Synth Presents...

2012 will be the year. Over the last twelve months or so we’ve watched as producers who had started making music as a hobby have steadily grown into some of the most exciting new artists Scotland or indeed the UK has on offer. As skills have been honed and sounds developed, we can sense that next year is definitely going to be a good one for Glasgow. Take super-fresh edit duo, Slow It Down for example. Featuring in our ‘Get To Know’ feature way back in January they have now become one of the most successful and consistently popular edit teams on Soundcloud, shooting up the charts with every upload while counting everyone from Number’s Jackmaster to living legend, Greg Wilson as fans.

There can be no doubting the power of the edit. Hearing your favourite soul, funk, disco, even hip hop record extended blissfully into an eight minute wonder can give you new appreciation for the very fabric of a song. Discovering the groove that perhaps only momentarily introduced itself in the original can transform a classic into something entirely new. Over the last few years the popularity of the edit, along with new-wave Disco and mid-tempo House has soared immensely, encouraging dancers to find their spot on the dancefloor and not move the whole night. It’s this ethos that inspires Ali Herron aka OOFT!

Ten years ago, a DJ was someone special. Someone who could bring you music no one else could, someone who was looked up to as a figurehead of the social spectrum. DJ’ing was something that only the truly dedicated would apply for, the result of a driving passion for playing records, creating an atmosphere and telling a story. DJ’ing was an art, a way of life and a very pure form of expressing yourself. Fast forward to today and it has simply become another hobby, no more impressive than collecting stamps or spending your day trying to assemble a jigsaw of the last supper.

He may only be 19 but his skills as a DJ are firmly rooted. Jinty is one of Glasgow’s finest - enthusiastic, energetic and committed to the cause, over the last year or two he has made a name for himself which reaches far beyond his moderate age. His passion for all things bass (with special focus on Grime, Hip Hop and Dub) is total, working hard to support the local scene and bringing 100% to each one of his gigs. As we’ve mentioned many times before, it’s that extra flare which will set you aside in this business. Everyone is a DJ, only the people willing to put in something more will excel.

There’s a refreshing energy about 27 year old Dave Smith aka Monopunk. Where others may shy away from losing it on the dancefloor in an attempt to maintain their cool, Dave is at the centre of it all, orchestrating a full-scale shake down to the sound of crashing bass and devastating breakdowns. Given his passion for ‘causing it’ it’s no wonder that his preferred style these days is the face-melting sound of ‘tear-out’ Electro.

‘Dance – Noise – Delirium’. Something you should expect every time you step onto the dancefloor but quite often so rarely find. This however, was exactly what RPZ were offering during their time at the Art School and this is what RPZ managed to consistently deliver. Was it their eye popping visuals? The retro-chic appeal of their erotically charged flyers? Or was it the downright filthy electronic music they played? Actually, it was a combination of all three. During the last decade, Thursday night at the Vic Bar was a melting pot of hedonism and expression. Find yourself surrounded on the chequered dancefloor by uninhibited art students, the air splintered by razor sharp lasers and the walls adorned with highly suggestive visuals and you could easily find the escape the aforementioned tagline promised.

“Two words – pure vibes”. That’s how James Whelan, one half of Glasgow’s easy-skankin reggae collective, Chungo Bungo describes their parties. And after walking into a packed Courtyard on a sunny day in mid-July those two words seem pretty accurate. It’s early afternoon, and bass is already rumbling from the ridiculous sound system that towers high above the bopping heads. James, and his impossibly positive companion Ian MacKinnon (aka Chungo) are taking it back to their roots with a one-off summer special, hidden deep within Glasgow city centre. The summer of 2011 has already proved to be hideously wet, but today the sun is shining, perhaps an indication of things to come.

Chances are, if you were a student in Glasgow between 2008 and 2011 you would have experienced Thursday night at the Art School. In those three short years, student clubbing started to change and along with the likes of Killer Kitsch, weeknight partying started to reclaim its credibility. Standing proudly like a bastion to sub-rumbling bass, the Art School and Mixed Bizness Thursday’s gave people a real alternative, laying the groundwork for the many thriving nights that we know and love today. Where else could you hear Dubstep on a week night in 2008? Where else could you find Art students, curious casuals and Hip Hop baggies mixing in the one place? Mixed Bizness opened it right up, and if like us you were a Thursday night regular, then most of your praise should be directed towards Boom Monk Ben.