Data Breaker

I regret the following 2011-y things:

That Technics has ceased manufacture of its SL-1200 and SL-1210 series of turntables, my favorite decks for DJing.

Brostep, even though I knew the dumbing-down of dubstep was inevitable. Yo, have you heard nü-metal lunkheads Korn’s latest album, The Path of Totality? It’s no Burial…

That drag-house luminary oOoOO lit a cigarette, got reprimanded by venue staff, and then walked off the Crocodile’s stage at Decibel Festival after performing for a mere 30 minutes.

The firing of Chop Suey talent buyer Matt Moroni, whose knowledge of and support for top-notch electronic music and hiphop will be hard to replace.

That I do not possess three sets of eyes and ears, as that’s what was required to properly appreciate Amon Tobin’s ISAM performance at Decibel Festival.

Missing post-dubstep heartthrob James Blake twice in 2011.

Nothing about Portishead’s show at WaMu Theater, as it was as perfect as any fan could hope for.

Concertgoers’ cheap-beer breath, for the millionth year in a row. What the halitosis?!

That Voltage Control, an excellent DJ night at the Living Room bar hosted by the Naturebot and Electrosect and devoted to pre-1983 electronic music, packed it in. Also shuffling off this mortal coil: Dr. Troy’s Pop Surgery DJ night of vintage synth music. Rest in bleep, y’all.

That Edan, the psychedelically inclined rapper/producer from Boston whom I’d been jonesing to catch live for about six years, played a lackluster set that was also criminally marred by some of the lamest sound ever to be heard at Showbox at the Market.

The same too-goddamn-quiet gripe goes to Fred Wildlife Refuge for its Trouble gig featuring Tim Sweeney and Todd Terje. This debacle reputedly was provoked by killjoy neighbors, though—a very regrettable situation for a Capitol Hill venue, indeed.

That Car Crash Set, the local future-bass label run by Ill Cosby, doesn’t release its outstanding music on vinyl.

And, of course, there were a couple of factual errors: In the January 5 Data Breaker column, I wrote: “Dr. Troy, who runs the renowned Seattle-based reissue label Medical Records, mans the decks with Nary Guman (aka Nathan Chambers) and Jason Polastri.” Nary Guman is actually Jason Polastri. And in the November 22 Data Breaker column, I mistakenly called Zac Hendrix the former DJ for Del the Funky Homosapien. Hendrix is still spinning records for that esteemed rapper.