"Give the drummer some" has entered pop-cult lexicon as an ultimate sign of respect for bad-ass timekeepers. Perhaps it's time we updated James Brown's dictum to "Give the SP1200 operator some." It's debatable whether the Godfather of Soul would approve, but maybe if he heard the beat programming of Jeffrey "Jel" Logan, JB would have to give it up (or turn it loose) to the Chicago native.

Producer/keyboardist Jel is one of the anticon label's preeminent sonic architects, making dusted and skewed funk beats and brilliantly murky tones for themselves, Subtle (who record for Lex Records), and as a solo artist. (Jel's also constructed beats for Prince Po, DJ Krush, Sage Francis, and many others.) Making music that buttresses the rapid, reason-vanquishing verse of MC Doseone has to be one of the hardest jobs in the biz, but Jel has risen to the occasion. His work on themselves' Them and The No Music retains a tangential relationship to hiphop's boom-bap and triphop's seductively languid atmospheres, but the beats often deviate into deviously convoluted patterns redolent of IDM's weirder fringes. Jel also festoons the space around the beats with intriguing samples and keyboard textures that dig startlingly deep into the crates and his imagination.

In parallel to his contributions to themselves and Subtle, Jel has carved out a discography that ranks among the hypest in underground hiphop. Listen to his four albums and try not to think of Jel as the RZA of the backpacker set. At the least, his output should be viewed with the same reverence normally reserved for that of DJ Krush and DJ Shadow.

Jel's latest album, 2006's Soft Money, finds him in an agitated, inspired mood. "To Buy a Car" satirizes mindless conspicuous consumption (particularly Hummers) over a tough, psychedelic-funk backdrop. "All Day Breakfast" harks back to Jel's "Near East Bounce" off 2002's Greenball, slinkily slouching to Indian-restaurant sitar music and whip-crack beats coated in ghetto soot.

For "All Around" and "Soft Money, Dry Bones," Jel enlists cooing, ice-queen vocalist Stephanie Böhm (Ms. John Soda) to soften the rough edges and he coaxes Poor Righteous Teachers' Wise Intelligent out of obscurity to venomously—if predictably—bash Bush on the tumultuously funky disc highlight "WMD." "Sweet Cream in It" flaunts flashily rugged guitar riffs (perhaps sampled from an LP by some '60s longhair) and madly intricate beats, epitomizing Jel's skill for retrofitting old samples into forward-thinking structures. "Nice Last" is blissful Boards of Canada–esque triphop that moves at a slug's pace, but glimmers like a planetarium ceiling.

While Jel's albums consistently reward serious headphone time, this sampladelic wizard's live gigs also offer explosive thrills—even if he does look like Jeff Spicoli's stoner buddy. DAVE SEGAL

Jel plays with Subtle and Fog Tues April 11 at Neumo's, 925 E Pike St, 9 pm–2 am, $10 adv/$12 DOS, all ages, bar w/ID. See also preview page 35.

BEAT HAPPENINGS

FRIDAY APRIL 7

RAG$ TO RICHE$' ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY W/FOURCOLORZACK FourColorZack is seemingly everywhere in Seattle lately. With his slick mixing skills and excellent taste in hiphop and hyphy club music, FCZ has been amassing admirers (including Spank Rock) with each gig. This young DJ will surely be accruing more air miles, fans, records, respect, and MySpace friends by year's end. Catch him now before you have to pay double-digit figures to witness his dynamite sets. War Room, 722 E Pike St, 328-7666, 9 pm–2 am, $5, 21+.

SATURDAY APRIL 8

BT This purveyor of epic, spiritual, and organically grown "dream house" is long past his mid-'90s peak (check 1996's ESCM), but he may still be worth catching in the flesh. BT has classical training and superb chops, but he often succumbs to bland, bloated melodies that cloy after prolonged exposure. (This may explain why he's produced hits for Britney Spears and *NSYNC.) BT diehards will be going to hear all the old classics, but I'm heading to LSC to see if he's maintained those stunning blond highlights in his hair after all these years. With Hyperfunk and Scott Keith. Last Supper Club, 124 S Washington St, 748-9975, 9 pm–2 am, free, 21+.

TUESDAY APRIL 11

PAN/TONE Cologne-based Canadian producer Pan/tone (AKA Gringo Grinder and Sheldon Thompson) releases for world-class labels like Onitor, Sender, Sub-Static, Background, and Revolver. His recent 12, Thrill Ho (Mule Electronic), showcases Pan/tone's cool-browed, highbrow dance music for clubbers who don't whoop, but rather get off on and groove inwardly to precision-tuned productions. "Thrill Ho" is smoothly cruising microhouse ideal for long-distance bike rides. Combining deep-tranz Neu!/Kraftwerk jams and minimal techno's smeared synth chiaroscuro, this is a slyly sensual delight. "Cheap Thrills" is industriously percolating click-house that proves understatement can be just as effective as flamboyance on club systems. By contrast, at last year's MUTEK, Pan/tone unleashed outsized acidic techno tracks to which you could dance till dawn and still respect yourself in the morning. With Justin Byrnes, Electrosect, Greg Skidmore. Baltic Room, 1207 E Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm–2 am, $7, 21+.