Clubs PROFILE
DAVID GUETTA Occupation: French superstar DJ So exactly how much of a ‘superstar DJ’ is this chap? If we ignore the albums, the mix CDs, the remixes, the production work and the singles (we’ll get back to them later) Guetta is one of the biggest DJs in the world right now. Not many DJs are booked to headline the King Tut’s Tent at T in the Park (which he soon transformed into an oasis of hands in the air house heaven) but he’s also headlining the 4Music stage at V Festival, is headlining the main stage at Creamfields and the LED festival in London. And he’s taking a quick break to play Edinburgh, in the only venue with the capacity to hold his legion of fans at the Royal Highland Centre.
OK he’s huge, how come? Debut album Just a Little More (2002) helped pave the way, especially the title track, but it was his infamous Fuck Me I’m Famous mix CDs starting in 2003 that really marked him out as a future star. Mixing big house with a dash of techno and crunchy electro. There’ve been five more entries in the Fuck Me . . . series and three more studio albums since, including last year’s One Love featuring the absolutely gargantuan single ‘When Love Takes Over’ with Kelly Rowland.
Kelly Rowland, impressive stuff, who else has he worked with? It’s not just his own production work where he ropes in the stars, but he’s worked producing tracks for Rihanna, Britney Spears, Estelle, Kelis, Flo Rida and many more. Not forgetting his work with Black Eyed Peas giving them three of their biggest singles ‘Boom Boom Pow’, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ and ‘Rock That Body’. Any more info on this Edinburgh date? DJ Chuckie and Lottie will be providing support, there’s a full stage production (as seen at Guetta’s festival dates) and a ‘giant laser wielding robot’. Awesome. (Henry Northmore) ■ David Guetta, Royal Highland Showground, Edinburgh, Sun 29 Aug.
78 THE LIST 26 Aug–9 Sep 2010
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NEW RESIDENCY R-P-Z Stereo, Glasgow, Sat 28 Aug.
No sooner has Glasgow’s long-running Art School Thursday nighter R-P-Z closed than it’s back in a brand new monthly incarnation for a new venue. ‘The main reason it’s moved is that my DJing partner Bonjour Boi [aka Tom Straughan] has moved to Stockholm to be with his girlfriend,’ says Alan Miller, aka R-P-Z resident Hushpuppy. ‘I’ve been DJing with him for four and a half years now and I didn’t want to get someone totally new in, so this way he can travel back once a month and we can try out a new space, which gives us a chance to rethink things musically and visually.’
Although the pair will be teaming up with ubiquitous club visual provider Joe Crogan as the third member of
their team at the new night, the fact its name isn’t changing suggests Miller and Straughan predict business as usual otherwise. After all, Miller started out DJing at the Art School’s Divine and then ran a bunch of nights at the same venue, changing the name every time it got stale. Abnormals Anonymous and Record Playerz were both his, but he reckons it was time to get R-P-Z out before planned refurbishment closes the Vic Bar next summer anyway.
‘One more reason we’re doing it,’ he says, ‘is so that our friends can come along at the weekend, it’s a big ask for people to give up their Friday. It won’t be too different from what we were doing before, though – a lot of disco, a lot of Italo, occasionally harder acts like Justice or The Presets, and more and more a bit of high-NRG.’ (David Pollock)
DISCO/HOUSE DER SUPERMAX LOVE MACHINE Brunswick Hotel, Glasgow, Sat 28 Aug.
Although Supermax is only celebrating its third birthday, DJ and co- promoter Billy Woods has had plenty of time to hone his tastes over the last 15 years. His first big gig was a residency at Melting Pot, then he co- ran his own monthly night called Outer Drive at the Sub Club for a while. Only now, though, do he and his partner Lisa Ringrose have clear control over every aspect of the show.
‘A lot of the ideas that I’ve got about clubs are based on David Mancuso and his Loft parties,’ says Woods. ‘I’ve met him a few times over the years and he has certain beliefs about how music should be played, it should be high fidelity and played on a great sound system. Plus I still love to dig for records and play on vinyl on three decks.’ Despite the Mancuso and Melting Pot connections, though, Woods points out that Supermax isn’t exclusively for disco, it’s a night where anything goes. ‘The obvious artists I’m into are people like Prins Thomas and Lindstrom, and labels like DFA.’
Although the monthly Supermax has been at the Brunswick Hotel since it started, they’ve branched out into occasional parties elsewhere, including their first date at the Studio Warehouse Gallery later this September. ‘It’ll be an extension of what we’ve been doing already,’ says Woods. ‘Lisa’s worked as a stylist for some years now, and she takes care of the look of the club and the branding. That’s almost as important as the music.’ (David Pollock)