Creative Scotland Crowdmatch has provided £855 of match funding
Auld Reekie Nocturne
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Aim: Uncover Edinburgh’s haunted past through sound. A concept album reimagining the city’s darkest stories through music & storytelling.
Uncover the Haunted Heart of Edinburgh — Through Music, Memory, and Sound
History isn’t just something you read. It’s something you feel. Auld Reekie Nocturne is a bold, immersive concept album that reimagines Edinburgh’s most harrowing historical events—spanning 1440 to 1832—through cinematic electronic music, narrative storytelling, and visual interpretation.
What Is Auld Reekie Nocturne?
- A 10-track concept album, with each piece inspired by a real episode from Edinburgh’s dark past
- A limited-edition printed zine offering historical insights, original artwork, and background on the music
- One music video to interpret a key theme visually
- Public engagement including listening events, workshops, and creative discussions
- A targeted PR and outreach campaign to share the work widely across Scotland and beyond
The project invites listeners into the psychological, political, and cultural shadows of Edinburgh.
Why This Matters: The Full Story
I’m Natasha Probert, better known as Natasha Kitty Katt—a DJ, producer, and artist from Edinburgh with a passion for synth-driven music. My journey has taken me to some of the world’s most iconic stages, including Hï Ibiza, Printworks London, Ministry of Sound, House of Yes NYC, and Dante’s HiFi Miami.
My productions have found homes on respected imprints such as Glitterbox, Paper Recordings, Whiskey Disco, F*CLR, and Nervous Records, as well as my own label, Ghetto Disco Records. I’ve been fortunate to receive support from legends like Louie Vega, who remixed two of my tracks.
Whether performing live or crafting tracks in the studio, I’m driven by a love for underground dance culture and a desire to keep pushing its sound into bold new territories.
My debut album, Synaptic Juice, fused narrative and synth driven electronic music in a cinematic format. One of its standout tracks, Batt Danse, was a collaboration with Billy Wirth (The Lost Boys) and explored vampire lore and 1980s cult horror through dark electronic sound.
Batt Danse Music Video
Auld Reekie Nocturne takes that same depth of imagination and applies it to my hometown’s real haunted past. The result is a work that honours truth, trauma, and memory through atmosphere and sound.
This project is Edinburgh’s haunting answer to Tubular Bells and John Carpenter—a spectral symphony drifting through candlelit closes and mist-drenched wynds. Set against a shadowy 17th-century backdrop, it pulses with eerie synths and ghostly echoes, weaving dread and beauty in equal measure. This is the sound of something ancient stirring beneath the cobblestones—lurking in the shadows, waiting to be heard.
The Ten Stories at the Heart of Auld Reekie Nocturne
Each track corresponds to a distinct episode in Edinburgh’s history. Together, they form a sonic journey through the city’s buried past:
1. The Black Dinner (1440)
In 1440, 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas, and his younger brother David were invited to dine at Edinburgh Castle. Despite the king's youth and inability to intervene, the dinner turned into a trap. The boys were subjected to a mock trial and executed in the courtyard. The act was orchestrated by Chancellor Sir William Crichton and allies to eliminate the powerful Douglas family. This event is widely cited as a real-life inspiration for the "Red Wedding" in Game of Thrones.
2. The Edinburgh Witch Trials (1590–1704)
Between 1590 and 1662, over 300 people—mainly women—were accused of witchcraft in Edinburgh. The trials began with the North Berwick Witch Panic in 1590, which saw royal involvement from King James VI, who believed witches had conspired to kill him. Accused witches were tortured into confessions and executed, usually by strangulation followed by burning.
3. The Plague of 1645
Edinburgh was devastated by a bubonic plague outbreak in 1645, which killed nearly half of the city’s population. The city council implemented quarantine zones, used plague huts to isolate victims, and buried the dead in mass graves. Plague doctors—dressed in protective garments—became an iconic part of the crisis, though their methods were rudimentary. The city’s infrastructure and population were profoundly impacted.
4. Mary King’s Close
Mary King’s Close is an underground network of alleys and rooms beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Once a busy residential street, it was partially sealed off during 17th- and 18th-century urban reconstruction. Contrary to popular myth, it was not entombed with plague victims inside. However, the Close has long been associated with plague outbreaks and ghost stories, contributing to its eerie reputation and historical fascination.
