Boundaries exist to be tested and buttons exist to be pushed. This goes double for electronic music, where the genre classifications remain strong all the way from production to promotion, making nights like Harsh a welcome rarity. The music at Harsh is abrasive and challenging, demanding your attention and confusing your sense of classification. Melding the beat and sound-design worlds, the monthly's raison d'ĂŞtre is blurring the lines between noise and traditional electronic music.

Harsh is a collaboration between Backwards NW (a division of Denver-based Backwards Records) and experimental night Le Vide, run by a quartet of music diehards—Patrick Urn, Davey Schmitt, Benatos Lampson, and Melissa Gonzales. After throwing their own events and other group efforts, the group drew inspiration for the night after last year's laptop battle, which had both glitchy, textural fare alongside beat-driven numbers, all positively received by the audience.

"There needed to be a combining of the scenes," says Schmitt in a recent conversation at a planning meeting. Lampson noted the separation between the techno and noise events, adding, "The genre lines were blended, but not the social ones."

That crossgenre focus gives the Harsh crew an almost infinite amount of flexibility. The booking for each edition is incredibly dense, with more than half a dozen acts on the bill, jumping from live performance to DJs, from experimental to electronic and back repeatedly. The upcoming edition features 8-bit-influenced breakcore (you've never heard a Gameboy sound like this), Detroit-style breakcore, dark ambient, and tonal material, and that's just from the live acts. It sounds a bit chaotic, but that's the tie that binds it all together. Harsh requires an open mind and the flexibility to jump from one act/style/genre without hesitation.

"It's all weirdo music," Urn says. "It's to force our noise friends to listen to techno and force our techno friends to listen to noise."

Thus far, reception for Harsh has been positive, so much so that they've had to expand to a series of secondary outings under the name Harsh 2.0 to accommodate both acts that don't fit the "strict" booking criteria and the all-ages audience. The promoters have already scheduled out to October, with a current backlog of artists looking to play, and plans to continue the night as long as there's interest.

One of the refreshing things about this particular night is the attitude of the promoters. While they're all music fans dedicated to this project, they don't take themselves or the night too seriously. Their planning meeting was filled with tasteless jokes, snide remarks, and dark, self-deprecating humor. They translate that light attitude to the night itself with trinket-filled promo packs for attendees, occasional costumes, and the one-time appearance of a condom- and candy-filled piñata. The abrasive marketing masks the fact that, at its core, Harsh is the collective effort of individuals that just want to hang out with their friends and listen to music they like, as if enjoyment is some sort of subversive goal.

Says Urn: "As long as we can get away with it, we will."

The next Harsh is Thurs July 19 at Re-bar (1114 Howell St, 233-9873), 9 pm—2 am, $5. Featured performers include MC Firedrill and Duke Midnight, Disjunct, Selector Catalogue, and Turmio Sect, with guest DJs Oblique and Cathartect.

Get Out!

FRIDAY JULY 20

Miguel Migs and Lisa Shaw
It's summer, which is when Miguel Migs's house is easiest to swallow. His mixes are too sunny and optimistic for any other season, sounding best with the sun in your face and a cocktail in your hand. Longtime collaborator Lisa Shaw's live vocals do more than round out the sound, giving the human touch to the pristine backing production. The two are touring in support of Migs's new LP, Those Things. Neumo's, 925 E Pike St, 709-9467, 9 pm—2 am, $15 adv, 21+.

Chromeo, Flosstradamus
With Daft Punk just over a week away, it's time to get in some electrofunk training. Montreal duo Chromeo—out supporting their latest CD, Fancy Footwork—certainly evoke the French duo, with their heavy synth influence, manipulated vocals, and retro-leaning bass lines. Flosstradamus round out the bill with all that indie dance stuff the Vice magazine readership adores so much. The War Room, 722 E Pike St, 328-7666, 9 pm—2 am, $11.50 adv, 21+.

N-Type
Dubstep night Shift. is branching out, pulling in the UK's N-Type to kick off the first in a planned series of headliners. N-Type is touring in support of his well-received installment of the Dubstep Allstars mix series. He's known for both his quick mixing style, a holdover from his days as a rave jungle DJ, and his track selection, exhibiting both stylistic and geographic breadth. Club Contour, 807 First Ave, 447-7704, 9 pm—3 am, $5 before midnight/$10 after, 21+.

SATURDAY JULY 21

USC 10-Year Anniversary
United State of Consciousness have amassed no shortage of critics in their existence. For all of the accusations and anecdotes, the fact remains that these promoters are not only still around after a decade, but remain highly relevant in the Northwest, even if their demographic skews young. Don't hate—the next generation of clubbers has to come from somewhere. Qwest Field Plaza, 800 Occidental Ave S, 8 pm—4 am, $40 adv, 16+.