything was better back in the day.’ (Alex Caslano) George FitzGerald joins Tiga & James Zabiela, the Picturehouse, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Aug.