Freshers ’24 Wristbands

• The “freshers pass” is strictly for freshers, i.e. new students.
• The “freshers pass” will give the wristband wearer FREE ENTRY to Sub Club from now until 28th October.
• The “freshers pass” will give the wristband wearer a discount on selected drinks.
• Free entry using the “freshers pass” is limited to the first 50 wristband wearers who enter the club before midnight.
• A valid matriculation card must be used in conjunction with your “freshers pass” (so make sure you have both on you when you visit).
• The freshers pass is NOT VALID for sold out events.
• If there are tickets available to buy on the door, your “freshers pass” is valid and can be used to gain entry before midnight.
• Entry to charity events using the “freshers pass” will be on a case-by-case basis and at the discretion of Sub Club.

Your wristband is valid for the following events (unless sold out):

Monday 16th September – Breathe Freshers: Charlie Boon

Wednesday 18th September – Haram Haram: Welcome to Glasgow

Thursday 19th September – Jamie XX “In Waves” Album Launch [SOLD OUT]

Friday 20th September – Spirit ࿓ Donato Dozzy & Bake

Saturday 21st September – Subculture with Harri & Domenic + Schwarzmann (Live)

Sunday 22nd September – RARE Club // Partiboi69

Thursday 26th September – FLY Glasgow // Sam Alfred

Friday 27th September – Sub Club presents Lil’ Louis + Harri

Saturday 28th September – Subculture with Domenic + Derrick Carter

Sunday 29th September – HE.SHE.THEY. x Polka Dot Disco Club invites Jennifer Cardini with special guest BIG WETT

Thursday 3rd October – Sub Club presents Goldie b2b Special Request

Friday 4th October – JAIVA • DJ Paulette & ButhoTheWarrior

Saturday 5th October – Subculture with Harri & Domenic + Chaos in the CBD

Thursday 10th October – Breathe presents: Model Man

Friday 11th October – TBA

Saturday 12th October – Subculture with Harri & Domenic + Marie Montexier

Thursday 17th October – RARE Club // Ross From Friends presents Bubble Love

Friday 18th October – TBA

Saturday 20th October – Subculture with Harri & Domenic

Thursday 24th October – Rinse 30 – Yung Singh b2b Moktar + Hu-Sane

Friday 25th October – Animal Farm – Freddy K + Quail + Trainspotters

Saturday 26th October – Subculture with Harri & Domenic

In conversation with Stevie Cox

It has been half a year since Stevie Cox has brought her experimental, hypnotic and energetic love of house, techno and breaks to the Sub Club basement. After enriching her knowledge in Manchester and Sheffield, she made the move to Glasgow to take the resident seat for Sub Club’s latest all-embracing Thursday night, Sircle, and has since seen herself becoming a frequent addition to lineups across Glasgow and beyond. She joins Telford on February 23rd for her Subculture debut – no doubt to be the first of many to come.

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Can you tell us when / where your love for electronic music began?

Pretty early on in my teenage years. I grew up surrounded by it, sneaking into a lot of raves with older friends when I was a wee one.
The party that easily had the most influence on me was Hoya:Hoya – so I’m buzzing that that Eclair Fifi has a residency with us for 2020, as she was one of the residents at Hoya too.

Has there been any artists that have had a long-standing influence on you as a DJ?
Not consciously, but I’ve got no doubt that I’ve been influenced by my favourite DJs without me being actively aware of it. I have to give a special mention to Mor Elian – she’s one of the absolute best DJs around in my opinion, and has helped me on a personal level more than I can say. Harri, Domenic and Telford have always been right up there as my favourites, and listening to them on a weekly basis has cemented that. I’m really drawn to the Subculture sound – which in my head I’d describe as emotionally rich, melodic and restrained at the right moments.

