The best new nights in town. This month: Musika

Residents Derek Martin and a rotating roster of local house heads including Gav Grant. Warner Powers and Dean Newton.

Guests Toolroom Knights World Tour with Mark Knight and Martijn Ten Velden for the opening night. Future guests include Eric Prydz (Sat 21 Apr) and D Ramirez (Sat 12 May). Music policy House.

What they say ‘A brand new monthly event is set to take the capital by storm. Musika launches with the ethos of keeping Edinburgh at the forefront of all that’s going on, showcasing the big room house scene and keeping Edinburgh firmly placed on the map as a city to be reckoned with. Musika is pushing the sound of now and if you enjoy your music upfront and dirty, you would be mad to miss out. Mark this date in your diary. dig out your dancing shoes. and don‘t expect an easy Monday morning. You won't be disappointed.‘

What we say We wept a silent tear as Progression left the clubbing calendar in 2006, and now the people behind that venture (namely resident Derek Martin) are back. We know his pedigree so expect quality house that pushes the boundaries. Good guests to launch with. Toolroom Records are one of the UK's foremost cutting edge house labels. Label boss/producer Mark Knight’s DJ skills and tastes take in everything from electro to pure house. He initially launched Toolroom Records as an outlet for his own productions, but now the label’s roster includes the likes of Lucien Foort. Fedde Le Grand. Tom Neville, Robbie Rivera and Paul Harris. Holland’s Martijn Ten Velden brings a twisted edge to the world of house. (Henry Northmore)

I Musika, The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 77 Feb.

32 THE LIST 15 Feb—l Mar 2007

ELECTRONICA

ANNIE MAC

Mixed Bizness at The Sub Club, Thu 22 Feb

According to promoter/DJ Ben Coghill (Mixed Bizness), ‘Annie Mac is the first person in a long time that l have heard on national radio that has made me ‘shoosh’ those in the room. She strikes a perfect balance between pushing exciting new underground music and keeping it accessible to those that don’t necessarily check for the latest white labels,’ he enthuses.

Indeed, the lady in question is pretty much Radio One’s saviour, dance music-wise, especially when it comes to all things electronic. The Annie Mac Mash Up on Radio One and her round the country road trip Annie Mac Presents have both earned her the lDJ cover and accolade of Player of the Year 2006. A title she more than deserves according to Coghill. ‘There’s no one else in the mainstream that has pioneered the likes of Switch, Evil Nine, Jamie Lidell and Diplo right from the off. She does a great service by breaking these acts on her show and she deserves credit for that.’ This is Mac’s first Scottish gig and she will be playing alongside Coghill, better known as Boom Monk Ben, for the night. Music wise, Coghill promises, ‘It will be diverse that’s for sure. Annie’s sets tend to take in big bassline electronics. It’ll be a party anyway but you can never tell what’s going to go down.’ (Sandra Marron)

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HOUSE/DANCEHALL/BREAKS THE IVY WEEKENDER The Ivy, Fri 23 Feb & Sat 24 Feb

A new intimate clubbing space is set to open its doors at the end of February in Glasgow. The Ivy has been born out of the ashes of the Old Repertoire bar on North Street next to the famous Michell Library and with the help of Ooft Ali Herron and Graeme Clark plus Boom Monk Ben of Mixed Bizness. The last Saturday of each month promises to be nothing less than a dancefloor assault. For the opening lvy Weekender. Ninja Tunes‘ Treva Whateva and Sonar

Kollektiv's Domu take to the decks alongside the residents.

The venue itself holds about 80 revellers. but that's the beauty of the space says All Herron, one half of Ooft. ‘Thc size of the venue means we can book guests who we

respect without worrying about the stress of trying to fill a larger capacity space. and the financial pressures that entails.‘ he says. “We're not looking to make any money from this. we just want to have a good time.’

What we want to do is provide a fun night for people to come and enjoy themselves. but playing music that we love. It's a back to basics approach for us. I think the idea of paying $20 plus just to go and see some big name DJs is getting very quickly outdated. We want to do our own thing in our own venue. and hopefully we can carry it off.’

With more quality guests lined up over the next few months including Sinden (Atlantic Jaxx). A Skillz (Fingerlickin’). Jimpster (Freerange) and Hint (Tru Thoughts). punters will be lucky enough to get up close and personal with some fine talent. (Sandra Marron)