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DRUM & BASS HIP HOP MISCHIEF The Venue, Edinburgh, Fri 1 Feb
It’s often overlooked that as a thriving university town, the capital derives a considerable proportion of its club scene from the enthusiastic efforts of the student population. The latest student-run club night to take the city by storm is Mischief, the brainchild of north Londoners Isaac Moshe and Josh Freedman Berthoud and their fledgling PR company, Parlay Entertainment.
A one-off spectacular in October featuring the combined worlds of drum & bass and hip hop and a hellisth impressive line-up including DJ Hype, Randall and Phi Life Cypher rocked the roof off the Venue. It’s in light of this success that the boys have undertaken a regular monthly residency.
‘Of all the university towns, Edinburgh’s got a scene that’s saying a lot but I feel that it needs some sort of coherence to it,’ says Moshe. ‘There’s a lot of people into their urban, underground sounds - be it drum & bass or hip hop - and
it’s those elements that we’re looking to unite in Edinburgh with Parlay Entertainment.’
From these assertive comments, it is abundantly clear that Parlay speaks with confidence but, like all able club promoters, Moshe and Freedman Berthoud made sure to check the territory before embarking on their enterprise. ‘We weren’t going to jump in without knowing the scene up here so during our first year we spent time working out what would work best. We came up with Mischief, which is essentially two club nights in one: the drum & bass night, Reload, and the hip hop night, Bodyrock. So it’s two club nights for the price of one and the Venue’s perfect to do that. And if you check the line-ups, we’re proud of the fact that sometimes in one room alone they’re better than you’d get at most hip hop or drum & bass nights.’
And proud they damn well should be. The second
TECHNO SYNTAX Soundhaus, Glasgow, Fri 1 Feb
Five years is a long time n techno and few clubs siir‘Ji/e. Btit despite its nomadic existence. Syntax nas managed to keep on its; feet .vhile others have fallen {HULH‘Yl it. So expect a FEtll’llLEtl‘t and fat; deserved —4 celebration .‘.’ll(;l‘i DJs Jace and Nik Craig hriig out the balloons. the cake and of course the finest that electro. teennr, and tech- house has to offer to commemorate the club's fifth birt iday.
Considering the ciul; has flitted bet‘x/een venues such as t v: art school. QMU and the lll‘ fated Gt Without ever finding a :‘atif;far;tory home. it's understan/lalgle that Jace lreal name Jason lvlcCreadie, is optimistic about finally settling down.
"Things; were a bit ’lllllCtlli last year.‘ lre says. 'V/e'rl lust started in the Soiinrllzain; when .1 nose/i down; it's reopened again not! so will see how It goes. I reckon a rot .‘/l:l Happen this year to take us back up to bigger mnues. We .'/a"u‘. to f} ‘.’f: the club a real go. so this time ‘.'/e've got Mark Aiiibrofgr; playing. 3/" I, were kept a
Mischief masterminds Isaac Moshe and Josh Freedman Berthoud
session features jump-up jungle heroes Aphrodite and
Mickey Finn in the drum & bass arena while
good relationship with, and next month we'll have Funk D'Void.' Looking back over five years of frustrated house-hunting. Jace may have played at 'more clubs than it's worth mentioning, but he'll never forget Syntax's first night at the art
school. ‘There were 600 people there.
we had Mark Ambrose guesting and
bodyrocking hip hop comes care of UK scene leaders Rodney P and Skitz. Providing the best of both worlds, these boys aren’t blind to the fact that they’ll be saving many of us the chore of dancefloor dilemma. ‘So many people say that their drum & bass interests are always clashing with their hip hop interests,’ explains Freedman Berthoud, ‘so when they realise they can get it all in one place, you know, they’re well pleased.’
Add to the mix a third arena featuring ragga, R&B and two-step from Yush Recordings’ boss A.J., a host of local players including Scottish DMC Champion Ritchie Ruftone, live breakdancing from Edinburgh crew Random Aspects and it would seem that these plucky student prospectors have struck pure clubbing gold. (Catherine Bromley)
Syntax resident DJ Jace
it was brilliant.‘ he says. ‘That night we got a standing ovation, but I just hid behind the decks. I'm not used to that kind of experience!'
Let's hope that he‘s got over his stagefright by now. because there may just be some Syntax punters waiting to see him blow out those five big candles. (Steven Clark)
Wor Up
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EX-HACIENDA RESIDENT Jon Da Silva has taken up a weekly Friday residency at Budda in Glasgow. The DJ, who’s played an integral role in the development of house music, having DJed alongside the likes of Graeme Park, Mike Pickering and Tom Wainwright at the legendary Manchester club, is looking to break the mould of his ‘old-skool’ guise at a night that’s sure to inspire connoisseurs and plain old party people alike. See listings for full details. STUDENT UNION Ct on v :ii-w. usually suck but t"e ‘:."."’;_;"‘ "5} Orange sponsored ‘l my); i/i .f; f: Tour' date at Henct \x'faff UniverSity promises to M.- r2“ exception to the rue. 2 82-9: breakbeat evangelists fit-(,- Stanton Warriors .'.’lll Le golr w: by Damon Baxter aka Dea': . Avenger in room one 7r; i‘ i; hip hop headz from Gléi’til Central Records; take can; business in rooi" 1.21;. the -r,-.-';~.'_ takes place at Zero said-tr“. union on Heriot Watt's; l2. campus on Thursda, 1/” February. Please note t"a'. students and their guests
gain entry tO this n gt‘t
MANGA RESIDENT G-MAC (pictured) has been drafted in to Edinburgh’s independent record shack, Underground Solu’shn, to sort out the stocks of drum & bass and nu-skool breaks. Clearly enjoying spending other people’s money on records, G-Mac has been quoted as saying: ‘l’m there. I’m on it. I’ve spent a fortune already.’
GLASGOW'S RF. l‘Rt) l l() night Let's Go Back. Will be launching; a" l Kl "trad" residency at La Bel-e Anger: with a one-off speeia ‘eati.’ ' Altern8 on Frldél)’ ‘::‘> l\/l£l'(7" Regular seSSio"s writ cei‘t'
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431 Jan—M1 l-et: .1 l‘.‘ THE LIST 67