In the past 10 years, you’ve lived in Manchester, Sheffield and now Glasgow. How have each of these cities affected you musically?
In Manchester when I first started going out, I used to go to all types of events – massive warehouse parties with lots of big names, in-house nights at venues like Antwerp Mansion and smaller monthly resident parties like Hoya:Hoya. These years exposed me to a lot of different kinds of electronic music, so my ‘raving’ starting point was pretty broad in a musical sense. Living in Sheffield whilst studying opened my eyes to more niche stuff and lesser-known names. I’ve discovered so many amazing artists from my years there, especially thanks to Liam O’Shea, the curator of Hope Works and No Bounds Festival. The No Bounds lineups in particular are so forward thinking. Liam is always ahead of the curve and I’m incredibly grateful to him for introducing me to so much amazing music. At the risk of sounding rather obvious, living in different places has exposed me to different people and things, and I’ve discovered different music off the back of that. Glasgow has always been a city I’ve been drawn to musically though – the amount of amazing producers, DJs, labels and promoters working here is very special. I’m lucky enough to have experienced living in three places that have all got vibrant scenes and musical histories.

The Sub Club basement has already honed your sound throughout your Sircle residency in 2019. What are you looking forward to about playing your debut Subculture?
I’ve followed and attended this party for so long that it feels like a personal milestone moment for sure. Telford will probably hate me for saying this, but having to try and keep up with how good he is has definitely made me better at DJing. We’ve played together 3 times now – at Dimensions Festival in Summer, Subbie in October, and Maximum Pressure on New Years Day. It’s like a lesson in how to DJ every time, and I’m really looking forward to round 4.

What has the future got in store for you – can we expect any productions from Stevie Cox?
Hopefully, once I manage to get my inner critic to simmer down…

We give you a situation you give us a track –

• The world is ending. This will be the last track ever.

Aurora Halal – Sunlight

• Aliens have landed. You have the chance to play them one record.

Tracing Xircles – Lost Illusions

• It’s Sunday afternoon at home. The sun is shining through the window. You have no plans for the day.

The Wanda feat. Chaka Khan & Berres Hammond – Baby Don’t You Go (Qwestlife Remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsl3MsbMmi0

• This record never leaves your bag. In fact you might take it out soon as you play it too much.

V – Faux

• This record is rarely in your bag, but you’ve been meaning to put it in, because it sounds so good.

Shlømo – Ivory

Stevie Cox plays with Telford for February 23rd’s edition of Subculture. 11PM – 4AM.

In conversation with Trikk

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In conversation with Cinthie

Tell us about your relationship with Electronic music / House Music growing up. Or of course music in general?

I’ve always been a big music fan, but I fell in love with danke or electronic music in the early 90ies. I had older cousins who went raving in Frankfurt and they gave me a tape from a guy called “Sven” ( Sven Väth ) and I really loved it. I still have the tape, I just found it while cleaning up. Once I was old enough to go out myself , I started a proper raver career. We were rave tourists and went to pretty much all the cool clubs in the 90ies in Germany and also France and Switzerland. It was so much fun. I have admit I was not really old enough at the age of 16 but luckily taller then all my older friends, so I never had a problem to get in. Ever since I feel kinda married to house music. It’s been my first love and I will never leave it.

It can often be the case that there is one club, one dancefloor moment or one experience that changes everything. Tell us about it?

Phew that’s a tough question. There have been many great moments on the dance floor of course but I think it has been somewhere late 90ies when I just started playing myself and I had a small room dancing to my tunes, that was something. I felt really happy and free and knew this is what I will always do in my life. Either as a hobby or full time.

You spend a lot of time in night clubs. You would probably be as good a person as any to design one. What must be included, what must be omitted?

What I really love about nightclubs is, when they are small and cozy, like 300 or 400 capacity. This is where my music works best. I love the minimalism of Galerie Kurzweil or Robert Johnson or Blitz Club. So I would definitely put the DJ booth at the front but with a cap towards the wall behind it, so people can stand there or cross. I love it. Also the DJ booth has to be on the same level as the crowd, so there can be some hedonism created. Bar at the other end please and a really good sound system that massages your belly with the base and is soft in the highs. I think that s pretty much it.. oh and please no strobe.

We give you a situation you give us a track  –

• The world is ending. This will be the last track ever.

• Aliens have landed. You have the chance to play them one record.

• It’s Sunday afternoon at home. The sun is shining through the window. You have no plans for the day.

• This record never leaves your bag. In fact you might take it out soon as you play it too much.

• This record is rarely in your bag, but you’ve been meaning to put it in, because it sounds so good.

