The Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party has become a legendary event now across the world.

There’s the packed out high street, the backdrop of the castle, the midnight fireworks and the tens of thousands of strangers, many of whom you’re bound to be best mates with by the end of the night.

The thing is, that the night has such a reputation that the organizers could chuck any old bands or capable DJs up on their various stages and it’d be a success, but to the credit of them, they keep going bigger and better. And this year looks like it could be one of the best.

The Waverley Stage line up is what has really been catching eyes since the posters went up around the city. Young Fathers, the brilliant Mercury Award winning hip-hop trio, will be playing their hometown from 9pm, The Twilight Sad are set to follow at 10pm, and Scottish rock superstars Twin Atlantic will take over the show at 11.30pm – playing both before and after the fireworks.

We can’t wait to ring in the New Year to such an unbelievable line up...

Of course, if you’re travelling from abroad or simply after a more traditional element – the famous ceilidh will be in full flow on the street and the Scottish Stage boasts an admirable line up on Frederik Street as well.

We can’t deny that we’ll be spending most our time divided between the Waverley Stage and the Rewinder Stage at the top of the mound though, where Hot Dub Time Machine are set to bring their ‘biggest party ever’ to the capital showdown.

Anyone who has been to the Edinburgh Fringe favourite will know what this means – unfortunately not jacuzzis that take you back in time – but a “funk filled” adventure that takes you chronologically from the 60s right back to 2014, before the bells for 2015 ring in. Quite fitting we must admit.

As we’ve said above though, the line ups and the music are the cherry on top of the event at these parties. What really makes it is the people. It’s a mix of thousands of locals and thousands of travellers – each getting in each other’s ways and pissing each other off, but occasionally stopping and becoming friends for the night.

It’s bring your own booze and it’s consistently memorable (unless you capitalise too much on the aforementioned BYOB rules of course and forget the whole night).

So stay tuned to the site for pictures and reviews from the event, but until then, Merry Christmas, and we’ll say Happy New Year in person if we catch you by the Time Machine on December 31st...

For more information and to buy tickets for the event, click here for the official website.

Oil, strip-clubs, cold weather and granite. Those are the headlines that the city of Aberdeen offers. This list is missing at least one item though...

Next to the gorgeous Marischal College (seriously Google it) you'll find three bars, under a minute apart, all dedicated to the art of brewing: Brew Dog, Six°North, and the Bottle Cap Bar and Brewery. All three bars are worth a visit, with the area boasting hundreds of different beers to try on ever changing menus. Here is the breakdown:

Brew Dog:

Brew Dog is pretty much a household name now, but lots of people don't realise that it originally comes from Fraserburgh - a small town north of Aberdeen.

It was started in 2007 by two guys who were just fed up with corporate lager and wanted to see what they could do. What resulted is a huge range of beers, including the now famous 'Tactical Nuclear Penguin', which became the world's strongest beer in '09.

Now the company is the largest independent brewer of beer in Scotland, employing over 200 people and owning 12 bars nationwide (as well as bars in Stockholm, São Paulo and Florence).

They are known for their variety and alternative names, but at the heart of the company is a real love for what they do, and a love for beer. The bar itself is pretty much always packed, and has a great atmosphere to it.

If you do find yourself there on a quiet Tuesday night in November, then it's still a great place to drink. The service is excellent, and we really cannot fault the Brew Dog team.

Bottle Cap Bar and Brewery

Bottle Cap Bar and Brewery is the newest addition to the area, seemingly following in a similar mould to Brew Dog, and occupying the site of Aberdeen Uni's former unofficial union.

The place has – thankfully – been hosed down in the interim, but admittedly the new bar hasn't done too much with the space. The JFC team really wanted to like this bar, but something about it is just lacking. Now, we are not ones to judge a place by its wallpaper or soft furnishings, but here it really was a bit grim.

Once we had got our inner Kevin McCloud out, it was time to try some of their beers. Fortunately, we can announce that they really come though on that count, and properly make up for their decorating. Because of this, and the fact that it is generally quieter than its competitors, Bottle Cap is great for a quiet drink with a mate, a pint and some good old-fashioned board-games.

Six°North

Six°North opened its doors in 2013 and heralded themselves as the 'Belgian Brewers of Scotland'.

Indeed, their name refers to Aberdeen's location in relation to Brussels, and the bar itself reflects this love of all things Belgian, with a huge range of Belgian beer, and of beer in general.

