Clubs INTRODUCING . . .
The best new nights in town. This month: Pass the Peas Residents Veteran Glasgow DJ Andy Taylor, whose own productions have appeared on Wack Records and Resense, and Graeme Kerr aka weeG, who is also one of the quartet behind Edinburgh’s Four Corners night at the Bongo Club. Guests Not at this debut night, but the plan is that live bands and guest DJs will start to appear from December. Hopefully Mossa Funk Club (who Taylor plays double bass for) will be the first guests and possibly the resident house band, while Wack label boss Smoove is a possible future guest. Music policy ‘It’ll be a funk, soul, hip hop, disco mish-mash of an event,’ says Kerr, also citing reggae, Latin and the fact that Taylor’s ‘a B-Boy at heart’. The flyer sums it up as ‘an unstoppable soul revival featuring the cream of what’s happening on the international funk and soul scene.’ What they say ‘Since the Funk Room at the Arches came to an end, it’s been hard to go out and hear this kind of music in Glasgow,’ says Kerr. ‘The Buff Club’s tried to keep the vibe going, Divine at the Art School plays it and I believe Superfly is back, but there aren’t many strong nights focusing on funk and soul in Glasgow. We both wanted to do something together and Blackfriars were really supportive, so it just seemed like the perfect time.’ What we say A night like this might not have the currency of all the fresh-faced dubstep clubs springing up around Glasgow, but Kerr’s right when he says the timeless styles he plays aren’t well catered for in the city right now. Patrons of now-defunct social clubs like the Winchester and Woodside should find a spiritual home here. (David Pollock) ■ Blackfriars Basement, Glasgow, Sat 13 Nov and then the second Saturday of each month. 32 THE LIST 4–18 Nov 2010
BREAKS AZ-TECH The Caves, Edinburgh, Fri 5 Nov
‘Az-Tech started as a breaks night. We just wanted a place to play out the music we like and bring breaks to Edinburgh,’ explains Amy Fowler (aka resident DJ Siren). ‘But it’s evolved, our music policy is really loose, it’s just party tunes.’ Broadening their playlist to include drum & bass, techno, house and electro, the night has diversified. ‘Our guests play a real mix but most of the time it’s bass heavy because that’s what we know people in Edinburgh love. They love heavy music and big peak time anthems.’ Aiming to fill a gap in Edinburgh’s clubland after the closure of venues such as La Belle Angele, The Venue
and the Honeycomb, Az-Tech launched at The Caves in 2007, playing host to guests such as Far Too Loud, Maelstrom, Plaza de Funk and Hexadecimal alongside resident graffiti art collective The Too Much Fun Club. But all good things must come to an end, and with the last member of the resident DJ team (made up of Siren, Al Majik and Re:Tox) moving away from Edinburgh, this November date will be the last ever Az-Tech.
‘We’re bringing our favourite local DJs down and we’ve got a surprise mystery guest who is rumoured to be making his last ever UK appearance. For the regulars it’ll definitely be a pleasant surprise,’ adds Fowler cryptically. ‘Headlining will be the three residents and we’ll be doing a back-to-back mash-up for the last two hours – there’s something great about ending it with a bang.’ (Henry Northmore)
DUB/REGGAE MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Sat 6 Nov.
‘Brother Culture is no stranger to Messenger Sound System,’ says the Edinburgh dub reggae night’s founder Steve Gad about its latest guest. ‘His association with the club goes right back to the old Bongo Club on New Street, and he and I are old friends. We’re about the same age, we’ve experienced the same things, he’s a rastaman and so am I.’
High praise, coming from Edinburgh’s premier promoter on the sound system scene, but then Brother Culture seems to gather fraternal affection wherever he goes. A Londoner by the name of Simon Fajemisin, his MCing skills have been in demand for nearly three decades, both live and on record. He’s worked with or appeared alongside Aswad, the Trojan Sound System, Adrian Sherwood, Zion Train, The Orb Soundsystem and many others. Amongst a bunch of labels he’s released on is Scotch Bonnet, the recorded wing of Glasgow’s Mungo’s Hi-Fi.
‘I’ll be working with him on an original format here,’ says Gad.
‘Sometimes he’ll play his own set in places, where he uses his own backing tapes, but here he says he’s happy to take it as it comes. I’ll be the selector on the night and he’ll ride the rhythm just doing what he wants. It’s a tried and tested traditional manner, and Brother Culture’s a lyrically gifted micsman. He’s a veteran now and he can hold the mic and chat all night. Like his name says, he’s bringing a cultural message – that’s very important. Word, sound and power to deliver a solid message that people can hold on to.’ (David Pollock)