• Your guilty pleasure record. One that you don’t normally share. But deep down you love it.

A round of back & forth with DJ Tennis

This Saturday, two underground music legends will reunite; DJ Tennis (aka Manfredi Romano), and SubClub. The moniker stems from his earliest days as a DJ when he played sets at a local tennis club and the people attending misread the invitation.

At the risk of sounding clichéd, DJ Tennis has done it all.
In his teenage years, he listened to The Cure, Joy Division and other alternative rock bands. It was only later whilst studying computer science at the University of Pisa that Romano became interested in electronic music.
His career in music began by selling post-punk era records and progressed to producing music for TV adverts, scoring film soundtracks and managing alternative and punk rock bands. He then focused his attention on developing the Italian underground music scene and established both the Elita festival in Milan and the Dissonanze festival in Rome. He began DJing relatively late in 2010. His label, Life and Death, initially established in collaboration with Thugfucker’s Greg Oreck and Matteo Milleri from Tale of Us, has become a mecca for electronic artists who think outside the box.

But what really sets DJ Tennis apart is his eclectic, dynamic sets. He isn’t chained to any one genre and he plays for the people. He never plans the tracks he’s going to play and this means every DJ Tennis experience is unique – there isn’t only one way to entertain a crowd, and he recognises that. He mixes disco, techno, funk, breakbeat – you name it – interchangeably with little regard for the ‘rules’. With new sub-genres are emerging all the time, a great DJ can stay ahead of the curve – dance music nowadays can often be too formulaic, and the blurring of genres is what leads to creative and original sets.
Good music can’t be categorised. It should just be enjoyed.

Welcome back to SubClub, DJ Tennis!

What is the record would you say you treasure most in your collection?

There’s not a record that I treasure the most in my collection. I have many records that are bonded and connected to different points and moments of my life. One of the records that I have been listening to a lot recently is a record by Mark Hollis (Talk Talk singer). He died in 1998. The record is an incredible self-titled album and I bought it back then and I still have it on vinyl… it’s a beautifully arranged album.
I would say it is a folk-pop record (also very emotional) with a lot of experimental jazz elements. It’s just uplifting with dreamy compositions and is something that I listen to when I want a minute for myself as it deserves silence.

Did writing and producing music influence the need to start DJing?

My intention was never to DJ so the goal was not necessarily to translate music into a performance but it was mainly the pleasure to create music and create something out of little things.
And of course the energy… the fact that we were gathering together with other people to make music. This was something that brought me back to the 90’s when I was playing punk music. I was not an excellent musician. I knew how to play basic guitar, I pretty much started from that. I used my limited guitar skills to write phrases that after I translated onto a synthesizer.
Money never was the target and being popular was not even an idea. It was all about gathering with friends and sharing musical knowledge while having fun, drinks and laughing. It’s just an inspiring and creative way to spend time with your friends and that’s how punk music was born.
It’s much more related to a community than a path that leads to success. And the “simplicity of doing” that makes everything more special. And freer.

You say in an interview that ‘punk is an attitude’. Would you say that electronic music can be punk? Do you see parallels between your experience of alternative rock and your experience of electronic music?

I think punk music, like electronic music, is born when people try to do things on their own, without help or without complex equipment, money and with limited tools.
Punk music was born in a basement just with cheap guitars, cheap drums and cheap instrumentation. Same with electronic music, when I personally started working on it I had a computer, a sampler and a cheap keyboard on my bedroom desk and that’s how I started making beats and mangling sounds. I think this is the same for most of the people at least at the beginning.

How did your experience in producing music for adverts and film soundtracks inform your DJing later? (If it had an influence!) Is your Displaced Soundtracks compilation series inspired by that time?

I made music for movies, soundtracks and theatre plays for the pleasure of giving an interpretation and to create a vibe and an environment around the images or just to help to tell the story or add something to a story. I always liked that. I sometimes watched television and I would mute it and play around with sounds of my Casio Keyboard…. and some of my Instagram stories show that!
I like the interaction between sound and visual approach. Telling a story is not easy. Music can totally change the meaning of an image or it can affect it and this is just an incredible thing to do, so yes… the Displaced Soundtracks is inspired by that.
Asking people who normally work in dance music, to do something that is not necessarily functional and tell a story on his own and that can stimulate imagination and vice versa.