They have over 200 different bottles on their newspaper style menu, as well as a weekly draft menu. Everything about this bar just seems to work. The place is set out as a traditional beer hall, with lots of open wood, barrels and long benches, but it manages to be cosy and pretty modern at the same time.

The beers are also amazing, with an even larger variety than Brew Dog. Even if you are not a big fan of beer, we would highly recommend Six°, as they always manage to find something you like. Because of this, and its cosy feel, the Belgian beer hall is the JFC pick from Aberdeen’s craft beer corner – and possibly the best bar in the city – for a solid date-night.

Bars' Best Beers:

Brew Dog - Hardcore IPA (It really will kick your ass!)

Six°North - Wanderlust (Crisp, homebrewed wheat beer)

Bottle Cap - Hitachino Nest White Ale (Very easy to drink, properly refreshing)

                                                                                                                Fraser Bonar

Sunday afternoon and the JFC team saunter down George Street, bleary eyed and reminiscing about the events of the previous night on the same road. We make our way to the west end and swing a right down the stairs to Candy Bar.

Whether you’re after a cheese fondue or one of their black and blue burgers the menu has a good variety of quality food. The prices are also astounding. You can get a serious amount of food for your buck! During the Edinburgh Festival they even do all the food for under a fiver. Grab an Oreo Candy Shake and you’re on to a winner.

Candy bar has sported a number of decorative themes (our favourite of which was Après Ski) and they always give the place a nice atmosphere and gives you a lot to look at while you wait for your food, which could be some time. So let’s get this out there, the one and only drawback of Candy is the wait. It really is quite incomprehensible. Whether the place is full or empty you’ll be left to wonder at the decor as your stomach rumbles.

But when your food does arrive you will be blown away considering the price. I would go as far as to say this is the best value food in Edinburgh. There’s a reason the team loves Candy. It’s just a straight up great place. A combination of good food, chilled out ambiance and abundance of cheese all comes together in perfect harmony. We will continue to head along at every opportunity and tuck in to delicious cheese and bacon wedges despite a bit of a wait. See you there next Sunday.

                                                                                                                      Robbie Ambrose

Life is so predictable. It’s Ben Pearce that preaches this of course, or blasts it out during his sets at the very least.

When the British producer announced he would be hitting up Cabaret Voltaire this summer then, we predicted a night to remember filled with ear-blistering bass. Predictably, we were spot on.

Pearce’s hit with Black Orange Juice was just one of the pulsating parts of the night. Through an iPod, the summer-loving hook may be the most appealing segment of that particular record, but blast the Ben Pearce re-work through gigantic speakers and the funky bassline blaring throughout comes into its own. It’s pretty hard not to lose your shit when that beat kicks in. We didn’t resist the temptation.

From early in the set the Purp & Soul man had made his mark, signalling his arrival with an early play of the irresistible soul work on his remix of Le Youth’s ‘C O O L’. Here is where you want to be, go the lyrics. Seems appropriate enough.

Regarded by many as the current king of deep house, the music was dropping heavily all night, and the crowd soaking up every bit of it. From 90s vintage house to early post-millennium stuff and the more recent work from Pearce himself, the theme was hard-hitting, honest basslines that cued sweat and the usual shape-throwing dance moves seen all too often in the main room.

Guest DJ or no guest DJ, the sound system at Cab Vol is set up sweetly to pump out the bass, but when you’ve got a guy on decks renowned for making music that shakes dancefloors, the nights takes a bit of a step up.

Pearce’s ‘Lego’ EP seems tailor-made for the Cab Vols and Sub Clubs of the world. A packed in venue attempted to withstand the monumental G-force pounding from the speakers as the eponymous track of the EP delivered its funky twang. A relatively low roof, narrow room and a figurative shitload of people – the most exact of measurements – ensured it went down exactly how you’d imagine. There was a lot of passion packed into that room.

Before he got on to finishing off with ‘Predictable’ though, there was always a tune that Ben was going to have to unleash at some point to keep his crowd happy.

The signature, now fêted bassline thumps that signal the start of ‘What I Might Do’ arrived to literal squeals of excitement (check out the video below). It’s now a deep house classic for a reason. That initial drop is insane through my relatively well put together headphones, but when you crank it through the right sound system, the resulting sound is mouth-watering.

So shaken by the bass that night were we that we had to return to Cab Vol the following night to aid the recovery. We can’t be going cold turkey on deep house after such a hard hitting session of bass and electronic driven beats with Ben Pearce. I think it’s called ‘progressive recovery’.

