There’s an undoubted buzz surrounding the underground scene in Glasgow at the moment with fresh new promoters pushing boundaries and bringing over some of the world’s finest on a regular basis. In our latest Residents Series we caught up with Raeside the man behind the much loved On The House parties that have been tearing it up recently and someone who has been catching the eye with his on point performances both in Glasgow and farther afield. The Scot has also put together a delectable mix of raw grooves and varied rhythms to accompany our little tête-à-tête.
1) Where are you right now and what’s your schedule been like this week?
I’m currently in the studio and have just finished mastering my guest mix for your website. As always there are never enough hours in the day, my schedule has been pretty packed this week. Im putting the finishing touches to a track that I’ve been working on for some time now which I’m pretty excited about. Later in the week i have a few meetings to confirm my club nights summer party then i have the pleasure of supporting Felix Da Housecat at TUR on Friday.
2) Talk us through the concept of your series of parties On The House!
The parties have been running for just over 5 years now, when we first started it was simply just for fun and so we had somewhere to play the music we loved. Since then we have built a brand based on our residents and bringing the best house and techno artists from around the world to Glasgow. I’m a great believer in pushing boundaries, we recently had a party which involved a ping pong cage, outdoor terrace and sunken dance floor, it was sick! We also strive on bringing the best up and coming talent to On The House, you never know who the next superstar might be.
3) What’s the scene like in Glasgow at the moment? We’ve seen visits from the likes of Jamie Jones and Felix Da Housecat recently!
Without doubt the Glasgow scene is one of the most exciting and vibrant scenes in the world right now, we really are spoiled for choice ! So many artists visit the city throughout the year which is great for clubbers but on the other hand can be tough for the promoters. People are very well educated and passionate about electronic music in the city so competition can be fierce at times but this is what makes the city one of the clubbing greats.
4) For you personally, how do you approach your role as a resident at On The House, are resident djs coming back into fashion?
This is something I’m very passionate about and take very seriously. The beginning of night is key, this gives the resident the chance to create the vibe and atmosphere for the night ahead. It’s so important to get this right, even though the average clubber may not notice, the gradual build up throughout will make for a better night. The warm up slot is an art form in itself, i put a lot of time in effort into researching the artist and preparing music and when everything falls into place it can be one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.
I don’t think the resident DJ have ever been out of fashion, take Harri & Dominic from the Sub Club for example, they have been perfecting the trade for over twenty five years now and are one of the best in the business. I do feel that people are starting to become more appreciative of the resident DJ again and its great to see clubs selling a night based on their residents. Phonox recently opened their doors with Jasper James as their Saturday night resident and XOYO have done a serious of parties, if anything 2016 is the year of the Resident !!
5) Who are the best opening DJs you’ve ever seen?
Harri & Domenic, Jon Mancini, Vilmos & Kris Greig
6) Aside from your favoured spots in Glasgow, where’s your ideal place to throw down?
A throw down is usually few and far between these days but you can usually find me in Nanakusa its the best Japanese restaurant in the city.
7) Music wise, talk us through how your sets are sounding these days, do you include any of your own productions?
My music is changing and evolving all the time, I’m a house head at heart but really starting to enjoy and experiment the lighter side of techno & electronica. It seems to be the older you get the more educated you become. I’ve always been really big on percussive driven tracks with a lot of energy and also enjoy the odd melodic breakdown here and there to break things up. I think that must have stuck with me from my early trance days. In regards to my own productions I’ve been testing them out over the last few months within my sets and have been really happy with the results. A few more tweaks here and there and you should be seeing a string of releases from early next year onwards.
8) Summer is fast approaching, will we find you sipping pina colada’s in Ibiza this summer?
Ive been a regular to the island for almost a decade now, there’s something that just keeps drawing me back even after all this time. You can catch me sipping a pina colada or hugging a bottle of water a little bit later in the season.