The Wee Hours: Electronic music highlights, February 2013

By RAY PHILP
Published on 31/01/2013 19:13

OLD-SCHOOL machine funk from Farley Keith, aka Chicago house legend Farley Jackmaster Funk, pan-global rhythms from Auntie Flo and a truly cinematic techno experience make up this week’s electronic music highlights

Ben UFO, Maceo Plex, Peason Sound & Huxley @ Musika, Sat 2 Feb

The Liquid Room, £20, 11pm-3am

Edinburgh

Bridging an ever-closing gap between European and UK house music, Musika celebrate their sixth birthday with a line-up that (just about) warrants a considerable £20 outlay. The one to watch out for here is Ben UFO - co-founder of avante-garde label Hessle Audio, alongside fellow headliner Pearson Sound - who is quite simply one of the best in the business, with a fearless mixing style that seamlessly incorporates seminal Chicago house, experimental UK techno and music that doesn’t really even have a name yet.

Recommended listening: Ben UFO - Fabriclive 67

The House Sound of Chicago with Farley Jackmaster Funk @ La Cheetah, Fri 8 Feb

Max La Cheetah’s, £10, 11pm-3am

Glasgow

La Cheetah has spent the last few months presenting a (rather excellent) bluffer’s guide to Detroit techno, hosting Motor City legends Juan Atkins, Eddie ‘Flashin’ Fowlkes and Keith Tucker in one of Glasgow’s best small venues. Farley Jackmaster Funk, a DJ inextricably linked to Chicago’s halcyon days, offers another valuable - not to mention fun - history lesson.

Recommended listening: Farley Jackmaster Funk - Jack’N The House

Jeff Mills, Raime, Dieter Moebius and JD Twitch @ Sonic Cineplex, Sat 16 Feb

The Arches, £19.50

Glasgow, 3pm-11pm

The unlikely dovetailing of cinema and techno at the Arches is one of this week’s more curious events, but for aficionados of either attendance is essential. Jeff Mills, whose OST of Metropolis (1927) gave contemporary expression to the film’s already astonishing vision of the future, will play a live soundtrack to another Fritz Lang film, Woman In The Moon. Dieter Moebius, a founding father of Krautrock, Optimo’s JD Twitch and Blackest Ever Black’s Raime are also among a stellar line-up. Word of warning, though: there may be a stray fist-pump or two in the front row.


Recommended listening: Jeff Mills - Metropolis

Auntie Flo @ Wasabi Disco, Sat 16 Feb

Sneaky Pete’s, £3, 11pm-3am

Edinburgh

Auntie Flo, aka Brian D’Souza, has been a quiet fixture in Edinburgh and Glasgow club nights for the last few years, but 2012 saw a meteoric - and well-deserved - rise to prominence for the Glasgow-based producer. Releases for Huntleys & Palmers such as Highlife (also the name of his well-regarded club night) and Oh My Days and an album on the same imprint, Future Rhythm Machine, are good signposts for his hedonistic, pan-global approach to club music. You’ll struggle to find something more fun to go to this month.

Recommended listening: Resident Advisor podcast

Levon Vincent @ Subculture & Numbers, Sat 23 Feb

Sub Club, £12

Glasgow

A spectacular string of releases - Double Jointed Sex Freak, Man Or Mistress, Impressions Of A Rainstorm, to name but a few - alongside one of last year’s best mix CDs, Fabric 63, has only bolstered Levon Vincent’s reputation as an excellent producer. He’s an equally exceptional selector - his appearance at a joint party hosted by two of Glasgow’s premier house and techno soirees, Subculture and Numbers, should offer further testament to the fact.

Recommended listening: Levon Vincent - Double Jointed Sex Freak Pt II

Factfile: Jackmaster Farley Funk

What’s the big deal? Jackmaster Farley Funk is widely credited with introducing the Chicago house sound to the UK with Love Can’t Turn Around, featuring late vocalist Darryl Pandy. One of the cornerstones of the scene, he was a regular fixture at the legendary Warehouse club and a resident at The Playground.

Did you know? Love Can’t Turn Around was the first ever house record to chart in the UK

Biggest hit? Love Can’t Turn Around (ft Darryl Pandy)

Single of the week: Levon Vincent - Specks Jam

Levon Vincent, a producer whose increasingly experimental and introspective releases have only furthered his stock among an ever-growing fanbase, paints his latest effort with a welcome lick of funk, thanks to a catchy bass guitar loop and a steady pulse that demands attention from your hips as well as your ears.