DJ HYPER
DJ Hyper (British breakbeat producer/DJ Guy Hatfield) has remixed tracks by Pink, Sarah McLachlan, Sugababes, and Paul van Dyk, opened for Crystal Method, and won respect from globetrotting DJs Paul Oakenfold, BT, John Digweed, and Timo Maas. Hyper's 2004 double disc Wired (Thrive) traffics in sports-highlight-show trance funk, AKA breakbeat or nu-breaks (it used to be called Big Beat; insert old wine/new bottles analogy here). But Hyper's is a popular style thankfully devoid of the cheese-intensive sappiness that infects other lucrative dance-music genres. And it has funk. Thank the deity of your choice for small mercies. With Charles Feelgood and Dig-Dug. Element, 332 Fifth Ave N, 441-4873, 9 pm-3 am, 21+, $10 before 11, $15 after.
SATURDAY JANUARY 29
SUNTZU SOUND, JOHN BELTRAN, 1LUV
Broken-beat collective SunTzu Sound salutes its second anniversary of soulful eclecticism tonight with a set featuring renowned toaster DJ Collage on the mic. Joining them are Detroit's master producer of featherlight-techno and Latin-house, John Beltran, and Vancouver future-soul troupe 1Luv. If you like your beats tastefully broken and rearranged into unexpectedly attractive patterns, SunTzu is your Seattle connection. Arrive early for giveaways of the Rewind 4 compilation from XLR8R magazine and Ubiquity Records. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625.4444, 9 pm-2 am, $7 before 11 pm, $10 after, 21+.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2
JUDGE JULES, DJ EVA
A populist to his core, London trance DJ Judge Jules plays before thousands of dancers in countries you didn't even know had electricity. Of course, to attain Jules' level of popularity, one must play lots of trouse--trancey house tracks that are engineered to inspire hand-raising every four minutes. As such, Jules is a world-class hedonism enabler for the undiscerning masses, especially those who gather in tourist hotspot Ibiza. His happy-go-lucky sets sound incongruous during a dismal Seattle winter, but that may be their major drawing point for many. JJ creates the illusory soundtrack that allows you to take a holiday in your head. Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, $15 adv, 21+.
