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RELAUNCH
Substantial Edinburgh: La Belle Angele, Sat 24 Jun. Edinburgh-based Craig Smith is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s most promising DJs and producers. He's remixed the likes of Calvin Fisher, Beverley Knight, Kris Needs and Irvine Welsh, who’s even gone so far as to call Smith his favourite DJ. Featured in D! Magazine’s ’Tips For 2000’, Smith was also Muzik’s DJ of the month in March of this year and his work in the studio under the moniker Soul Renegades has attracted notable plaudits from fellow DJs Ashley Beedle and Norman Jay. With no foreseeable 3.. end to this high praise for Smith’s individual talent, the attention is now focused on his deep house and garage night, Substantial, which is about to lay claim to a new residency at La Belle Angele.
Described by Radio 1's Danny Rampling as ’one of the finest nights in the land’, Substantial has achieved its lofty status with the aid of quality house and garage management label, In Demand. The label’s creative director, Craig Wood, came on board in September '95 when Smith and fellow DJ Mikey Stirton were running nu-soul, garage and house night Solefusion out of The Vaults. Moving to Edinburgh’s tailor-made club venue, The Honeycomb, and changing the name to Substance, the night rapidly gained an impressive reputation and attracted big name guests like Paul ’Trouble’ Anderson and Matthias Heilbronn. As we all know, however, the godsend that was The Honeycomb was not to last, and after another significant name change to Substantial and a brief spell at EZK, Smith and Wood are back on track and aiming to create a little stability at La Belle Angele.
Recently turned 33, Smith began DJing in 1987 so we
S 9 E:
Sandy Riveraeraig Smith (pictured) and Angie Brown appear at Su
'It’s a testament to the talents of Harri and Domenic (pictured) tat Subculture is first and foremost renowned as a resident’s club'
2'0. bstantial, La Belle Angele, Sat 24 Jun
asked the seasoned pro what it was like way back in the day. ’In Scotland at the time, there were only small groups of us into house music,’ recalls Smith. ‘It was really underground back then and a great coming together of people in a really enthusiastic, vibrant scene.’ Although things have changed since then, Smith believes his clubs have retained some of the magic of the early days. ’That’s the thing about Substance and Substantial; they've kept the spirit of the underground.’
Smith and Wood are both confident that Substantial will fit right in to their new residency at La Belle Angele, a venue now touted as Edinburgh's no.1 underground haunt. With sponsorship on board from Cruise Clothing and Grouse Rush, the night launches with an impressive line-up. New York producer Sandy Rivera (Kings Of Tomorrow) joins Craig Smith at the decks, and there will also be a live PA from Angie Brown (Northside Connection), who performs the latest In Demand release. (Catherine Bromley)
rnusrc lurnrnarres who have graced the decks Derrrck May, Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Ralph Lawson, rn short anyone who has ever mattered rn Chrcago, Detrort, New York and the UK. It’s a testament to the talents of Ham and Dornenrc, then, that Subculture rs frrst and foremost renowned as a resrdent's club. ’Nowaclays, | clon’t even thrnk about the musrc,’ says Domenrc. 'I Just play the records that I Irke.’ Accordrng to Harrr, too, the rnusrc polrc‘y rs srmple: ’Basrcally, we don't play any
CLUBBING INSTITUTION Subculture Glasgow: Planet Peach, Sats.
It seems odd to be celebratrng the srxth annrversary of Ihe Sub (hrb's flagshrp nrght, as rt rmplres there was a tune before Subculture Ihrs, for many Glasgow clubbers, rs lrke suggestrng a trme before Sauchrehall Street, or before Slam pr‘ac trc ally unrrnagrnahle
There are few clubs that achreve thrs krnd of post? onrng rn the socral geography of a crty, and fewer strll manage to marntarn such momentum
over a srx year per'rod lor promoter
64THE “ST 22 Jun 6 Ja' 7000
Paul ( rawfor‘cl, there rs no one secret of Subculture success, 'We've always tried to balance a whole range of thrngs,‘ he explarns "The door polrcy rs nearly as rmpor'tant as the rnusrc, for example we want the r‘rght people rn the club, the people who are rnto rnusrc, love musrc, and want to enjoy themselves have been oppor'tunrtres over” the years to go cornmer‘cral and concentrate on brg names, but no
I'here
Involved rs rnterested rn rnovrng rn that clrr‘ectron.’
(ruests may not be the focus, but a clue to the nrght’s sound can be found m a random sample of the dance
cheese, and we always try to play as many new records as you can cram rnto a nrght | thrnk rt works because Dornenrc and I have srrnrlar taste, but different strengths rn different areas. We always play an hour rn turn, so what gets played depends on the mood set before.’
It sounds easy: play the records you Irke and make sure decent folk are on the dancefloor, However, Subculture rs one of the few clubs to take thrs basrc formula and move rt a step further, to the pornt where It can safely be sard that a good nrght rs guaranteed (Jack IvIottram)
Club news
WE HAVE LAST minute confirmation of the running times for the T in the Park Slam Stage: On Sat 8 Jul catch Kevin Saunderson noon-1.30pm, Rolando 1.30—3pm, Funk D'Void 3—4pm, Tom Middleton 4—6pm, Derrick May 6—8pm and a face-off between DJ Sneak/Gene Farris and Roger Sanchez/Junior Sanchez from 8-11pm. Then get up early to do it all over again on Sun 7 Jul with Soma's new prodigies Universal Principles noon-1pm, James Lavelle 1—2.30pm, Death In Vegas 2.30—3.30pm, Andrew Weatherall 3.30—5pm, Darren Emerson 5-6.30pm, Stuart and Orde 6.30-8pm, Leftfield (live) 8—9.30pm rounded off with a huge sesh from Carl Cox/Jim Masters versus Stuart McMillan/Orde Meikle from 9.30-11pm.
FAVOURITE OF GLASGOW'S Southsrde party posse, The Shed, has been unable to renew rts late-nrght Ircence. The venue has therefore been forced to close rts doors for the moment. However, those of you who enjoy a brt of a late- nrght boogre/bc)07e-up outside the c‘rty centre erI be heartened to hear that the management rs currently consrderrng rts optrons, Wrth a rnrnd to resumrng servrces as soon as possrble.
TWO OF THE residents at Edinburgh club Apex are getting an early summer holiday. Al Space and Phil Zero fly to Chicago to perform at an all-night event called Joyride, where they will be sharing a billing with such US techno luminaries as Avx 88, Stickmen and Alexi Delano. What's next we wonder - a residency in Detroit?
CHANNEL 4'S FLAGSHIP hip hop and R&B programme Flava rs comrng to Glasgow. The event takes place at Trash on Sun 9 Jul, and all you beautrful peOpIe erI be pleased to know that there erI be a TV crew present to record hrghlrghts for future transmrssron Flava are also runnrng a DJ c'ompetrtron rn COIIJLIIICIIOI) Wrth the event, wrth the overall wrnner getting a prrme slot at the end of tour party. The competrtron rs Only open to amateur roc ks whose style rs rnkeeprng wrth the Flava vrbe, you must be over 18 and you must Irve rn Scotland. The closrng date for the Scottish heat rs Sun ZS Jun, so get those mrx tapes sent rstatrng cornpetrtron venue) to: Flava DJ Competrtron, Impact, 24 Poerden Road, London, SW2 SRT.