Eleven years ago two young DJ’s, disheartend by the clubbing scene in Glasgow, decided to turn their frustrations into something positive – a breath of fresh air in a stagnant climate. Inspired by the cultural miasma of New York in the early 80s they founded Optimo; an eclectic clubbing experience mixing live music and DJing. I meet with one half of the duo, JD Twitch, over coffee on a beautiful sunny day in the west end. Neither member of the duo hail from these parts but both now have reason to call it home, Twitch himself having lived in the west end for the past twenty years. The pair played the very first Optimo night back in November 1997.
“When we started the whole DJ culture was at a point where nothing very exciting was happening and DJs were very expensive, and it was cheaper to put on bands. There were people who would go clubbing who had never seen a live act and equally people who saw loads of bands but never went clubbing. We had this idea that we would put it together.”
The duo have since brought acts as diverse as LCD Soundsystem, Peaches, Michael Meyer and Micahel Gira to unwitting Glasgwegian ears. They gradually became accepted as a clubbing institution, and Sunday nights at the Sub Club, are now world renowned.
“The reason we have been such a successful club is because the audience in Glasgow has been open minded and so enthusiastic, especially when you consider that Sunday night is a hard night for people to go out. For people to go out with that level of enthusiasm on a Sunday, I just don’t know if that would have happened anywhere else. I would say the quality here is as good as anywhere in the world. If you speak to anyone who tours, they always say that Glasgow is one of their favorite places to play because the audience is so into it and really knowledgeable. When we play everywhere else it is kind of Optimo light version."
Glasgow has a rich musical heritage of diversity. A city built on the shipping trade, it saw a huge influx of culture and music in the 20th century, especially from the US. There are clear parallels between Glasgow and Liverpool’s rich pop sensibilities and both can trace their lineage to their history of integration.
“What happened was that in the 40s and 50s there was a lot of music coming over from America, for example. In Glasgow there is a history of Country and Western music because sailors would come through with recordings, whereas the east coast wouldn’t get that.
These early beginnings may explain the current climate of diversity in Glasgow. A thriving rock scene sits alongside an established techno scene, an intriguing experimental output and a newly thriving dubstep scene. This wide berth of musicality is not only personified in the Sunday night sessions but also in the Triptych festival, now reaching it’s eight and final year. Optimo have been long time friends and collaborators since its early beginnings. Their shared outlook on music – basically: if it is good it’s in – led to an inevitable relationship between the two and they have been involved in some way every year.
“We have been involved right from the start and the people who run it are old friends now and I think our friendship began because we had a similar outlook on music. I think it's really sad that it is ending. Hopefully it will go out on a high and their next venture will be equally as great. They have brought so many amazing artists to Glasgow that otherwise wouldn’t have come. It is something we have always tried to do is bring things, people who haven’t been here before.”
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Over the past eight years Triptych has brough some of the most revered musical acts from around the world to Glasgow, often for one off shows, simply because the ferstval puts the music at its core. The festival has brought an unbelievable quality of acts to Glasgow over years, with perfomrances from acts as divere as Aphex Twin, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Carl Craig and Kool Keith, to name but a few. It also allowed Optimo to realise a long held dream and play with one of their original inspirations, Twitch’s own highlight:
“Optimo is named after a band called Liquid Liquid, an early 80s New York band who split up in 1983. Some twenty years later, they got together for one show in New York, mainly because their family and friends had never seen them play. Jonny and I went over and basically harangued them into coming to Glasgow which they did and that was Triptych 2003.”
This year will see Triptych’s swansong, a final farewell to the festival loved by music lovers. However, it will also signal the beginning of a new era; The Tennents Mutual. I enquire how Optimo see this next step
“ They have asked me to be involved in some level but I am not sure exactly how yet. There will be various experts there to give advice – for example, we could give advice on starting a club night.
“It sounds like it could be really interesting, the idea is that the people decide. It won't just be Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh but all across Scotland, so if people in the Isle of Skye want to do something they would find a way to weight that. I think it also goes more than people wanting to put bands on, I.e. Musical infrastructure.
“Maybe Tennents have felt Triptych had run its course. From my point of view Tennents perhaps want to find a way to spend the money better to reach a wider audience. Perhaps Triptych was not reaching the right audience.”
However, there remains a huge risk for all involved, as Twitch warns:
“I think it will depend on whether it catches people's imaginations and whether they want to get involved.”
I venture to enquire about the future for Twitch and Wilkes; last year saw Optimo reach its tenth birthday and many suspected it may signal the end, a poignant marker on which to call it a day. However, Optimo continued and it remains as relevant to Glasgow’s clubbing scene as ever.
“We never thought it would last this long and we always said when it got to ten we would stop and the tenth birthday was looming so many people were coming up and saying how much they loved it and we felt we couldn’t stop. To stop at an arbitary point in time seemed a little bit pointless. It wont go on forever – either it will stop or change into something else.”
Whatever may happen, Optimo and Triptych’s contribution to the musical fabric of Glasgow over the past ten years has been phenomenal. They have diversifed how we approach music and helped to widen perspectives, bringing some of the most talented and exciting acts to the Glaswegian faithful.
By Robin Perkins
