A DUBSTEP/TECHNO CLASH BETWEEN SKREAM AND MOVE D
Well, this is an odd matchup... but only a fool would complain about it. The Studio 4/4 crew are bringing in UK dubstep icon Skream and German techno maverick Move D. Skream established himself in the mid '00s as a first-wave dubstep star back when dread, subtlety, and dub ruled the genre. He dropped the club smash "Midnight Request Line" in 2005 and a potent debut LP, Skream!, the next year. Skream (Oliver Jones) wobbled off the righteous path with 2010's patchy, occasionally hollowly bombastic Outside the Box, but the British DJ/producer is still only 27, and he rebounded with 2012's more menacing dubstep opus Skreamizm Vol. 7. Move D (David Moufang) linked up for a live gig with Juju & Jordash last year as Magic Mountain High and blew my mind like it's rarely been blown with the sort of mad-scientist techno that still remembers to tickle pleasure centers and keep (m)asses moving. Moufang has about 20 years of experience in Germany's vibrant, intelligent club scene, so you can expect precision-tooled dance cuts full of tonal brilliance and stoic soul. With Bgeezy. Q Nightclub, 9 pm, $15, 21+.
JESSY LANZA CASTS A CHILL SPELL ON R&B AND HOUSE
Pull My Hair Back, Jessy Lanza's 2013 album on Britain's respected Hyperdub label, was an excellent debut by this Canadian producer/vocalist. On it, Lanza works in that lubricious realm where R&B engages in frottage with house music, but she keeps her voice in a hushed, tremulous register rather than in ululating-in-ecstasy mode. Melodically and rhythmically over these nine tracks, which were cowritten and coproduced by Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan, coy understatement trumps bravura gestures, but Pull My Hair Back benefits from Lanza's nuanced restraint. She's more animated than James Blake, but less brash than peers like Nite Jewel and Miracles Club. Lanza's beat-savvy torch songs put a refreshing chill in your heart and limbs. With Saint Pepsi. Barboza, 8 pm, $12 adv, 21+.
XXYYXX, DJAO, AND PHILIP GRASS MESS WITH R&B'S DNA
The chromosomally obsessed Orlando, Florida, producer XXYYXX is yet another young dude messing with R&B's DNA in order to make you say "WTF?" (Aaannnd I just reached my quota of acronyms for the week.) Thankfully, XXYYXX (aka Marcel Everett) is more inventive at this popular pastime than most in the field. He peddles chilled, acutely angled funk that wants to wine, dine, and 69 you... but very methodically and atmospherically. Portland duo Philip Grass also get busy with R&B's essential elements, subtly manipulating luxurious keyboard swells, seductive vocals, and boot-knocking beats into slow-motion whirlpools of audio sex. Seattle's DJAO—aka Alex Osuch—is nearing completion of his debut album (a future nightbus classic, I predict), and surely some gems from it will drop tonight. Neumos, 8 pm, $15 adv, 21+.
