Krakt is the lecherous, drunk uncle in the otherwise reserved Seattle techno family. The night—which celebrates its third anniversary of continuous, unbridled existence this week—sets itself apart as the home for harder, more aggressive styles of techno (aka "techno with teeth"). This isn't music for navel gazing or production admiring; it's music for working out aggression and getting pummeled by beats. Its locale—Re-bar—is dark, the speakers are loud, and if you aren't leaving sweaty, you've done something wrong (or have a gland problem). Krakt's music is no less intelligent than its contemporaries, but it's a night that's unafraid to rattle your ribcage.

"The idea was to create this iconoclastic brand," says Krakt promoter Kristina Childs. "The whole idea was to have good techno music and have people get drunk, party, and have a good time—we're trying to create the vibe of the Detroit underground/Midwest circa the mid-'90s."

Krakt projects that brand beyond the music. For years, its marketing has consisted of messages from the Krakt Monster, a creature that presents the month's bill through broken phrases, with recurring themes of sex, drugs, and general debauchery: Krakt hate audience. Krakt hate staff. Hate everything but techno and booze. It's a clever stroke, taking the piss out of the overly serious techno scene and making the night accessible to anyone looking for a party. To nail the point home, Krakt's flyers describe the night as the unholy union of three primary elements: "techno, booze, and bitches."

To celebrate Krakt's third anniversary, Childs is importing Glasgow, UK's Alex Smoke. Smoke runs a dark streak through the sparse, detail-orientated sound of minimal, with tracks that sound just a bit evil. His aesthetic is well suited for Krakt, where dark and evil are signatures. Even the names involved are a perfect fit: "Smoke Krakt." Perfect—Krakt feeds Seattle's techno habit.

Krakt's three-year anniversary edition will be held on Sat Dec 8, at Re-bar, 10 pm, $12, 21+.


Marrying experimental electronic production techniques with hiphop, Prefuse 73 bridges the gap between the two worlds, writing songs that get heads nodding but feature enough distortion and effects to warrant being signed to trendsetting Warp Records. He collaborates equally with MCs and indie rockers, layering their vocals over beds of samples and heavy-hitting drums. Thursday's show features a full drum kit, so Prefuse's knob-twiddling and laptop manipulations will be complemented by a live touch. Expect a performance of "The Class of 73 Bells," the dreamy collaboration with openers School of Seven Bells.

Prefuse 73 plays Neumo's on Thurs Dec 6, 8 pm, $13, all ages.


Foscil, the more serious counter to beloved 8-bit rockers Truckasauras, has taken up a monthly residency at BLVD Gallery for the first half of 2008. Foscil creates electro-acoustic downtempo with horns, synths, and drum machines, chill-out music from the future. For this residency, the group is adopting a different concept for each edition, modifying the instrumentation (no sequencing, or all electronic), playing other people's music (live presentation of fellow Fourthcity affiliate E.R.DON's album), and other interesting twists.


Bonkers! is back! After a shooting inside Sugar postponed its previous installment—and shut Sugar down for good—the "Night of Fresh Hot Braindance" has been relocated to Re-bar on December 19! Look for further info in this space! I'm gonna go lay down! recommended

donte@thestranger.com