‘THE ENERGY SUCKS THE
EVER EVOLVING CROWD INTO
THE CLUB ATMOSPHERE'
DJ Kid 8. G-Mac (inset)
The lost weekend
As MANGA and JUNGLE MAGIK join forces for Edinburgh’s first drum & bass weekender, organisers DJ Kid and G-Mac tell Mark Edmundson what it’s all about.
rum & Bass is a sphere of music that has had
its ups and more than its share of downs. but
this fortnight lidinburgh celebrates this most resilient of club music forms with an all-weekend extravaganza that features three legends of the scene and a burger at the finish line.
‘Really. it was an act of fate.. says (i-Mac. the DJ promoter behind the l)&li institution that is .\langa. ‘When 1).] Kid and I realised that our upcoming dates clashed. rather than battle over the weekend we decided to find a way of putting the shows together and packaging that into sortie sort of event.‘
And what an event they’ve turned out. kicking off at Manga on the l-‘riday night with lid Rush and ()ptical
the duo who set the standard for deep. dark production and who are causing a stir in the scene with their upcoming release Virus lira/Is. Of course (i-Mac‘s longstanding club night needs little introduction on these pages: launching at La Belle Angelc in January ()0. Manga would he the first regular weekend I)&B night Scotland had ever seen. ‘l’coplc were absolutely desperate to hear the music. to get the chance to hear it in a club environment. It just hlcvv up.‘ says (i—Mac.
‘l)&l$ has a fantastically infectious pull for young people.‘ he adds. "l‘hcre really is an energy that sucks an ever evolving crowd into the club atmosphere and all the different aspects of the music. They in turn get involved. spawning new nights and new l).ls. .\'ow we have a real perpetuating scene in Scotland.‘
DJ Kid followed the music from its roots in brcakbcat through jungle. hardstep. to it all now being
just accepted as I)&B. Still a resident at Manga it is
his massive Jungle Magik night on the Saturday that once again welcomes the more soulful. jazz- orientated sound of the mighty l‘abio. ‘l5or very little money were offering tip three of the biggest names in I)&B in one weekend.’ enthuses G-Mac. ‘Between them they cover the entire spectrum of the sound.’
‘This is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of people working together] chips in 1)] Kid. ‘l)&B is still very small. so hopefully other promoters will see what can be achieved if we pull together.‘
You might think that after these two gargantuan nights you may have well and truly rung your money's worth out of the £14 ticket (available in the usual shops or at www.focus-pocus.co.uk). But no. those quickest out of the stalls will also be free to enjoy a l)&B barbecue on the Sunday at the ()uthouse. ‘lt should be a much more relaxed affair.’ claims (‘x-Mac. though his counterpart may have other ideas. 'By Sunday people are saying they could be either on a recovery session or just smashing themselves to bits.’ says DJ Kid. ‘lr‘olk are excited because this kind of thing has never been done before — it is a unique event and will hopefully fire a spark for the scene. We'll see who is the last man standing.’
The Drum & Bass Weekender 2005 features Ed Rush & Optical for Manga at the Honeycomb, Fri 20 May; Fabio joins Jungle Magik at the Liquid Room, Sat 21 May and a 08.8 880 at the Outhouse, Sun 22 May.
Instant Access Most definitely the most interesting Thursday night piaylist in town. None other than Mylo drops in for his after-tour party (f2 May"- and then it goes all beatbox battle crazy (19 May). The Sub Club, Glasgow, week/y Thu.
Smirnoff Experience Who said there was no such thing as a free ride? Those nice peOple at Smirnoff treat us to yet another excellent line-up featuring the Others. Alan McGee. Skinnyman and Rodney P. To get on the guest list visit wwwsmirnoff experiencecouk. The Arches. Glasgow, Sal i 4 .‘vfay.
Drum 8. Bass Weekender Manga and Jungle Magik join fOrces to bring you three days of the best in broken beats. it kicks off with Ed Rush & Optical (Friday 20 May). followed by Fabio (Saturday 21 May) and rounds off with a munch down the BBQ (Sunday 22 Mayl. The Honeycomb. Edinburgh, Fri 2.7 May: The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 22 May; the Outhouse. Edinburgh, Sun 22 May.
Breakitdown Nick Warren (pictured) is the guest of choice. One half of Way Out West. the underground house man hits the capital as part of the Global Underground Shanghai tour. The Honeycomb. Edinburgh. Sat 27 May.
Monox Dan et at spoit us again this month as Wildplanet (Warpt play live for the first time ever in Scotland. The Scundhaus. Glasgow, Sat 27 May.
Disco Not Disco (Part1) Ian Dury's legendary band are on hand to take us through their back catalogue and some of their newer funk and rock sounds from recent album Where '3 the Party? JG Wilkes lends his mighty hand to the nights proceedings. The Renfrew Ferry, Glasgow, Sun 22 May
12-20 May goon THE LIST 37