5. Greyfriars Covenanters’ Prison (1679)
Following the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679, over 1,200 Presbyterian Covenanters were imprisoned in an open-air section of Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. The conditions were dire exposure to the elements, starvation, and disease led to many deaths. Some prisoners were executed, while others were transported to the colonies. Though the term "concentration camp" is modern, historians have drawn comparisons due to the inhumane treatment of the captives.
6. Deacon Brodie (Hanged 1788)
William Brodie, known as Deacon Brodie, was a respected tradesman and city councillor who led a double life as a burglar. Using keys copied from clients, he stole from homes and businesses. After a botched robbery, he fled to the Netherlands but was captured and brought back to Edinburgh. He was hanged in 1788. His life story inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
7. The Old Tolbooth Prison
The Old Tolbooth stood next to St Giles’ Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile until its demolition in 1817. It served as the city’s main prison and a place for public executions. Political prisoners, common criminals, and debtors were all held there. The Tolbooth became infamous for its grim conditions and was immortalised in Scottish literature and folklore.
8. Burke & Hare (1827-1828)
Between 1827 and 1828, William Burke and William Hare murdered 16 people in Edinburgh and sold their bodies to Dr. Robert Knox for anatomical dissection. Unlike grave robbers, they killed living victims to meet demand. The scandal led to public outrage and directly influenced the Anatomy Act of 1832, which allowed legal access to cadavers for medical study, reducing the trade in illicit corpses.
9. Surgeons’ Hall
Surgeons’ Hall, home of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, became a hub of medical education in the 19th century. It housed anatomical specimens, some from executed criminals and victims of dissection, including the skeleton of William Burke. The Hall represents both Scotland’s pioneering role in medical science and the ethical questions surrounding the use of human remains for research.
10. The Radical War & Battle of Bonnymuir (1820)
The Radical War of 1820 was a short-lived uprising led by Scottish weavers and workers demanding political reform and better working conditions. At the Battle of Bonnymuir near Falkirk, a group of armed radicals was swiftly defeated by government forces. Three men were executed for treason, and others were imprisoned or transported to Australia. Although unsuccessful, the rebellion is now recognised as a significant moment in the history of workers’ rights in Scotland.
Why Now — and Why Crowdfunding?
This Crowdfunder enables me to begin production independently, free from commercial or institutional constraints, while still collaborating with historians, filmmakers, and artists to ensure depth and accuracy.
Your Support Will Fund:
Area
Cost
Studio recording (20 sessions at £270)
£5,400
Zine design, illustration, and printing
£800
Music video production
£1,000
PR and press outreach
£1,798
Marketing and design assets
£850
Crowdfunder Fee + VAT (based on all pledges being met) = £440.82
Total: £10,290
Any funds raised beyond this goal will support a limited-edition vinyl pressing on my record label, Shadowrunner Recordings and further storytelling content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this project for?
Anyone drawn to Scottish history, immersive sound, or emotionally driven storytelling—especially audiences interested in electronic, ambient, and narrative music.
Is this a live performance or a studio album?
It’s primarily a concept album with public-facing components, including a zine, music video, and creative engagement events. Long-term, there is potential for an expanded live or installation experience.
Where will it be created?
Scotland, predominately Edinburgh/Glasgow, using local studios and collaborators, with every track rooted in a real location and historical account.
What makes it different from a documentary or podcast?
This is a sonic reimagining, not a lecture. It blends atmosphere and emotion with research to let listeners experience how these events might have felt—not just what happened.
When will it be released?
The album and supporting materials are projected for completion by mid-to-late 2026. Backers will receive regular updates and early access throughout development.
Can I get involved beyond donating?
Yes—reward tiers will offer pre-release tracks, your name in the credits, exclusive zines, private listening events, and behind-the-scenes insights.
If you believe that music can bring history to life, that the past still echoes beneath our streets, and that lost voices deserve to be heard—then Auld Reekie Nocturne is a project for you.
Support this journey, and help give Edinburgh’s past a powerful new voice.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 24th September 2025 at 8:42pm