Verdict: A sick night all in, packed with the positive vibes generated from a like-minded audience hungry for deep house, fat basslines and prepared at any minute to bust some unacceptable dance moves. We look forward to next time.

Shoutout to the top staff running the night and at ‘Cafe Voltaire’ above the club as well. They hooked us up with the amazing Pacman booth for pre-drinks upstairs. It’s pretty much a booth where you can play all sorts of arcade games for free – we stuck to Donkey Kong and Pacman – and it’s pretty freakin’ awesome.

                                                                                                                                        Stuart Kenny

Sounds of Soul (UK) were nice enough to bring German producer Lovebirds to Cabaret Voltaire last week, and it proved to be just the night filled with old school house that the JFC team was hoping it would be.

Indeed, the night was stacked with a chilled blend of music which ranged through a couple of different genres and styles but stuck loosely to a policy of funky and soulful deep house which filled the downstairs cave setting of Cabaret Voltaire perfectly.

On entry to the venue though, we descended down to find a distinct lack of people, as we had arrived pretty early on (too keen for the gig). Needless to say, we did what any reasonable person would in the situation and headed straight for the bar.

Drinks prices were pretty reasonable at £2.50 for a vodka/rum and mixer or £2.80 for a can of Red Stripe – that classic Cab Vol beverage. As we sat and drank the tunes continued to drop and we heard one of the best sets in the venue that we’ve heard in some time when Lovebirds took to the decks. A high compliment to say the least given the high profile clientele being attracted to Cab Vol right now.

There was a variety of style and genres on offer from Lovebirds, but a distinctly old school theme could be found throughout the work on the night.

The summer vibes were apparent from the start as well, with Lindstrom’s remix of Grizzly Bear track ‘Gun Shy’ packing up the nightclub with a funky sounding made up of rhythmic synths and bouncing electronic beats.

Lovebirds 808ies Matrix mix of his own ‘Holdin’ On’, which features soft vocals from Lisa Shaw, impressed shortly after. The track features an irresistible 80s-style bassline twang which when banged out through the impressive speakers at Cabaret Voltaire, meant it was near enough impossible not to turn on the dance moves.

The likes of Gypsy Men’s ‘Hear The Music’ and Kink’s ‘Hand Made’ furthered the back to the future vibe of the night with that signature funky sound that has re-risen from the ashes recently to massive public love.

The disco vibes were cemented by the German producer as he continued to churn out beauties – Tony Lionni’s ‘Higher Ground’ landing to great reaction as the synthetic twang and circling funk beat reverberated off the walls of the caved venue, and MK’s now renowned ‘Burning’ setting off some more drunken dance moves in a room where the audience and the DJ were clearly on the same page.

All in all, this was a very strong set from Lovebirds, a producer who has continues to go from strength to strength. The theme of the set was clear was early on, and the old school, funky house bangers didn’t stop landing until the night was over.

This kind of night highlights the way that Cabaret Voltaire has turned in recent years; it’s the place to be for house/electronic music and once again it did not disappoint.

Edinburgh venue Cabaret Voltaire is set to welcome Lovebirds on 25 May 2014 for a Bank Holiday bash that will no doubt be massive.

That's right - Lovebirds is Edinburgh bound, as Cab Vol team up once again with their west coast family friends DC Sessions. This promises to be a loose and sweaty night of deep and soulful house music in the main room,
solidly supported by the Cab Vol Sundays residents in room two.

Sebastian Doering (Lovebirds/Knee Deep) has been at the forefront of the deep house scene for the past five years. His hypnotic blend of nudisco/boogie and mid tempo production work has pretty much worked it's way in to DJ's record bags worldwide

I'm pretty sure by now, everyone on the planet has heard/been touched by Lovebirds track, Want You In My Soul, released in 2011. It still gets absolutely hammered today and it's provided the soundtrack to many a loose night for the Just For Culture crew.

This is a big night for Cab Vol and for the electronic scene in Edinburgh which is often accused of being all too subdued.

We'll be there to review, and we reccomend that you come along too - buy us a couple of drinks while you're there if you want.

DJ's : 

LOVEBIRDS 
JANE JAYA AYRES &
FRAZER DEVINE 
CUNNIE 
DJ BEEF

Doors opens at 10 and its only 8 quid before midnight!

Tickets Online : http://soundsofsouluk.com/events/

Date : 25th May 2014 
Time : 10pm - 3am 
Door : £8/10