Glaswegian heroes Optimo are making their Auckland debut on Friday, 6 January at Whammy Bar. Optimo is comprised of JD Twitch and JG Wilkes – an incomparable duo, whose passion for music and anything-goes mentality is legendary. 

JD Twitch (Keith McIvor) and JG (Jonnie) Wilkes had each been DJing for about ten years, before joining forces in 1997. Twitch and Wilkes already had a reputation for playing a range of music – from reggae to goth – before becoming involved in Pure and My Machines, Scotland’s first forays into techno. However, after becoming fed up with the rigidity of all-night techno sessions, Twitch wanted to try something different. The mighty Sub Club approached Twitch, and offered him a night to play whatever he wanted. Soon after, Twitch approached Wilkes - and Optimo (Espacio) was born. 

Optimo (Espacio) ran in Sub Club on Sunday evenings from November 1997 until April 2010. The queues were long, there was no guestlist, everyone was equal. It ruined Mondays for a generation of Glaswegians. As well as DJing the night every week (except for maybe twice), the duo brought through live acts – including ESG, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, and Liquid Liquid (from whom they borrowed their name). Though the night, and the duo, quickly gained infamy - they refused to buckle to trends. It is this quality gave the duo such a legendary status – even leading The Black Madonna to credit their ultimate night (coined “Optimogeddon”) as inspiring her to continue her DJ career. 

Since Optimogeddon, Twitch and Wilkes have not let up. Twitch has put more focus on running the Optimo Music label, releasing irresistibly wild records by Golden Teacher, Peter Zummo, Factory Floor, Dennis Bovell and Pussy Mothers (who we featured on Episode 25 of Friendly Potential Radio). Wilkes has released a number of records under his Naum Gabo alias, including Sleep C’mon EP just out on Rubadub. And the duo has continued to travel the world, destroying dance floors along the way. 

We’re super excited to host Optimo for the first time in Auckland. Expect the unexpected and come geared for anything.

Optimo

Friday January 6th: Whammy Bar, Auckland

Tickets via Dash Tickets