Midland: All Night Long, Brighton & Leeds
Beginning his career in the heady days of what was then called UK bass, Harry Agius, otherwise known as Midland, has blossomed into one of the most versatile and wide-reaching DJs on the scene. The buzz accumulated from his frequent, classy sets across Europe – not to mention his recent run of weekly Rinse shows – has allowed promoters to programme a roving series of sessions throughout the autumn, under the banner All Night Long. Over the next three months, he’ll play London, Liverpool and Manchester, and this week visits Brighton and his home town of Leeds. For the latter, Midland will play over the deeply satisfying soundsystem at Wire, a club where he once worked night shifts cleaning toilets. Mercifully content to remain behind the decks on this occasion, expect an open-ended set of rumbling techno, vintage-tinted house and a few well-judged curveballs.
Patterns, Brighton, Sat; Wire, Leeds, Fri
JT
Ovation, London
One of the year’s less expected and mostly overlooked collaborations was Nu Renegade, an EP by Leila and Zebra Katz. Leila is the Iran-born producer who has been putting out intricate but spacious productions since the late 90s (start with To Win Her Love, a leftfield dancehall masterpiece); Zebra Katz is the sass-slinging ballroom rapper whose flow is delicate even when it’s nasty, with words not so much spat as pinned on to the track. His malevolence is paired with her claps and blown-out bass, plus touches of jolie-laide electronics. It’ll make for a theatrical live show, as the pair team up for their first proper UK performance, where Leila also plays a solo set. Also live are L-Vis 1990, the Night Slugs artist who blends Zapp-style electronic funk with the rowdiness of juke and UK bass; and Lakker, who bring their AV show to the UK for the first time following this year’s acclaimed Tundra album. Their techno is gigantically atmospheric, with white plumes of noise shooting through stately landscapes as half-stepping rhythms bristle underfoot.
Oval Space, E2, Thu
BB
Pressure, Glasgow
In recent years, Jamie Roberts has become something of a staple figure on the techno circuit. Aside from his solo alias Blawan, he often appears alongside Birmingham great Anthony Child as Trade, or with R&S’s Pariah as Karenn, forging relentless kicks from a cluttered table of hardware, cigarette perpetually hanging from his mouth. His discography traces lines between murky nihilism and more nuanced sonic demolition: from 2012’s monstrous Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage, to the more groove-ridden roil of his recent Warm Tonal Touch EP. He’ll be playing alongside an impressive serving of Scottish techno: Perth’s Clouds, and Pressure residents Slam.
SWG3, Fri
SC
Boogie Cafe Records Boat Party, Bristol
Boogie Cafe Records is holding on to the last days of summer with a boat trip down the harbour-side canal. The Bristol-based label is a joint venture between local producers Jimmy The Twin, Naughty Alex and Hero73*, which has released feel-good 12-inches from the likes of Chezz, Newman and Childs & Moore in recent months. Setting off at 7pm, expect to boogie on down to hip-hop-inspired broken beats, with influences ranging from Chicago to Berlin. The label is also welcoming local lad Admin on board, ensuring the expedition is a Bristolian affair.
Tower Belle Boat, Fri
SM
Individual Collective, London
After 20 years in the game and with his first album since 2001 out soon, Regis is more feted than ever for his strain of UK techno: brutish industrialism that shows you can find transcendence in drudgery, rather than some spurious aspirational lifestyle. He DJs here, supported by Sunil Sharpe. On the live front, Samuel Kerridge brings his excellent and ferociously noisy current set; Headless Horseman launches his new LP; and Talker make their UK debut. It’s techno in any colour, as long as it’s black.
Corsica Studios, SE17, Sat
BB
