Colin
A DJ of some twenty plus years standing, Colin is a co-founder of Ultragroove, Edinburgh’s longest-running real house night, and has played his “sounds of surprise” – from jazz to techno – alongside countless pioneers from Dennis Ferrer to Norman Jay MBE.
Now playing regularly at self-promoted events like SoulRoots (Dunfermline) as well as guest slots at Beatbox, Ultragroove, Edinburgh Rocks and various bars around Edinburgh – The Bon Vivant, The City Cafe, Sygn – he also DJs with Mikey Inglis as part of www.realfaze.co.uk.
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A childhood surrounded by music and musicians included lessons in clarinet along with performance in orchestras and ensembles in his hometown of Dunfermline. A keen appetite for music led to jaunts to many gigs, and later, amidst the emergence of house music, various club events like The Hooch and The Hacienda. Aged 18, he began playing records at parties and self-promoted nights.
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In Spring 1992, Colin and some trusted friends decided to set up a night to run in a series of different venues called Giant Step. Guests included Mercury Award nominees the Young Disciples and Michael Kilkie. This was a good springboard for him at the time.
Photo Courtesy Of www.facebook.com/papajgunphotography
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Colin was also beginning to DJ in Glasgow during a time of musical renaissance in the city – at venues like Rain and Volcano (where scenes from Trainspotting were later filmed). He also combined university studies with work at the revered vinyl emporium 23rd Precinct, which boasted such customers as Slam and Harri (Sub Club) in their early days.
A relocation to Edinburgh in 1992 led to a host of projects there. Now manager of the Edinburgh branch of 23rd, Colin collaborated with local DJ of note Gareth Sommerville for the first time to create Truth – perhaps the first night in Scotland dedicated specifically to the house music sounds of New York, Chicago and Miami.
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Numerous guest slots continued around Scotland and Colin spent the mid-90s playing at events in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow alongside guests as varied as Mr C, Patrick Forge and Graeme Park.
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In 1999, Colin was reunited with Sommerville to create a night that would attempt circumnavigate the ubiquitous house music-based events on offer in Scotland at the time. Ultragroove had a more open-minded musical manifesto than most, covering myriad styles – from Afro Jazz to techno – and boasted a door policy of watertight proportions at the
now sadly fire-destroyed La Belle Angele.
Until 2003, Colin had an active involvement in Ultragroove, showcasing such guests as Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, Tedd Patterson, Terry Farley, Pete Heller, Metro Area, Joey Negro, Inland Knights, Peace Division, Miguel Migs, Ashley Beedle, Eliott Eastwick, Stuart Patterson, Matthias Heillbronn, Harri, Swirl People, King Britt, Derrick Carter, Benji Candelario and many more.
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During this period, Colin played at clubs like Traxx, Alaska (Glasgow), Indulge (London) and events like T in the Park and Triptych. He was featured in the pages of publications – DJ, The List, Mixmag, Time Out, The Guardian, The Scotsman – and was DJ of the Month in Jockey Slut. A Hype Chart contributor (2001 – 2005), he was also asked to contribute articles for The List and other arts / music publications.
In addition, a fledgling jazz-based night inFLIGHT ran for a year in Edinburgh and he held down a residency at Iguana – a groundbreaking Edinburgh bar and “second home” where he’d played regularly since 1995.
His next step was to work in marketing and PR for world leading manufacturer of high quality music systems Linn Products – his dream job at the time. He was invited onto BBC Radio 3 Jazz Line Up to discuss developments in the genre and talk through some selected music while employed by sister record label Linn Records where he was in charge of all jazz music output. Working with legendary musicians like Claire Martin, Eddie Henderson and many more,
it was a world of Ronnie Scotts jazz club, learning about studio recording and great music.
A recent return to DJing has seen Colin play modern house and techno, rooted yet futuristic in style…as well as a mix of styles – rare disco, jazz and soul – in bars and at private parties. He is delighted to be involved with Special Housin Association and helping in the quest for new music and emerging technologies.