Lastly – do you have any advice for aspiring DJs?

My advice is always the same. Be unique and don’t be afraid to be different.

Grazie per il suo tempo!

Words: Lorena Duguid

Subculture gets to know Fred P a.k.a The Black Jazz Consortium…

‘Deep’ is perhaps the word most associated with the career of Fred P, and for once is an accurate portrayal.

Eleven albums, innumerable releases and decades of Djing into his career, the New York-turned-Berlin resident continues to push further into his own sound, craft, and mind. For those fortunate enough to be present for one of Fred’s cathartic, physical and spiritual DJ sets, the dance floor is not just a place for enjoyment, but for potential. That opportunity for potential – his own, yours, that of our collective consciousness – has long-been the earnest pursuit of Fred P, channelled expertly through his evolved and deeply personal exploration of house and techno music.

Sounds perfect for a Saturday night at Subculture, right?

Subculture got the chance to ask Fred P some of those all important questions ahead of his visit this Saturday! Here’s how it went down…

S: You are originally from New York but now live in Berlin – what was the reason for moving to Berlin and do you feel there is a difference in the scene and general living and working in Berlin to New York?

F: It’s really simple, I began touring regularly in Europe and spending more time in the EU and less and less time in the states. I made the choice reluctantly and now years later realize it was the best decision I ever made!

The scenes are completely different in my opinion: in Europe, there is more appreciation for electronic dance music in terms of the deeper and even more soulful stuff be it house or techno – for me, that’s worth everything.
New York has a strong and unwavering tradition in dance music that is respected, however, the states, in general, is more toward a more popular musical spectrum that evolves with every new incarnation of talent.

S: In an interview with Resident Advisor you stated that your label Soul People Music was somewhat an outlet for releasing music under your alias Black Jazz Consortium. Now that Soul People Music has given way to your new label Perpetual Sound – what is the future for Black Jazz Consortium?

F: I am Soul People Music for life nothing will ever change that! The label was an outlet but the philosophy is part of me and I carry that everywhere I go throughout the earth. Having said that Perpetual Sound is a way to continue my musical vision and collaborate with the artists that I respect. There is a lot in the pipeline dance music is at the core however there is so much more as no one is just one thing.

S: There’s a lot of reference to your music being both visual and spiritual…is this something you aim for when writing and producing music or is this a natural byproduct from your productions?

F: It happens naturally, I’m just being myself. As I evolve it comes out in my art.

S: You have stated before in the XLR8R ‘In the Studio’ interview that you use a fairly minimal set-up, what three pieces of gear do you consistently use/are your favourite?

F: MPC, Ableton and Korg Minilogue

S: If you could work with any vocalist, who would it be and why would you choose this person?

F: That’s really a hard question because there are so many vocalists that touch my heart and inspire me. I will name a few of this is a wish list:
Monday Michiru, Lahla Hathaway, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, the list goes on…

S: You’ve just made a new track and you can drive through anywhere in the world to listen to it on the stereo, where would that place be and why?

F: Shibuya, it’s one of my favourite places on the planet. I write music whenever I’m there and also always find gems in the record stores… musically it’s a muse for me that’s the place.

Let’s throw some quickfire questions into the mix…

S: MPC or Computer?
F: Not fair, both.

S: Larry Heard or Mad Mike?
F: Again not fair…Larry Heard but I adore and admire Mike as well, he’s a true hero. Massive respect to Mad Mike!

S: 808 or 909?
F: 909

S: Kraftwerk or Can?
F: Really not fair, both.

S: Blues or Reggae?
F: Dude, come on!!! For me they are one music different expressions so both.

S: Sun Ra or Coltrane
F: That’s it with the loaded questions! … There is no choosing, they are both my inspiration.

