- When you think of Scotland's dance music legacy, your mind immediately turns to Glasgow, home of Sub Club, Rubadub Records and Optimo. But Edinburgh, typically the quieter, more well-to-do of the two cities, has its own history too, which has traditionally revolved around its large student population. Today, the capital is enjoying a particularly vibrant period. Nightvision, a new seasonal events series that launched in September, hosts top-tier acts every weekend, while the likes of Sneaky Pete's, Kapital and FLY Club centre their efforts around a lively mix of local and underground talent. One of the more eye-catching bookings to recently hit the city was Barnt, who made his Edinburgh debut at FLY Club's second birthday earlier this month.
Of the aforementioned venues and promoters, FLY Club caters to the youngest audience. As well as running on Fridays at Cabaret Voltaire, the party also hosts Sundays at Sub Club in Glasgow, taking over from Optimo's long-running residency last year. For obvious reasons, it's a popular night with students. At the Barnt show, the 400-strong crowd were noticeably young, though there were a couple of older groups dotted around. In the club's main room, local act Nolan & Herd were quick to settle into their groove, turning out breezy Chicago house for the party's early-birds. Despite Scotland's strict 3 AM curfew, dance floors still rarely swell until past midnight, and it wasn't until 12:30 that the club filled up.
At 1 AM, Barnt took over. Though the warm-up duo had purposefully dropped a couple of more rigid tracks to close, the crowd still look slightly bewildered as Barnt set about conjuring up a five-minute swirling intro. Beatless, eerie and melodic, it was a dramatic entrance, and completely reset the party's pulse. In less skilled hands, the crowd could've easily lost focus, but Barnt guided them through to the first kick drum with aplomb.
The rest of his set was just as thrilling. Early bits of sludgy, soulful techno gave way to harder, more emotive cuts, with outings for Levon Vincent's "Junkies On Herman Strasse," DJ Metatron's "Oh Ah" and Vril's "Planet Rock"-indebted "Torus VIII." Switching between slow blends and fast cuts, while using the CDJ to drop in samples on the fly, Barnt cut an animated figure behind the decks. His energy bled through into the crowd, who responded to every new rave stab and trancey flourish with cheers. As 3 AM loomed, he momentarily changed tack, dropping Omar-S's sassy new single "I Wanna Know," before treating the crowd to what they'd been waiting for: his own "Chappell." Barnt played brilliantly, and though at times it felt like his niche techno went a little too far, there were few empty spots on the dance floor when the lights finally went up.