Optimo

Had that impression the 2 years i spent in Glasgow. The rest of scotland was full of hardcore rave/gabber kids.

then one week three hundred people turned up which we thought was a fluke, but the next week even more turned up and it continued to grow from there. our home, the sub club burned down and we were in temporary homes for three years but returned back 'home' a few months ago. since then it has gone even more ballistic. last sunday there was a blizzard going on outside and we expected it to be really quiet but we had the biggest crowd we have ever had and had to turn a couple of hundred away. it's insane, i tell ya!

the really strange thing for me is that we have a really young crowd who will freak to records they don't know from before they were born! i guess people are bored and want more from their night out. people in scotland also party like their lives depend on it!

we have been lumped in with electroc(l)a$h, post punk, bootlegs, too many djs etc but really, we are none of these things. i follow music, not what anyone else does and doing this in relative isolation up in scotland has been great for us. it means we don't belong to any scene and will always operate outside what is happening in the media. as fads come and go, we will still be here just playing music.

one of the reasons it might have worked is that after ten years of being techno djs, myself and my partner really know how to work a crowd so even though we play all types of music, we put it together in quite an energetic way and mix records that should never work together. i mean who'd have thought mo tucker kept such good time but it's possible to mix live the whole of 'waiting for my man' over some slamming techno track . likewise johnny cash's 'personal jesus' or a whole multitude of other songs. also, using a powerbook live lets me do things that leave people wondering 'how did he do that?'. but most importantly, it's fun - i might play reallly obscure records from the sun city girls, billy childish, the ze or 99 label or whatever but i always know when it is time to give the crowd a dose of fun.

i hope i don't come across all arrogant here. i'm not but i truly love what i do and it is the most enjoyable thing i have ever done in my whole life.

and finally, it CAN work elsewhere - we have taken optimo to new york, paris, helsinki, belfast, munich and stockholm and it worked every time.

if any ILM'ers ever come and don't enjoy themselves i will personally refund their costs for getting here.

presumptuous? never

What is it about this song? Erol Alkan (of Trash) namechecks it in this month's Jockey Slut. I really must try to make it sometime. I missed thema at Auto too, despite being there. I was probably stuck in the murderous beer queue. Unfortunately whenever I'm up in Glasgow I'm usually travelling back down south on a Sunday. I will get there though.

that's what really struck me about the night. the crowd went mad whether they knew a track or not. there is no way to manufacture that kind of enthusiasm, and it's really exciting to see.

gygax, how's the old fmbb doing?

i was in thinking today of crazy things: optimo global tastemaker early 2000s nostalgia. but in a very chris marker exotica way. crazy things.

yes it is.

(i thk i know wht she looks like, really pretty, bowl cut, i thk i saw her at the latest 'mars hotel' gig.)

Next Optimo for me: The Go! Team one, I think. Would like to do Clinic too but don't think I will.

New Year too.

So, when they confirm I have to find somewhere to live and move. And do NYE Optimo. I am sure it is possible somehow...

take the megabus, ronan.

i attended the 1999/2000 hogmanay optimo at the art school..... i don't remember a single thing except a friend of mine stealing an entire case of mini tonic bottles.

(they do play Limp Bizkit at Optimo right?)

Cease & Resist copies on Friday were just some very limited pre-release copies. There will be more at the start of May and then it will be in all good record shops from mid May.

:-)

No SF date... :(((

they were in SF literally last month

well... i was in fukken' LA gah.

if i can stay awake i may attempt the LA gig on friday

This one's a really great recent release: https://optimomusic.bandcamp.com/album/inside-the-sphere

Shades of the more contemplative work of Mika Vainio and Plastikman's Consumed, but not limited to those references.

yes great album

Gonna catch the show in Miami thurs B-)

loving this

https://soundcloud.com/loveintfestival/live-from-the-adriatic-2023-optimo

This is 100000000000% more interesting than Tycho's annual burning man dawn mix as posted around the internet.

Caught the closing “Watching Trees” takeover at Field Manouvers a few weeks back and it was full of brilliant moments - perfect end to the festival.

posted mostly for humour content, someone's been monkeying around with your tune, stirm:

https://bleachingagent.bandcamp.com/track/limbtimo

Some funny edits/mash-ups from that guy. New to me. Some pretty hip sources. Mass? A dance edit of Henry Badowski's Baby Sign Here With Me? Not sure how I feel about it all.

he's done some great stuff, that one just made me laugh because of the place that booker t tune has in british (or should that be english?) culture

(would say more, but don't want to spoil the surprise)

(probably have already though)

ha ha! i'm surprised it took so long for anyone to do that. first few times i ever played the liquid liquid track several people asked "what was the track that sounded a bit like the cricket theme?". for non Brits, soul limbo is synonmyous with cricket here as it is / was the tv theme tune for a long time.

mr bleaching agent is a good pal of mine. he told me he had done a ton of edits but i hadn't got as far as hearing this one yet.

listened to it again and it actually bangs, would totally lose my mind if I heard that out at just the right moment.

just clocked the lifetones sample on the 4th track on that release, bloody lovely that!

https://www.watchingtrees.com

^^ brighton crew are mobilising. anyone else?

Yes, but you knew that already.

:)

almost sold out.

Yeah you must be delighted! and very relieved. congrats!

yes to both!! thanks.

it was the chips that did it

Got my Optimo package from monorail today. And only a dozen emails from the royal mail tracking its progress along the way!

v. happy you picked that up. royal mail have gone email mad in recent times - i am bombarded by their updates.

Also looking forward to the chips.

Thought this might be the right place to ask, but is the Naum Gabo LP getting widely distributed in UK?

Bandcamp are charging international shipping, and I can see Phonica has vinyl copies (Juno out of stock already), but I have a local store I like to order from if its possible.

Sounding great from what I have heard.

it deffo has UK distribution. i don't know who the distributor is though i'm afraid.

Enjoyed listening back to this newly uploaded set from Field Maneuvers last year: https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/ra-live-optimo-field-maneuvers-uk

Unless my memory is playing tricks on me there was even more after this recording ends though?

i think that was right near the end no? i have to confess i don't recall how the set ended.

Well it was the end of a rather heavy weekend so I could very well have a loose grip on the facts! I trust you :D

One thing I will say is that one of my friends still hasn’t forgiven you both for teasing “Boys” and then not playing it! You know what to do at Watching Trees…

ha! i don't recall, that either and was 100% sober.

Very excited to see y'all are coming to Austin next week

it has been a long time. excited to be back and also to hopefully catch the eclipse.

Everyone has eclipse mania!

The entire blind test series is some of the best music content on youtube and todays episode is no different

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyxTU0M9k_8

yep, always enjoy this but that was a lovely surprise when it popped up

love this series, very hyped to see the guest!

Was happy to get 4/10 on that one ^

Got 1 spare ticket for the Optimo Watching Trees festival if anyone is looking?

want that 242 t-shirt.
i have one, but its too subtle and doesn't really make it clear re my love for 242.

ooops.
i have a 242 t-shirt,
but it's not clear as to what its about as it's quite random re the connection to f242.
in other news : every track on this video is bloody brilliant.

time for new beat revival !?

Yessssss, new beat revival now.