Freshers week is kicking off: thrusting first year undergraduates into new, alien cities the country wide. Cue a stream of pub crawls, quizzes, club nights for which a cheap printed t-shirt works as a ticket, and of course let’s not forget the endless drinking games.
For the most part, Universities pre-planned freshers programmes tend to err on the blander side of things. With this in mind, and a fair number of tortuous freshers experiences of our own tucked firmly under our belts, we at TNG have decided to put together an alternative city-by-city guide to freshers week: introducing you to some of the best club nights and events on offer during this time of hazy revelry.
Glasgow
If you are fortunate enough to be starting your first year of study in Glasgow this September, you are more than spoilt for choice in terms of events. The city is home to a thriving electronic music scene, with a strong reputation for techno and house as well as more experimental genres.
People take their music seriously in Glasgow. It is notorious both for the intensity of its crowds and the disproportionately large number of talented DJ’s calling the city home. Having birthed such world-renowned clubbing names as Optimo, Numbers, Slam and LuckyMe, rest assured that throughout Freshers week there are a plethora of nights and top-notch DJ’s on offer for your consumption.
On Friday 12th the School of Art plays host to Blu and Mixmag, who partner up to bring the Crazy P Soundsystem, Jonas Rathsman and Finnebassen down for a night of eletronica, house and techno. Over at Saint Judes Madtech’s Josh Butler rocks a set in their Bath Street Basement, whilst at the infamous SubClub Slam usher in Robert Hood – one of the original innovators of minimal techno – as they fast approach their ‘Return To Mono’ night’s tenth anniversary. Also on the same night, Intec Digital present Carl Cox and Jon Ruddel at The Arches for an extended session of acid house and techno; which, taking into account Cox’s long-standing history with both Glasgow’s clubbing community and the venue itself, having frequently played The Arches since it first opened it’s doors in 91, should be an amazing night by all accounts.
Saturday 13th sees Slam take over Paisley with an exclusive four hour set. Later in the week, on the 18th Night Slugs usher in a Thursday night session at Saint Judes with Club Rez. On Friday 19th Flashmob present a night of house, techno and tech house at Saint Judes with South London Ordinance, whilst Harri and Domenic of Subculture take on a four hour electronica set at Paisley. On the same night, LuckyMe team up with Glasgow School of Art to present Manchester-based Hoya:Hoya resident Eclair Fifi and friends for what looks to be a killer evening; and what’s more, RinseFM are doing a take over at SubClub with Ivan Smagghe playing a back-to-back with JG Wilkes (Optimo) – so expect some of those famously obscure records to make an appearance!
On Saturday 20th, La Cheetah hosts a night of underground techno from CODE with special guest Truncate (aka Audio Injection) taking to the decks for a headline slot. At SubClub, Subculture present an all nighter with special guest Derrick Carter – one of the pinnacles of Chicago’s 90’s house scene – whilst over at Saint Judes Aus Music present a deep house night with sets from founder Will Saul and Jodie alongside a live set from upcoming Cambridgeshire producer Gerry Reed – who has won the support of key players such as Ben UFO and Untold with his prolific productions.
For a small taste of what Glasgow has to offer in terms of art, music and parties, our advice is to throw caution to the winds and venture out on a journey of exploration beyond your average, run-of-the-mill £1 a pint student nights. Mix it up, check out the old haunts of some of electronica’s biggest legends, and seek out some like-minded souls to a sound track crafted by a selection of the best DJ’s the world has to offer!
In order to get you fully hyped we have included an archive mix from Rustie and Jackmaster, recorded in Glasgow after a night out at Paisley, now ten years ago, as a reminder of the cities rich musical history! Check it out below.
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