If you're a fan of beautiful music (yes, that should include everyone), then you won't want to miss Quiet Village at Nectar on Wednesday, as they've put together the soundtrack to the summer that hasn't yet arrived. Their debut album, Silent Movie, is a sunny little masterpiece, perfect for sunsets in the park or on the patio. The UK duo of vinyl fanatic Joel Martin and producer Matt Edwards (aka Radio Slave) have produced what sounds like the offspring of the Avalanches and Cinematic Orchestra, a collection of warm, full tracks that sound live despite their sample-based origins. If the head-nodding soundscapes weren't enough, the Quiet Village multimedia performance will be complemented by a Radio Slave set, giving Seattleites the chance to see if all the hype is justified for the celebrated remixer, whose productions span Chicago house to German minimal.
Sorry to disappoint any fans of MTV and the Food Network, but the DJ Chef who's coming to town Friday isn't the smiling, slick-haired celebrity cook, but is instead London's Chefal, one of the elder statesmen of dubstep despite his youth (he's still in his early 20s, but already has a decade of experience behind the decks). He went to secondary school with genre stars Benga and Skream, spending years with the two of them getting stoned, trading tracks, and playing out as part of the DJ crew Smooth Kriminals. To those outside of London, DJ Chef is probably best known as a resident on bass-centric internet broadcaster Rinse.fm, where he has a weekly radio show. Between his deep crates, deep connections, and the fact that he masters many of dubstep's big records months before they hit the streets, he's sure to drop plenty of tunes that have yet to be heard on this side of the pond.
In a lighthearted contrast from dubstep's dark vibes, ReGroove.A.Nation is holding the rare Burning Man–related activity with appeal outside of the playa-bound masses. As a camp fundraiser, they're throwing a party (no surprise there), but taking things up a notch with a Tournament of Champions theme. Sure, there will be music (the Innerflight guys, Recess, Michael Manahan, and more), but it's the promised arm wrestling, foosball, Ping-Pong, and darts competitions that go the extra mile. It sounds silly as hell, but that's exactly the appeal.
Quiet Village and Radio Slave play Nectar on Wed June 4, 9 pm–2 am, $10, 21+.
DJ Chef plays Shift at Contour on Fri May 30, 10 pm–2 am, $10 before midnight, 21+.
ReGroove.A.Nation's Tournament of Champions will be at Hengst Studios (1506 Franklin Ave E) on Sat May 31, 10 pm–6 am, $10, 21+.