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Under the radar: Knob-twiddlers in the limelight and good news for all Edinburgh gig-goers

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Published Date: 29 August 2008
By Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon
GLASGOW-BASED electronic musician Binary Zero aka Stuart Foxwell (myspace.com/binaryzero) is already a well-kent face on the city’s electro scene thanks to his Tronic night.
His fame spread in June with the release of the album From Here You Can See Everything on Alex Tronic Records.

The label is now making the outstanding 5th Objective available as a free download at alextronic records.co.uk. With its old-school techno feel and a sample of a David Icke speech, the mesmerising mix is guaranteed to appeal to both aging ravers and young electronica enthusiasts.

It's also our track of the month (click on the green button to have a listen).

Still on the subject of talented West Coast knob twiddlers, the prodigious Satellite Dub, aka Craig Brown, (myspace.com/satellitedub) releases his latest EP on Glasgow label Antimatter Music on 8 September.

Featuring the impressively named tracks The Power Of Einstein and Trying To Stop A Tank With Your Hands, it is up to the high standards we have come to expect. In recent months Brown has supported the likes of Calvin Harris and Digitalism and tonight will appear at the fifth birthday bash of Dunfermline's Is This Music night at Monty's Bar.

Today also marks the beginning of the three-day “boutique” festival Connect in Inveraray ( connectmusic festival.com). Established Scottish geniuses such as Franz Ferdinand, Optimo and Camera Obscura are billed alongside some great newcomers including The Phantom Band, Brother Louis Collective, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Broken Records.

The latter also embark on a tour to promote the Loopallu festival in Ullapool ( loopallu.co.uk), which takes place 19-20 September. The eclectic line up also includes The Levellers, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, King Creosote and Frightened Rabbit.

September promises to be an important month for gig-goers in Edinburgh as the former Caley Palais reopens as a music venue after almost two decades as a bogging disco. Trading under the name The Picture House ( mamagroup.co.uk/picturehouse) the former cinema boasts a capacity of 1,500 and will mark its return on 13 September with a concert by local heroes Idlewild. Younger audiences have cause for celebration, as many of the Picture House shows will be open to over-14s.

With Tennents’ funding for music events running out this year, another cooking lager brand has emerged to support Scottish talent. Miller “Genuine” Draft will host free weekly nights in Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Edinburgh’s The Caves. Taking place respectively on Wednesdays and Thursdays, they will see bands receiving a professionally produced video of the gig. Forthcoming attractions includeKazoo Funk Orchestra ( myspace.com/kazoofunkorchestra) and frenzy-inducing seven-piece Punch & The Apostles ( myspace.com/punchandtheapostles). Having sorted out some great bands and two excellent venues, the only question remaining is how a beer can possibly be a draft if it’s in a bottle. Perhaps the answer is hidden in the website themill-live.com.

At Under The Radar we would like to extend our condolences to the family of My Electric Love Affair’s manager Stevie Edgar, whose funeral takes place today.

• Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run Born To Be Wide ( myspace.com/born tobewide), a social night where bands and people involved in the music/arts scene are invited to play their favourite records, unless they are by The Smiths or Joy Division. The next takes place at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on 2 October. To listen to Olaf and Derick’s previous Track of the Month choices, visit scotsman.com/undertheradar


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  • Last Updated: 29 August 2008 10:45 AM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Under the radar
 
1

Brandandband,

Leith 29/08/2008 16:24:24
I knew times were tough but is it really necessary for The Scotsman to become the whipping boy for a beer brand? I've never seen such a literal and blatant expression of churned out branding hype in an article from a supposedly credible journal. The authors - one of whom fails to declare that he runs the live music night being funded by the beer company, and that he himself is in the considerable pay of the beer in question - even repeat verbatim the brand's key message of the moment and direct readers to the marketing web site. Oh yes, and none of the bands playing at the night are being paid.

Journalistic integrity - I don't think so.
2

Olaf Furniss,

Edinburgh 03/09/2008 14:23:36
Brandandband, you are right to point out that Derick is being paid [a small fee] to suggest bands and rep the Edinburgh nights for The Mill. I should have made this clear when I wrote about the venture. For the record, Derick did not see what had been written until it was published, but as we have a joint byline, this would not have been apparent.
While his connection to The Mill should have been stated, the reason the venture was mentioned has nothing to do his involvement. I wrote about it because in the context of our column, it is newsworthy. After all, this is a regular night which takes place in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, and allows people to go and check out new talent for free.
I would argue that referring to the beer as “cooking” lager is unlikely to go down well with the brand manager, nor is casting aspersions on its self-declared status as a “draft” which is sold in bottles. And as far as mentioning the website goes, this is standard practice throughout the column. Our space is limited, so therefore we publish website and myspace addresses. This allows those who are interested, to find out more about a band, festival or gig.
On a personal level, I agree with you that bands should be paid for performing, and those who prefer cash to being filmed, are likely to continue to play at the excellent Limbo [http://black-spring.com/limbo], which also takes place in Edinburgh on a Thursday.
However, I spoke to a musician yesterday who told me that he had agreed to play a Mill gig because getting a performance filmed professionally – which The Mill offers in lieu of cash - was potentially worth a lot more than the standard fee. Ultimately, bands will decide what suits them best, and so will the public, the majority of which continues to enjoy cooking lager above my preferred European-strength brands.


 

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