WHAT IS THE BLACK RABBIT WHOREHOUSE?

The Black Rabbit Whorehouse has ceased operations at the Sub Club and is now heading further underground. We will return with a series of parties in various Glasgow warrens. If you are on our mailing list, you will receive information and an invite soon.

The main reason Optimo was started was as a reaction against the monotony of single genre dance clubs and the tyranny of the 4/4 beat. Techno and house music were in a creative cul de sac so it was necessary to escape while they found their way again. Thankfully they did. For a long while, predominantly German producers had been pushing the envelope and labels such as Perlon, Klang, Playhouse and Kompakt were showing a way forward.

By around 2000, this new sound known variously as 'glitch', 'microhouse' or as we named it 'whorehouse' (after a track by Akufen called 'Whorehouse New Process') had reached critical mass - there were producers all over the world innovating and releasing records. We were head over heels in love with this music and while we would (and continue to) play some of it at Optimo, we wanted to have a whole night that we could dedicate to these records. While Optimo could be said to play the best of everything, The Black Rabbit Whorehouse would concentrate on playing the best of innovative electronic dance music.

After doing four or five of these nights, I think we have finally found our way musically with the night. The initial idea to 'worship the glitch' was maybe a little too narrow and defining - being defined for us is the first step on the road to nowhere. So, the night embraces a broader range of sound.

So, what is this sound? Well, it is mutating all the time but we like to think that we are giving a forum to music that has no voice in this country. To paraphrase the old cliche, trying to describe music is a bit like dancing to architecture. But, imagine a form of dance music where the sounds, rhythms and structure of the music are ALL. Music where interesting (and sometimes downright stoopid) things happen as opposed to most dance music where after hearing four bars, you have pretty much heard all the track. Music that is great to dance to but maybe a little more challenging. Music with strange but eminently funky time signatures. Music with bass and sex. We are open to all sorts of sounds and because of this, we will play whatever makes us go 'Wow!'. So, this could also embrace for example some 2 step productions and records from way in the past that were just too far ahead of their time or out of kilter with what was going on then. But, we won't be constricted by any rules so who knows what you might hear?

Whatever, the night is about having fun and dancing rather than chin stroking. So, if you like dancing and like hearing music you have never heard before, come down and try it out. We do this because we believe in it and enjoy doing it. If it becomes popular, great but if it doesn't, well, we're not too fussed, we'll keep doing it anyway. See you there?