Erol Alkan, Liverpool
Erol Alkan remains one of British dance music’s most resilient figures. Whether you’re best familiar with his trailblazing career as an indie-turned-electro jock, his psychedelic reworks with Richard Norris under their Beyond The Wizards Sleeve guise, or his playful Disco 3000 edits, Alkan is masterful at joining disparate dots into one coherent musical experience. Having previously turned in 12-hour sets in his native London, he’s also a solid hand when it comes to keeping a rave on its toes for hours at a time, a skill he’ll be effortlessly demonstrating during this All Night Long session within the atmospheric basement of The Shipping Forecast. Fresh from his Fabriclive mix release, this should be special.
The Shipping Forecast, Sat
JT
Simple Things, Glasgow
After the flagship outing in Bristol, Simple Things goes on the road to Glasgow, where a smörgåsbord of chin-stroking electronica acts are given the headliner treatment. Autechre, Nightmares On Wax and Clark all represent Warp Records, but the contrast between all these underground darlings really pops throughout the bill. LA producer and singer Seven Davis Jr channels the spirit of Prince into his DIY house jams to cool and sexy effect, while Lone plays a full AV show of his day-glo hip-hop, given colourful life with the help of Konx-om-Pax’s frantic live animations. What really makes this a Glasgow special, however, is the local talent. There’s LUMA (AKA Optimo cohort Dave Clark), LuckyMe’s Eclair Fifi and Joe Marinetti, and pumping local DJ crew Vitamins. Split across three venues (O2 ABC, The Art School and Broadcast) in the city centre, and all within spitting distance of each other, this is the best mini-fest money can buy this month.
LM
Lumberjacks In Hell, London
In the wrong hands disco edits lazily stretch out perfect pop songs like an overzealous pizza chef, resulting in an unsatisfying flabbiness. Even the great editors such as Tom Moulton can be guilty of boring string-section murmurations but he, along with modern masters like Mark E, Theo Parrish or Prins Thomas, can also transform a track into ecstatic repetition – and this week the UK receives some other geniuses of the form. Amsterdam’s Lumberjacks In Hell sends label boss Marcel Vogel over for their first non-Dutch parties, bringing with him a crate of killer edits as well as Chicago’s Jamie 3:26, a disciple of Ron Hardy’s pan-genre mixing credo, who takes disco and early deep house and rolls them smoothly across one another. Next Saturday in Manchester’s Gorilla, they’re joined by Rahaan, who tantalises with dubby echo effects before dropping a track’s keytar-driven boogie.
The Bussey Building, SE15, Fri
BB
IAAG Launch, Letchworth
When thinking of the bustling electronic music scene, you’d be forgiven for not putting Letchworth at the top of your list of likely locales. But Hertfordshire label Imperial Audio has set out to change that, with a community-led project welcoming producers, DJs, artists, photographers, designers and more. The Imperial Arts Audio Gallery (IAAG) opens with an all-dayer. Headlining the event is MUD’s Demon – a founding member of grime collective Macabre Unit who specialises in producing early-00s garage with darkened dubstep undertones.
IAAG, Sat
SM
Plex/Bleed/Them, London
Corsica Studios teams up with its neighbouring Colombian bar to host three techno promoters. The first, Plex, brings stern yet cosmic industrialist Ancient Methods to headline room one, along with Blacknecks live. As well as Ekoplekz, Charles Manier and others, Bleed bring Hieroglyphic Being’s darting funk brutality to room two. Room three, meanwhile, is scheduled by Them, headlined by Randomer, who makes rough techno that thumps like a furred kettle. Plus there’s a 10am finish. All in all: oof.
Corsica Studios, SE17, Fri
BB
