Obviously there’s loads going on in Glasgow, but it would be interesting to hear locals advice on events and user groups etc. in the “monome” gebiet. I’m currently based in Edi, but here the electronic music scene seem a bit sporadic, or I’ve yet to find it.
So, any recommendations?
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I haven’t been out at any synth events in Edinburgh or Glasgow but I think there is a group that meets up at CCA (but I suspect that many events in CCA are relocated/postponed due to the GSA fire).
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Thanks, yes I noticed about the fire… Certainly interesting gigs at GSA, I will look into their activities further. I know there’s an ableton user group in Glasgow as well.
What about noise, I’m quite into noise gigs 
I’ve been wondering the same thing… I’m based in Edinburgh and have recently got into the modular world. I’ve played a handful of small modular gigs over here and one in the Glad Cafe in Glasgow last friday with two other modular performers. Would love to find more opportunities to play out. I did wonder if there was something like modular on the spot in Scotland…
(I’ve not integrated monome into my set yet, but that’s coming next!)
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Ooo, I need to check gigs in there more often.
Glad Cafe, nice!
Where did you play in Edi? Coolest gig/venue I’ve been to here was in the Biscuit Factory, but only hosting space basically. I think there’s a risk of the scene vanishing into (a)social media…, really like people grabbing their synths and just come and play.
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We put on an event we called "Wave Table” back in February at Paradise Palms. Four half hour modular synth sets. Went down remarkably well! Then I did an in-store for Record Store day at Underground Solushn and finally a support slot for Modern Studies at the Happiness Hotel in Leith (which is Song By Toad’s incredible warehouse space).
I also like the idea of a kind of open mic night for synths at somewhere like Henry’s Cellar Bar… I wonder how hard it would be to set up?
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Cool, you’re in business then
I think if there’s “permanent” audio gear it should be very straightforward. But there should be some kind of “alternative” scene already, avant jazz, impro etc., what about the university? I’ve mostly been working since I arrived here, but now I have finally time to dive into music.
If it’s possible to establish a regular thing with local/resident performers, and then inviting other acts when possible it’s a recipe for building up some momentum. Maybe combine with occasional workshops. Considering all the pubs, there should be people willing to sit out and enjoy some weird music as well
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Not based in Glasgow but spend a lot of time there due to work / family stuff. Got a base in Paisley. I’m Doing a bunch of Modular stuff in Brighton and London. Would love to pack a synth and do something up there in GLA or EDI
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Cool, I wonder how many we need
and a name…
We did a thing in Sweden many years ago…, way too “early” though. It was mostly friends showing up making music together. It was great fun however. I recorded some of the jam sessions we had and mixed it together, should’ve put out releases. I think there’s a very interesting power to live performance, especially when collaborating with others. Maybe “modular battles” haha
haha I forgot, actually it was resurrected this year, http://kulturmejeriet.se/program/eter-festival-2018/
first one was in 2005/6 I think…
hey
i’m based in dundee and although my modular setup is mainly for cv/midi (ES modules/monome)
i am very interested in this with synths too
I have access to a nice basement space for performances soon
also would be up for workshop stuff in the space
marcus
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Sounds great!
Considering the weather in Scotland right now there’s surely potential to be outdoors. We can meetup outside Murrayfield every full moon…
Analog, modular or not is not so important, at least for me. To me it’s more about having an active “scene”, and at some point playing together, because it’s usually much more fun and motivating. Then, if there’s an audience… there’s also a tension because anything can happen at any moment, it can also become totally crap obviously. The “gig”/“jam” ratio should probably be kept at some ratio if the audience is bigger than the number of participants…
Well, I think it’s almost a music hacker space I’m after, with live techno club nights
Tried a few formats. Round Robin with 15 min slots, everyone running through the same mixer to be able to morph between players seemed to work best provided not too many players. Time to patch while someone else is playing helps
Yea I agree, shorter slots offers a bit of the “battle” aspect (thinking breakdance whatever…). It also allows for more “creative” patching, if it fails completely someone else can easily step in.
Ok, let’s do it
Must admit, I’m not so sure about the “battle” concept, which feels a bit competitive for those of us just starting out or feeling nervous about performing. Also, I like a break between sets where you can chat/get a beer. But I’m very much in favour of short sets and I like the idea of just having a stereo in on the PA… makes things a lot easier!
I used to run a monthly acoustic music night in Edinburgh and the format of 4 or 5 sets of 15 mins or so each with short breaks in between worked well and kept the audience focus on the music.
How about venues? There are a few bars in Edinburgh with PAs that might be happy to have someone take a slot for an event on a less busy night. (I could ask how things work at Paradise Palms - where we had our “Wave Table” modular synth night earlier in the year?)
I’m visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh next week! Any recommendations for art+music stuff? Also up for coffee if anyone is around!
Regarding “battle”, it was just a naming idea, not battle per se. More to emphasise dynamics when mixing in a new set, or jamming. Another challenge would be to have different themes/topics (would really like some noise to happen) or sound sources similar to the mcrp editions. But to some degree, performing is a bit kung fu of sorts
As long there’s a PA in place with a stereo input, I’m happy. It’s even possible to play on cafe tables and connect to a standard music/cafe stereo, especially for ambient stuff.
I’m up for coffee! I need to put some effort in my setup as well haha. Maybe we should have a coffee hacking session to start with.
Where do you guys find out about synth events in the area? I only seem to hear about them after the fact.
Weegies Vs Edinbourgeois ? Jk 
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