First, I'd like to say it's great to be back in Seattle, breaking data once more for electronic-music heads. During my 16-month stint in Orange County, I sorely missed the febrile activity this city's producers and DJs generate. One week of beatcentric events here outshines a year's worth in the OC. That's no hyperbole.
Second, I want to commend Bug in the Bassbin columnist Donte Parks for doing an outstanding job covering the electronic-music scene over the last year and change. His clear-eyed, keen-eared prose and eclectic taste kept me abreast of Seattle's happenings from afar.
Third, it gives me much pleasure to resume this column with the announcement of the first anniversary of Bonkers!. This is exactly the sort of night that made me envious of the Emerald City while I was dying, er, living in SoCal. Bonkers! will put the icing on that well-deserved exclamation mark Thursday, September 4, at Re-bar with a high-powered lineup of loco locals. Headliners Jacob London shift for this one night from their usual funky-house high jinx into full-on gabber mode. Jerry Abstract escapes from his Tukwila lab after a long hiatus to bestow gems from his IDM and electro stashes. DJ WD4D will do a rare live performance of his dreamy, distorted instrumental hiphop and Red Pony (Rebecca West) will be spinning her usual impeccable tech-house cuts. If that weren't enough, improvisational duo Power Mitten will be battling the Bonkers! residents with an array of "drum machines, samplers, synths, live instrumentation, and on-the-fly looping" that will likely have you moving in ways you never have before.
Another reason to feel good about returning to the 206: DFA Records stalwart the Juan MacLean is bringing a live band to Nectar Lounge on Wednesday, September 10. The ex–Six Finger Satellite guitarist now elegantly rocks the "happy"-house/cosmic-disco business with emotional-robot verve. Able support comes from Seattle's Head Like a Kite, who merge chunky funk beats with irresistibly hummable melodies and quirky textures, plinky Portland electro-pop craftsman Copy, and DJ Colby B.
Finally, Sing Sing majordomo Clayton Vomero (aka DJ/producer Pretty Titty) is flying in Spank Rock DJ XXXchange (Alex Epton) from the East Coast for another round of surprising oldies, club bangers, and mashups at the War Room. Expect your tight jeans and ironic/iconic '70s gym shorts to fit much looser by night's end. 
Bonkers! first anniversary show: Jacob London, Jerry Abstract, DJ WD4D, Red Pony, and Power Mitten vs. Team Bonkers! play Thurs Sept 4, Re-bar, 9 pm–2 am, $6 before 11/ $8 after, 21+.
The Juan Maclean, Head Like a Kite, Copy, DJ Colby B play Wed Sept 10, Nectar, 9 pm–2 am, $10 adv, 21+.
Sing Sing: XXXchange of Spank Rock, Pretty Titty, and Expendable Youth play Fri Sept 5, War Room, 9 pm–2 am, 21+, www .deathoftheparty.org.
