Kinda, Keith djed at my friend's wedding party in the People's Palace in Glasgow last summer. He's a nice guy, as is Johnnie. I am originally from Glasgow - so Optimo played a big part in my formative years (and if people think this forum is bad, they should check out the level of torment on eChatio, lol!)

...and for some nice mixes - no wave/"electrobeat" etc. - check out http://www.optimo.co.uk/download.htm x x

aha. I started going to Pure when I was 15/16, so I guess probably equally influenced by the preceding parts of the same scene, I used to bump into Keith all over the place.

I haven't had the pleasure of going to Optimo, being in London long before it started, but I know the scene where it grew from ... some of which isn't that far from !WOWOW! ... though Pure's Edinburgh rivals - Sativa - were possibly more in keeping with it.

I thought it was Hamish that ran it with Johnnie (if we're talking Wilkes)?

Nope, its always been Keith. Well it was originally started by Mark Ryall, but only for a short time, he moved to Barca, and Keith took over. He then asked Wilkes to join in - Wilkes is funny, walking around in shellsuits whilst simultaneously mixing schaffel into Blondie. Have you been to Optimo, Penny, you're from Glasgow, right?

Born there, studied there, but not 'from' there. I remember Mark very well from his Sunday nights at the Sub Club, though, and Johnny and Hamish when they did Knucklehead at the Art School in what must have been 1994. Johhny's finest moment in my opinion (apart from an outstanding environmental art degree show, I seem to remember), however, was as left winger for Soapbar United football club, for whom he excelled.

Didnt Hamish and Jonnie used to run the gigs in the art school on a saturdy night? Bumped into them in a few woodlands after hour partys. Twitch and Jilkes was the nom be plume no?

Ahh david holmes at pure in the arches, when soma were still doing friday nights with silicone soul and pressure. Never been to sativa in edinburgh as being from glasgow we always heard you would be burned at the stake in edinburgh if they heard your accent. ;-)

So Penny, Dorian, were you both glaswegians at one time?

Hey guys, maybe start a new post to continue this thread. That way we can get rid of the Euro Pride bit at the beginning and hopefully it will just die out.

Soapbar United, nice - this the real deal!? And Dorian, Espookio isn't that far away from !wowow!. Only one night per year, though! Being 22, I never experienced Pure, but heard it was, um, hedonistic - plus, as Michael mentioned, the Glaswegian accent ain't too loved in Edimburgh! x x

Edinburgh isn't that bad, provided you aren't hanging around Pilton or Craigmiller, but the same is to be said of the Edinburgh accent in Glasgow if you go to the wrong places, right? Not that I ever got any grief when I went through to gigs or nights out, but then I tend to keep my mouth shut. Leave it to the weegies to get all mouthy, eh? ;-)

Officially I'm from Edinburgh, but didn't live there between the ages of 6 months and 15 - including 4 years on The Isle Of Arran, as close to Glasgow as I got - then moved to London at 20, after getting assaulted by casuals once too many times. I've got the wrong sort of Edinburgh accent.

I started my first club when I moved to Edinburgh, and later I used to DJ at Sativa and other clubs of that era in Edinburgh, meeting Keith and a load of other people - most lost in the mists of time now - along the way. Every so often I bump into Keith or someonce connected, just by chance. He seems to know pretty much everyone, so figured there would be some crossover with the Scottish contingent on the board.

Now, having broken our own Rules, I will ban myself from the forum and get on with some work.