CLUBS

DFA acid house maestro The Juan Maclean makes a welcome return to Bristol this weekend. Uncle Basic takes down his particulars.

Bristol can be a strange place, you know. It’s a city full of surprises in all the most unlikely places. Take Start The Bus, for example. When it sprang up on the site of dank corporate piss-factory Edwards, there were few people at the time of its grand opening who would have held out much hope for an alternative venue in the heart of the commercial district lasting months, let alone years. But remained it has, becoming an intriguingly resilient city-centre oasis for forward-thinking music that has played host to such progressive artists as Flying Lotus, Dimlite, Nosaj Thing and Glitch Mob.

A large dollop of this success can be attributed to promotions manager Matt Aitken, otherwise known as Kid Manners, who has tirelessly carved out a niche for the venue as the place to enjoy some of the most exciting creative live acts and DJs from around the world. This weekend is no different when, in conjunction with Club Cosmique, he pulls another tasty rabbit out his hat with the arrival of DFA royalty The Juan Maclean.

The former English teacher turned acid house arsonist has crafted a well-deserved reputation for incendiary live shows and DJ gigs alike, and after the huge success of 2008’s ‘Happy House’, this year saw him release his edition of the ‘DJ Kicks’ series which garnered worldwide acclaim. The man’s never been shy of telling it like it is, be it politics, gender issues or the state of dance music today, and his passion translates directly into his music, with a breadth and depth of knowledge and skill most other artists will never hope to accumulate. His journey to this point has been one marked by personal tragedy and addiction, so it is all the more inspiring to see a truly unique creative voice being given his time to shine.

To accompany his disco-flavoured acid squiggles, the Cosmique crew have recruited Ezra Bang & Hot Machine, who have been likened to everybody from Grace Jones to Outkast, which normally means critics can’t place them anywhere because they don’t really sound like anybody else – which they don’t. Judging by previous live shows from this collective, this should not be missed. Able-bodied support comes from the Pardon My French DJs, who are quickly making a name for themselves, and Okay Deejay. So why not take a stroll through the Friday night city centre carnage to enjoy some pure sonic bliss right on your doorstep?

CLUB COSMIQUE WAS AT START THE BUS, BRISTOL ON FRI 29 OCT.
 

Copyright Uncle Basic 2010

Tweet