R&B/HIP HOP

While the need for another R&B club in Edinburgh is debatable, perhaps it takes just one of sufficient quality to raise the tone of the whole scene. Although they’ve often been caricatured - and not always unfairly - as the natural habitat of blinged-up teenage footballer’s wives wannabes and hormonal boys sporting out-of-date Hoxton fins, the fact that one of Edinburgh’s premier clubs has recently joined in seems to be a sign that the scene isn’t going to die down.

The idea for the night came about a few months back, outside a gig by transatlantic hip hop outfit Slum Village at the Bongo Club. Those having the brainwave were Kath Gee, promoter and events manager at the Liquid Room, and Ritchie Ruftone, who long-time readers may recall is a five times Scottish DMC champion, a three times European ITF scratching champion, and a previous resident DJ at high profile clubs such as Tribal Funktion, Scratch and Motherfunk. Gee has the pedigree to make something like this work, in other words, and he promises a set which also borrows from hip hop, soul and dancehall.

‘There has never been an R&B night at the Liquid Room’, says Gee, ‘but I firmly believe that Holla’s here to stay. With so many similar house and dance events at the club, it’s a refreshing change to hear a new style of music - and, of course, capture a new audience’. That might be the priority at the moment, but Ruftone’s experience, undisputed DJ skills and exemplary taste in tracks should hopefully lead a night with such potential away from being just another blinging R&B outing.