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Kef closing: Memories and opinions


Guest Giles Walker

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Guest Giles Walker

So it is now pretty much common knowledge that kef is closing at the end of next month, the 19th of april so i heard.

I have had some good nights in there, seen some pretty awesome guests and got to support some amazing artists because of this venue (and Tez)

But...

Has anyone been recently? It has remained reasonably busy so i have heard but the music policy has remained firmly routed in the 90s and the guests they have been booking have been far from inspiring.

The biggest shame is that Jungle Nation will be without a home. I remember going to that night when it was a poorly attended night at the Pelican (on a thursday i think) so to see it still going after all these years and still pack them in is testament to Tez's passion for the genre.

From what i can gather the nights have been left in the hands of the djs and Angela took a back seat not offering much in the way of help or assistance. This is fine for the seasoned dj/promoter, but apart from Tez the djs there have little or no experience promoting and booking guests. Quite a lot of the djs seem to treat their gigs as a hobby and not take it too seriously, which doesn't always bode well for the music selection.

I reckon it is a shame this venue is closing but hopefully it will inspire some sort of diy ethos in the remaining djs who want to put on nights to showcase new, underground music.

The Quannum, Herbaliser, Kool Herc, Africa Bambaataa, Grand Wizard Theodore gigs, amoung many many others will always be remembered fondly by me though.

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gutting news. I hear it's gonna become a hotel of all things.

This is the worst kef-related news since they got rid of that micro chips vending machine. That machine in itself is a good memory but stand out nights for me include;

-Grandmaster Flash a good 3-4 yrs ago, (his set was surprisingly good but his pensioner mate in the shell suit dancing on stage like the bird in the D-light, 'groove is in the heart' video made the night).

-The first time i saw Scratch Perverts when they were making basslines using their fingers on the stylus' (or is it styli?!?). admittedly I was probably about 17 and easily impressed but it was the first time i'd seen proper live technically minded djing (or am I allowed to say turntablism? is that the accepted word for wikkedy wikkedy scratchy scratchy?). Seen them a few times since then and they have gotten exponentially shitter and lazier, but that first time was a belter.

- the precipeace jazz nights were always good. Gave you the brief feeling of aberdeen being quite cosmopolitan... untill you step outside and see a bare-footed school girl in hot pants spewing her ringer all over a macaroni pie.

-all time greatest memory of kef was on a quiet week night. Good company, good atmosphere and Finnie was playing some of the best dub music I have ever heard. I love a good bit of dub but i hadn't heard any out in aberdeen untill then. Haven't heard any since either but Kef was the type of eclectic place where it was always a possibility.

boo boo boo to kef closing.

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Guest Steven Dedalus

Favourite memory:

Being asked to DJ for the School of Art Christmas party. Playing a 'killer' set whilst strobe lights and lasers and smoke machines flashed everywhere.

Would have been amazing if ANYONE had come down.

Not one single person through the door. Turns out the guy who organised it forgot to tell anyone where and when it was.

Other memory:

When Dedalus did our first Halloween gig there, and they had tombstones at the front of the stage. At the end of the gig, Rob was on his knees, and ripped our tombstone off the stage and held it aloft, before throwing it into the audience.

It hit some poor fella right in the face.

I don't think he will ever forget that gig.

Unless, of course, he has.

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I remember seeing LTJ Bukem dj there when i was 17, and arguing with the doorman for ages before he actually let me in on the condition I didn't drink.

Also going deaf for 3 days after dancing far too close to the speakers when DJ Trace was up. I hope junglenation can keep going, it was my favourite regular night in aberdeen and the bookings were rarely dissapointing.

I'd always seen Kef as occupying it's own little niche in aberdeen in terms of what music you could expect and the atmosphere, I'm very sad to see it end.

As you say though Giles, maybe it will inspire a fresh start in people who want to put on nights like that...

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Even though I haven't been in a long time (party because I aint been in Abdn) still sad to see it go.

I still have friends who go to Jungle Nation.

