DOC MARTIN
What makes Martin one of the country's best DJs is his penchant for injecting lavish doses of psychedelically enhanced funk and acidic textures into his seductively chugging sets (Martin titled one of his CDs Unlock Your Mind, and his savvy selections do just that). My advice to house jocks: Leave those airy "progressive" melodies and annoying emotional-diva hysterics for the dullards; give us the deep, nasty, trippy shit that makes us feel like we're actors in an Italian porn flick on a pound of 'shrooms. Martin's occasional tangents into techno, hiphop, and tribal house also show his impeccable taste. And the man knows how to connect with and feed off a crowd. Element, 332 Fifth Ave N, 441-4873, 9 pm-3 am, 21+, $10 before 11 pm, $15 after.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 4
JT DONALDSON & LANCE DeSARDI
Donaldson and DeSardi (known together as Undercover Agency) stride smack down the middle of house music's road. Their sets lean heavily on smooth, amiable, vocal-centric tracks, with occasional detours down quirkier side streets. It's hard to imagine their selections blowing your mind, but these seasoned jocks surely will keep you swiveling even if they never elevate you to "holy shit!" peaks. Tonight they celebrate the release of their San Francisco SessionsVolume 5 mix CD. With DJ Beatrice. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $7 before 11 pm, $10 after.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 7
DJ CRAZE & JUJU
The Miami-based Craze regularly graces Seattle clubs with his phenomenal array of turntable tricks. One of the few DJs who can mix hiphop with drum 'n' bass, Craze has a keen ear for stranger specimens of both genres, and his decksterity lifts him into the rarefied realms of Mixmaster Mike and DJ Qbert. Craze whips up a beat-juggling/scratching storm, in the process turning obsessive/compulsive disorder into high art. Colombian-born Juju (Neil Zarama) cofounded the Phunckateck collective in 1996 and has releases on respected labels like Trouble on Vinyl, Breakbeat Science, and his own Phuturo. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $7.
