Staff WriterSadhbh Carpenter
If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about Scottish nightlife, it’s Feena. A pioneer in fostering community-driven inclusive spaces, she has dedicated herself to showcasing Edinburgh-based artists through her role as co-director of the community-focused internet radio station, EHFM. Feena’s drive to propel the Scottish electronic music scene internationally is evident through both her collective club night, Miss World and low-end focused solo project mantle, as well as her role as Edinburgh City Manager for Resident Advisor. A passionate advocate for the city’s nightlife, she brought Keep Hush to Edinburgh last year, championing local producers throughout her set. Feena’s relentless dedication and impact on Edinburgh’s bass scene have placed her on lineups shared with DJ notoriety and a UK-wide tour with Scottish label Headset, celebrating their 10th anniversary. I caught up with Feena ahead of her Dublin debut on the 4th of April to discuss all things Scottish nightlife.
What role do FLINTA* individuals play in shaping the creative community in Edinburgh?
I’ve seen a lack of gender diversity on lineups again recently, and I don’t think this is just Edinburgh-specific. If there are more FLINTA people running nights, running labels, booking venues and in other positions in electronic music, I think that’s when real, genuine change will be enacted and become more obvious in terms of representation and diversity in the industry as a whole.
How do community radio stations, particularly EHFM, influence Edinburgh’s electronic music scene?
For me personally, getting involved with EHFM was such a pivotal moment. Suddenly I was surrounded by people who liked the same things I did and who had knowledge about music that they were so happy to share with folk just starting out. It gave me an introduction to DJing, but also gave context to it – meeting people who had been DJing for years or who had run nights 5, 10, or 15 years ago in Edinburgh. That sharing of knowledge and history of the cities nightlife, how it works and the cycles it’s been through I think is fascinating, and I think it’s really important and useful to have context for the scene or city you’re working within and also more practical advice about how things work in Edinburgh, who runs what, what venue is best for which sound, how much you should ask for your first gig fee. I have dear friends for life I’ve met through EHFM. I met people like Julia and Emily, whom I later ran Miss World with for 6 years! It’s also a platform for folk to get to know their own sound and how they like to play, as well as using that platform to reach out to other artists they admire and have a chance to feature them on their show and share music. We also just opened a cafe, Ground Floor in Leith so anyone can come by for a coffee and be involved, seeing and hearing live radio broadcast from the space! I’ll stop there because I could probably write a whole essay on this one question. But thanks for everything, EHFM love you x
What challenges are facing the scene in Scotland?
The same challenges which I imagine lots of other places are facing right now, the cost of everything is so high. Putting on nights and not losing money is barely feasible. I don’t feel like there’s a new wave of younger promoters in the same way there would have been maybe before COVID, and it’s no wonder really. Unless you have a stack of cash behind you or insane connections, it’s really difficult to start running events. I imagine it’s different in hub cities where a lot of artists will play for less or don’t need to travel far, but for Scotland, artist fees and other expenses have gone up but ticket prices have had to stay the same. I don’t blame artists, most folk are just earning a living and trying to stay afloat like the rest of us! Some venues do their best to support promoters but they’re under the same pressures too.
To put a positive spin on things, I don’t think these issues will last forever; something has to change, and it will. Everyone involved for the love of it will find a way to keep on.
What do you envision for the future of nightlife in Edinburgh and across Scotland?
I’d love to see further communication between the promoters of Scottish cities, things like working together on securing and coordinating dates for touring artists, as well as sharing info on trends in ticket buying and other changes and challenges, or things that are working well! Maybe that can lead to navigating the industry in a more collective way with the wider benefit of being united in the Scottish scene as a whole.
What do you think the Edinburgh music scene needs to continue thriving and evolving? Are there specific changes or support systems that could help it flourish?
We could do with some help from the Edinburgh council, starting by reframing how they think about nightlife and electronic music. I don’t think it’s recognised as part of culture and something to be nurtured; it’s seen as something to be controlled and restricted.
I’d also like to see more accountability taken from venues in the lineups that promoters put on – having diversity requirements for external promoters would be good. More funding for community projects so they don’t need to commodify themselves and can focus on continuing the class work they do. Also, we need to support each other and buy tickets for events we think should continue to exist. That’s at least something within our immediate control.
Are there any exciting DJs, producers, collectives or labels from Scotland that we should be keeping an eye on?
Glasgow-based Hu-sane is a brilliant producer. Glasgow/Valencia Ecco Records is putting out some unbelievably exciting futuristic dubby music. Edinburgh/Bristol-based Headset is a must, every release is absolutely quality UK techno, garage, jungle and other classic bass sounds with a modern slant while staying true to its roots. Skillis has been running nights in Edinburgh and now across the UK for over 10 years now and was a key figure in shaping the Edinburgh scene with Headset and SSL nights. LWS is putting out lots of interesting and infectious genre-escaping dance music, it’s so distinctively his, too, and I really like that. Works In Progress is a contributor-focused experimental event and project which is bringing something really exciting to the city, which I haven’t experienced here before. It gives people a blank space to just freely create without having to fit into anything, and even just share unfinished work. Chromatic, run by Lara Sinclair and ZO3, has incredible bookings. There are too many more amazing people to name here, so I’ll leave it there!
Catch Feena b2b EMA alongside Mia Koden and Puzzy Wrangler in Yamamori Tengu on Friday, 4th of April with Woozy and Club Puzzy. Tickets are available here.
Photo Credits: MAG KAFKA, 𝗞𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼, Ben Glasgow, Celine Antal,
