The Essential 10
If you only go out once this month, make sure it’s to one of these...
Matter, Millennium Way, Greenwich, London, SE10
Saturday 20th Feb
Now here's something a bit special. Simian Mobile Disco team up with mutant techno masters Bugged Out and curate a serious smorgasbord of transatlantic sonic goodness. Which means acid house godfather DJ Pierre somehow sits next to Purple funk pusher Joker, Italo nostalgics Retro/Grade nestle up against Chicago's Green Velvet, and there's still room left on the platter for Ralph Lawson, Boy 8-Bit, JoJo De Freq and Mowgli. And have we mentioned there'll be a sweat-soaked, raucous live set from the SMD boys themselves? We have now. That's what we call a rave.
10pm – 7am £15 adv matterlondon.com
2. SHELTER PRESENT JORI HULKONNEN
Ruby's, John St, Waterford, Ireland
Saturday 13th Feb
Is Juri Hulkonnen the most underrated man in techno? Since his initial jackin' tracks in the early-'90s, the prolific Finn has produced a full 10 artist LPs, many on Laurent Garnier's legendary F Comm label, collaborated with Tiga on the electroclash anthem 'Sunglasses At Night' (under the name Zyntherius) and graced labels like Rekids, Get Physical and Dessous under a plethora of pseudonyms. His incredibly diverse 'Man On Earth' LP, on Tiga's Turbo, sat amongst last year's most rewarding techno listens. Need any more evidence? Well, why not check out his return to Ireland tonight.
10pm – 2.30am €12/€10 rubys.ie
3. 'FABRICLIVE 50: AUTONOMIC' LAUNCH
Fabric, Charterhouse St, London, EC1M
Friday 12th Feb
The saviour of lost, disillusioned drum & bass heads the globe over, the alliance of dBridge and Instra:mental was the surprise package of last year with their expansive Autonomic podcasts on lock all year in the DJmag office. Catch them tonight as they launch their mind-melting 'fabric live 50: Autonomic' mix in room three with sets full of future r&b, alien bass grooves, d&b minimalism and emotion-loaded electronica. Kindred spirit Consequence joins them, while Andy C, Shy FX and Commix push the tempos — and bass bins — in room two.
10pm – 6am £14/£11/£6 after 3am fabriclondon.com
Rainbow Warehouse, Adderley St, Birmingham, B9
Saturday 6th Feb
Wax:On continue their bass bolstered, genre lurching mission across the UK and there can't be many better homes for their eclectic take on acid house than the sweaty, unpretentious Rainbow Warehouse. That said, the line-up would cause disco carnage in just about space with unofficial resident Erol Alkan, Fake Blood, aggro dubstep instigator Caspa and the hotly tipped Jakwob, joining the ressies People Get Real and Eskimo Twins. If your trainers are still clean by the time you get home, then you're clearly doing something very wrong.
10.30pm – 5am £12/£10 waxonuk.com
Sankeys, Radium St, Manchester, M4
Saturday 20th Feb
If you live anywhere near Manchester and don't know what Disco Electronica are all about then come out from under that rock and welcome back to the party. Now a bonafide Sankeys institution, OD Muzique's monthly sessions of underground house and future techno are moving up a gear in 2010 too, with guests like Joris Voorn, Reboot and Marco Carola all coming up. For tonight, though, it's all about the jack as Chicago's original house gangster is in town. Or DJ Sneak, as you might know him. As always, OD Muzique will be supporting.
10.30pm – 6am £15/£12 adv sankeys.info
World Headquarters, Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1
Friday 12th Feb
Shogun Audio's Alix Perez is this month's special one at Deviate — following in the trainer treads of Joker and Martyn. Part of the elite band of d&b innovators stretching the sound to its limit, Perez has been blazing a trail ever since the clinical beats of his awesome '1984' LP dropped last year. Tonight, the Belgian born producer will be roadtesting his latest sublow sonics for the Geordie bass massive, with support from the local hit team of Spalec, Mike Jones and Capo Ultra.
11pm – 4am £7 adv myspace.com/deviateevents
Plastic People, Curtain Rd, London, EC2
Friday 26th Feb
Unless you've got enough financial and social clout to book the best DJs around for your house parties, Plastic People is the nearest you'll get to having a serious rave in your front room and tonight an old favourite returns to his home from home — Buzzin Fly's Ben Watt. Resuming the fabled residency they held here during 2006 and 2007, Watt's Buzzin Fly begin a bi-monthly series at the blackout basement with a back-to-back between Watt and longtime sidekick Chris Woodward.
10pm – 4am £10/£7.50 adv plasticpeople.co.uk
8. UNDER_SCORE PRESENTS WBEEZA
Day & Night, St Nicholas St, Bristol, BS1
Friday 12th Feb
Just where would we be without nights like under_score. For five years now, they've been buzzing away under the radar and pushing the most underground and experimental tech sounds to Bristol with Marcel Dettman and 2562 among their previous bookings. To kick off their new residency at Day & Night, they've snagged a live set from a South London producer that we're tipping for big tings here are DJmag — Third Ear Recordings' Wbeeza. Expect Detroit-infused deepness, swinging jazz grooves and acid touches.
10pm – 4am £5/£3 b4 11pm myspace.com/underscore
9. SATURDAY SESSIONS PRESENTS SOS
Ministry Of Sound, Gaunt St, London, SE10
Saturday 13th Feb
If you've seen the SOS trio play recently, you probably won't need De La Soul to tell you that free is the magic number. Launching their faultless new mix CD for the club, Desyn, Desi and Omid will be getting deep and epic in Ministry Of Sound's Box, alongside the more techno-focused sounds of Steve Rachmad. Disco and edits rule the bar with Greg Wilson, Faze Action, Dom Chung and Sean Brosnan.
11pm –7am £15 adv ministryofsound.com
Millennium Music Hall, Wood St, Cardiff, CF10
Saturday 20th Feb
The force that put the credibility back into Cardiff's midweek/student scene cranks it up for their third birthday. Swaggering out from their Thursday residency at the Welsh Club, the C-Y-N-T crew are the cats that got the cream tonight Having been hankering and pleading for a bit of Crookers since they started, the Italian bass stallions have finally been enticed way out West. They aren't the only headliners, though. Made To Play's Jesse Rose gets down with his jackin' house and apparently there's more to be confirmed.
10pm – 4am £12 adv c-y-n-t.com