It's time to get back to basics--when the flurry of inane distractions on the macro- and microcosmic levels seem to tug at your pant leg, leaving you wondering where you are, whose underwear you're wearing, and what happened to your left shoe, you gotta break it down, fool! My simple solution: Dance! Yes, I know, my little minions--my revolutionary elucidations are why I'm tooling around on my private yacht off the coast of New Guinea right now and you're still operating the sour-cream gun at Taco Bell, but I'm still down with the people. There is no better way, though, to celebrate getting back to basics than by having a DJ who has literally been through the interminable ebb and flow of the American rave/dance scene play host to festivities that hopefully get people inspired to get back to square one.

On the road promoting two new 12-inch releases on his own Sublevel label (as well as a new mix compilation for London's Fabric), Doc Martin is the epitome of the perennial house DJ, touring for weeks straight and playing for hours on end--and known for turning out eclectic sets of deep house, tribal, disco, and Latin, and more recently satiating people's revivalist craving for acid house.

After getting his start in San Francisco in 1986, Doc Martin became a household name within the international dance scene, becoming part of the first wave of jetsetting DJs--flying to residencies at venues such as Twilo in New York, Cream in Liverpool, Wax in Los Angeles (where he currently resides), and Fabric in London, racking up over 1,300,000 frequent-flyer miles. If you ask people--whether or not they're involved in the dance--to name a recognizable club DJ off the top of their head, his name will more than likely get a mention.

At his stature, Doc Martin certainly doesn't play just for free drink tickets any more, but he claims his favorite parties are the ones that aren't dictated by the mighty dollar. "The best things are when there's no money exchanged, when it's getting done for the vibe... a stack of good vinyl and a great up-for-it crowd," he's been quoted as saying in the past.

This ain't rocket science, folks--the summer days are getting shorter, and our only priority is to enjoy them. I'm gonna find my other shoe, throw on an extra dollop of hair product, and go find a dance floor with Doc Martin behind it! NICOLAE WHITE

Doc Martin w/Ravi and Jeromy Nail, Fri July 25 at Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $12.

nicolae@thestranger.com