END IS NIGH PRESENTS JD TWITCH (Optimo)

Date: Friday, 15 February 2008
Venue: Carfax, 39 Gwi Gwi Mrwebi Street. Newtown
Entrance: R70 at the door
Doors Open: 21:00
Main Floor: JD Twitch (Optimo), Sweat-X, Desmond and the Tutus, ManKaZam, King of Town
Versus Floor: easy tiger vs. DJ Badly, Sassquatch vs. Backtrack, Data Takashi vs. Richard IIIrd

After a very successful launch and succession of parties in 2007, End is Nigh is proud to present the South African debut performance of Glasgow's superstar DJ/producer, JD Twitch (Optimo). He will be supported by the cream of South Africa's electro/indie crop, including Desmond and the Tutus, and Cape Town's Sweat-X. On the main floor you will also be able to catch DJ's, King Of Town and ManKaZam. A second dancefloor will feature a series of "versus" sets, a regular feature at End Is Nigh parties. These sets include: easy tiger vs DJ Badly, Data Takashi vs. Richard IIIrd, and Sassquatch vs. Backtrack.

JD TWITCH (Optimo)
Scottish music fanatic Keith McIvor, aka JD Twitch, is one of the most respected DJs on the international dance scene. Together with Johnny Wilkes, Twitch runs Scotland's premier club night, Optimo Espacio. Started in 1997, the club has grown into a clubbing institution. Running on a Sunday evening (if you can believe it), the club regularly attracts thousands of party-goers up for a bit of shimmying to left-of-centre intelligent dance music.

JD Twitch started DJing at the legendary Pure club in Glasgow, playing old-school techno. In 1997, however, Twitch and Wilkes, grew tired of the bog-standard club scene, and decided to start something of their own. The result was Optimo Espacio, a night dedicated to one simple principle: diversity rules. Twitch, who has established a reputation as perhaps one of the most technically proficient DJs in the world, used his skills to play sets that crossed genres and blew minds. Twitch concocted a powerful dancefloor brew of indie, post-punk, dancepunk, electro, italo-disco and soul.

Optimo Espacio grew into a major Glasgow institution, and became the staging house for the best emerging international talent on the global dance scene. Over the course of the next 10 years, Optimo Espacio would play host to such major international acts as the Grammy-winning LCD Soundsystem, dancepunk superstars and MTV darlings The Rapture, Scotland's modern art-rockers Franz Ferdinand, New York's most famous electroclash shock queen, Peaches, indie superstars TV on the Radio, Australian electro wunderkinds The Presets, and a host of old-school legends such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Liquid Liquid, Mad Professor, and A Certain Ratio. And, on all the occasions that these greats played, Twitch was there manning the decks, and holding his own.

But JD Twitch wasn't only one of the most successful club organizers in Britain; he was a major DJ and producer in his own right. Playing his unique blend of styles, Twitch has played at most of the major festivals around the world, and in the most cutting edge clubs in Europe and the US. Together with Wilkes, Twitch mixed the double-CD Kill the DJ in 2004, which made a major impact on the European dance scene, and was widely critically acclaimed in the industry press by magazines such as DJ and Muzik.

As a producer, Twitch's roster of remixes reads like a who's-who of the indie celebrity firmament. Artists that Twitch has remixed include: Franz Ferdinand, The Gossip, Sons and Daughters, Peter, Bjorn and John, Rinocerose, Wolfmother, and, finally, rap superstar Pharaoh Monche.

For further details of Optimo's staggering live performance, read the following review available from the giant music review website, Pitchforkmedia, and listen to the full Essential Mix, mixed by the duo for the BBC in 2006:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/2006-exclusive-mp3-optimo-essential-mix

The Optimo Website:
http://www.optimo.co.uk

SWEAT-X
Sweat-X is the brainchild of Marcus Wormstorm (of Real Estate Agents and Max Normal fame) and Spoek "Biko" Mathambo. Together, the two produce some of the sickest electro inspired hip-hop to have ever come out of the country. Marcus' beats and 90's nu-rave instrumentations blend with Spoek's sometimes outrageous lyrical bursts to create some of the most fun party music ever heard in South Africa.

Started in 2006, Sweat-X has quickly established themselves as one of the premier acts on South Africa's live scene, playing packed-out gigs throughout the country. But they have not just wowed audiences in South Africa; in 2007, the band undertook a whirlwind tour of Europe, including the famous club Paris Paris.

Their debut E.P, EbonyIvoryTron, was released in 2007 both locally and internationally, and generated massive hype in the blogosphere. They have also gained DJ support from international DJs such as Diplo.

myspace.com/sweatx

DESMOND AND THE TUTUS
A motley collection of gangly white boys shouldn't make music like this. Drawing their inspiration from modern dancepunk acts such as LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture, and mixing it with a heavy dose of South African kwela and township jive, the Tutu's have been rocking the socks off punters throughout South Africa for the last two years. With equally strong support in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and everywhere in between, Desmond and the Tutus have become a staple on South Africa's live circuit. Indeed, in 2007, they made the step up from underground heroes to mainstream guitar-slayers by being selected to join the Levi's Young Guns tour of South Africa.

After playing a number of sold-out gigs throughout the country, Desmond and the Tutus entered the studio, and have started to record their debut album. Expect it to be released soon, along with a host of remixes from South African DJs such as King of Town and Mankazam, and a series of remixes from up-and-coming talent abroad.

http://desmondandthetutus.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/desmondandthetutus

Check back here soon for a full roster of the floor times. You can find a map for Carfax on their website:
www.carfax.co.za