Cheers Fred P <3

Tickets for Saturdays event HERE
Facebook event HERE

OPTIMO RETURN HOME – A BRIEF HISTORY

Before Optimo’s infamous Sub Club residency, both Twitch and Jonnie Wilkes had already gained experience as performers in their own right. Twitch earned his stripes in electro as well as playing post-punk music, inspired largely by the noise rock scene which birthed acts such as The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth. Another crucial act from this scene would be Liquid Liquid, a noise/funk-punk outfit who’s 1983 single ‘Optimo’ would later give the duo its name. Meanwhile, Wilkes cut his teeth as a DJ mixing aspects of the rock music he was listening to with techno. By 1996 both Twitch and Wilkes had racked up experience in organising techno and dance events on a regular basis. Wilkes began holding regular techno evenings in the 90s branded ‘My Machines’ using Glasgow’s School of Art as a venue.

View post on imgur.com

Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, one of Scotland first thorough-bread techno clubs was to be co-founded by Twitch under the title ‘Pure’ which ran from 1990-98 when it closed for good despite still receiving much attention from clubbers and Dj’s alike.
Legendary Scottish techno duo Slam spoke of the club saying “Twitch played with Brainstorm in Edinburgh before Optimo began. Edinburgh’s techno club was built around the residents and was putting on a lot of the same DJs we had at our ‘Slam at the Arches’ night, Richie Hawtin and Jeff Mills being favourites of both clubs. It is remembered as a completely legendary party in Edinburgh’s clubbing folklore.”

On the 30th of November 1997, Glasgow and Sub Club were gifted something truly special when ‘Optimo (Espacio)’ was founded. But as many clubbers will tell you – it wasn’t just a night: ‘Optimo was a club, a sound and a way of life.’
When Keith McIvor and Jonnie Wilkes linked up to form Optimo in 1997 Glasgow’s musical landscape was changed forever. The duo went on to shape Glasgow’s electronic music scene but their influence reached much further. Today’s top artists and DJ’s – the likes of Bicep and The Black Madonna – have thanked Optimo for inspiring them to play with the freedom they do.
Simply put – Optimo defied all expectation. For a club night 13 years is an eternity, but to consistently fill 13 years’ worth of Sundays is truly incredible. Clubs, DJ’s and even whole youth movements can rise and fall in such a period – but Optimo seemed to just rise.
A credit to their success was their live booking policy which allowed bands such as Franz Ferdinand and LCD Soundsystem to play in the basement – a reflection of the duo’s dynamic taste in music which they incorporate in their performances.
The duo possesses a unique and specific aesthetic which they’ve maintained over the years. Their sets include elements of rock, disco, funk and experimentalism. Each set as unique and fresh as the last. Their freedom and expression a result of their simple philosophy of If it sounds good and makes people dance, play it.
Their strong zero tolerance approach to so-called ‘DJ culture’ was a factor in their success. Often criticised for what they played, ‘you can’t play that in Sub Club’ or ‘you’ve lost the plot’ to some of their track selections. Of course, for Optimo, ‘that only fuelled the flames.’ Despite the night at Sub Club discontinuing in 2010, JD Twitch and Wilkes still play regularly globally. Of course, their sets still swerving from electro, 50’s swing, post-punk to funk and anything in between.

On Saturday Optimo make their triumphant return to Sub Club accompanied by beloved Glasgow legends Harri and Domenic at their weekly residency Subculture. Although the Optimo residency ended nearly a decade ago it’s unlikely that the reception will be anything less than overwhelming as the duo return home (at least for one night).

FIVE TRACKS RELEASED ON OPTIMO MUSIC

FIVE TRACKS PLAYED BY OPTIMO

Words by Lorne McFarlane & Ciaran Cairns
Tracks selected by Matt Corry
Tickets Available here

Get Involved With Sub Hub 2019

Back in 2015, Sub Club launched Sub Hub – a creative local hub located in a loft space in Glasgow City Centre, bringing together a range of the city’s most cultural, musically relevant and cutting edge artistic institutions for a unique pop up experience. A place to engage with artistic people from related creative industry backgrounds and to take part in workshops, watch films, socialise, network and hang out in a relaxed and inspiring environment.

Sub Hub 2015 entertained highly respected artists including such luminaries as Jazzy Jeff, Lil’ Louis, Derrick May, Gilles Peterson, Henrik Schwarz, Andrew Weatherall, Roger Sanchez and Graeme Park who engaged directly with the Glasgow audience over 30 days.