Im not personally a fan of Drum n Bass but I appreciate the club night and the effort Tez goes to put on a good night for people who do.

Had some great times in there. Esp back in the day when it was Glow/Lava and Andy D was at the booking helm, the place consistently had the some of the most exciting/interesting acts and Djs not just in Adbn but in Scotland.

DJ Krush, Grand Master Flash, Muse, Mr Scruff, Public Enemy, We Are Scientists,

Africa Bambaataa, Orbital, Franz etc etc... seen em all there.

Those days of big name, exciting acts days have been gone for a while but, as mentioned already, it does provide a niche and it's ashame to Aberdeen's already limited interesting venues/nights that another one has gone.

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this isn't just the works / lava / kef just changing its name again then is it?

sadly no, it should never have changed from glow 303, none of the people involved in running it at that time, myself, andy duggan, tez and finnie were consulted that it was gonna change to lava.

at the time glow 303 really worked, we had a good balance and a great selection of entertainment, and i will never understand why it changed.

as for the fecking chip machine, 8000 that cost, and it lasted what, about a month.

far too many people to thank for all the great times and bad times.

good and bad times were had by pretty much all of you

regardless of what you think about me, how i ran the gigs, the venue or whatever, it is a venue that will be missed.

best gigs and memories for me

1. The UK subs (original line up) full stage invasion by the audience, nicky garrett climbing up on to the air ducting and lettng his guitar fall on charlie's head, charlie lying on the stage with blood seeping everywhere, 300 punks all shouting charlies dead.

2. The first time the floor collapsed after the lost prophets and funeral for a friend in the space of three days.

3. The Editors.

4. Alex Kane (Antiproduct) with his nob out, spraying green spray paint on himself, the amps, the newly painted celling and then laughing at it.

5. The First time King Prawn sold out the venue

6. Capdowns two sell out shows

7. almost getting into a fight with SOULWAX

8. Grandmaster flash being a complete and utter dick

9. Napalm death shaking the glasses on the tables in the upstairs bar whilst soundchecking

10. walking into the dressing room outside and catching someone giving head to someone we all pretty much know.

last night of trading will be saturday 19th april, all i can say is thanks.

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Grand Master Flash, Muse, Mr Scruff, Public Enemy, We Are Scientists,

Africa Bambaataa, Orbital, Franz etc etc... seen em all there.

forgot about those, flash was still a dick though. the public enemy gig that me and tez did was also rather good, then they played for a couple of hours in kef aftershow.

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Good times with the capdown gigs, king prawn, the damned, china drum, cecil, amen and counteless others.

I remember seeing Skindred there and Benji done some kinda ragga version of happy birthday for me.

It seemed capdown played there every month for a while.

The more I think about it, the more good gigs I can think of. Damn shame.

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i saw biffy clyro play there what seems like an absolute age ago. there were about 13 people there. it was fucking amazing.

i also remember seeing funeral for a friend there after the man on the door very nicely let me for super cheap since FFAF were just about to start.

unfortunately i also remember almost getting chucked out after my mate got caught flashing bands on stage from upstairs.

good times, bad times. shame it's going but admittedly i haven't been in a while.

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Good times with the capdown gigs, king prawn, the damned, china drum, cecil, amen and counteless others.

I remember seeing Skindred there and Benji done some kinda ragga version of happy birthday for me.

It seemed capdown played there every month for a while.

The more I think about it, the more good gigs I can think of. Damn shame.

true, had also forgot about those, the damned was also great with patrica 'gun club morrison on bass, i remember asking her if eldritch from the sisters really was a twat, she would not comment. nice legs on her though. Cecil, that was also good.

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i saw biffy clyro play there what seems like an absolute age ago. there were about 13 people there. it was fucking amazing.

i also remember seeing funeral for a friend there after the man on the door very nicely let me for super cheap since FFAF were just about to start.

unfortunately i also remember almost getting chucked out after my mate got caught flashing bands on stage from upstairs.

good times, bad times. shame it's going but admittedly i haven't been in a while.

yup, that may have been biffys first aberdeen gig.

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