- December 31st threw up parties aplenty for Glasgow-based Hogmanay revelers looking to shut down 2010 with a bang. While many saw the Numbers crew capping off a fine year with a residents party or the internationally revered Optimo, those with an ear to the ground picked up on a third event that stood comfortably alongside those heavyweights. Slabs Of The Tabernacle, a group that has been making lo-fi basement bookings of underground talent like Mick Wills, Arne Weinberg, Tevo Howard and Neville Watson for three years, had brought in Moustache Records head honcho David Vunk.
Trailing down a narrow and deep red staircase, the venue (La Cheetah) was nestled inconspicuously beneath the vociferous nocturnal roar of Queen Street and directly below the upstairs venue's simultaneous Stay Plastic party featuring Photonz. Previously known as the Twisted Wheel, La Cheetah has been a favourite of the Slabs night largely due to the quick-to-fill basement party vibe. Indeed, it was difficult to not be part of the dance floor such was the compact size of the space and spread of the crowd.
Throughout the evening the dance floor brimmed with a loyal and educated following—wolf whistling followed rare Italo and fist-punching was de rigueur to dusty Detroit gems. The most testosterone-fueled of feedback from the floor was saved, though, for Vunk's homage to his host city, Slam's techno classic "Positive Education." As if to show his many sides, shortly afterward the Dutchman flipped the crowd by unleashing a rare ABBA edit. It was one of those nights.