We’re looking for creative people to get involved with Sub Hub 2019. If you want to get involved, fill in the form below and we’ll keep in touch.

[typeform_embed type=”embed” url=”https://subhub2019.typeform.com/to/HEYxSX”]

Rebecca Vasmant | Suite Sounds with The Skinny

WETHERSPOONS HOTEL PLANNING CONSENT AND AGENT OF CHANGE.

As has been announced in the press by Glasgow City Council, a 2nd planning application was consented on Tuesday 20th November at a meeting of Glasgow City Council Planning Application Committee allowing Wetherspoon’s proposed hotel development to commence on the vacant site adjoining the Sub Club and the other music venues and businesses in the building. The original application is still the subject of Judicial Review proceedings.

We consider that the Planning Application Committee was misinformed and misdirected by Glasgow City Council Planning Department in their presentation to the committee, and consequently, this new planning consent was granted without due regard for the Scottish Government policy on the Agent of Change principle.

In fact GCC planning department granted the original planning consent in July 2017 for the hotel development without any regard whatsoever for the music venues which have operated on this site for decades, failing even to mention their existence in the handling report, never mind insisting on any condition relating to noise ingress to the hotel bedrooms which are to be sited within a few feet of The Sub Club and Classic Grand. In the case of the Classic Grand, bedrooms are shown in the design to be literally directly through the wall from the nightclub.

It was for this reason that we decided last year to take the costly and very time-consuming action to raise a Judicial Review petition, as there was literally no protection in place should future hotel occupants complain about noise emanating from our premises.

Regarding the new application, consented by the committee last Tuesday, the planning officer stated to the Planning Application Committee, in a one-sided and distorted version of the context and background situation, that the Sub Club had raised a Judicial Review action in relation to condition 4 of the consent and stated that this amended condition now resolved the issue which was in dispute.

This is completely inaccurate. Our action centres on the fact that there is actually NO NOISE CONDITION in the original 2017 planning consent to regulate noise ingress to the hotel bedrooms from the Sub Club or the other music venues and businesses.

A number of other assertions were put in front of the committee, which suggested that appropriate consultations took place, when in fact the applicant and the planning department refused point blank to share the proposed wording of this new condition with us ahead of the application. In other words, we were given no opportunity to influence or even comment on the proposed wording as had been promised at the point where we agreed to delay legal proceedings. Planners also failed to offer any dialogue on our own proposed condition submitted at a meeting in March 2018 which was drawn up by acoustic and planning experts to remedy the situation.

There were 21 objections to this application. These included representations on the specific points above from respected music bodies, the Night Time Industries Association, the Music Venues Trust, Scottish Music Industry Association and UK Music, and the rest were made up of owners and occupants of our building and from respected professionals in the fields of music, planning and acoustic science.

Incredibly, following these objections to this Section 42 amendment, the actual amendment itself was further amended immediately before being presented to the committee on Nov 20th, with no opportunity for any of the objectors to review the change or comment on it.

NONE of the objections were discussed at the committee hearing, and the planning officer presenting the recommendation to grant consent made no attempt to articulate the reasons for the objections.

Furthermore, a letter expressing concerns about this process to the committee from our own solicitor was not even mentioned, and a request from our ward councilor to adjourn proceedings pending further discussion, or to hold a hearing, was only mentioned as an afterthought and was passed over without being read out or circulated to individual committee members for consideration.

It feels like the planners objective is to circumvent the due legal process which is ongoing, and to dilute the principle of Agent Of Change, whilst pushing forward a development which potentially threatens the existence of these important music venues and businesses.

It is also worth stating that contrary to comments which appeared following the GCC press release, at no stage have we objected to the principal of the hotel being built. In fact, on the contrary, we welcome the development of the site which has been an eyesore since the previous building was destroyed by fire in November 1999, forcing the closure of our own premises for 3 years.

We consider that this decision to consent planning approval is unsound, that it leaves a serious threat to the very existence of the Sub Club, Classic Grand, Academy of Music and other music businesses within the building, and that it flies in the face of the principle of Agent of Change which is now part of the Scottish Government planning guidelines.

We are currently taking further legal advice on the best course of action.