Thursday, November 15, marks the last edition of
noise/techno/experimental monthly Harsh at Re-bar. I profiled
the Harsh crew back in July, and even then they seemed aware that the
night wouldn’t last forever. They’ve kept their sense of humor until
the end, announcing the closure with, “Yep, we’ve had a blast, but
now it’s on to cleaner pastures in which to poop on.” All is not
lost, however: The group will continue presenting one-off shows with
artists pushing sonic boundaries.
Taking the sting off losing Harsh is Bonkers! (hey!
gratuitous punctuation!), which touts itself as a “Night of Fresh
Hot Braindance.” The night is a few weeks old already and has been
providing another forum for local artists, but oddly doing so at Club
Sugar this Wednesday. It’s nice to see the venue reach beyond the
police-magnet crowd it pulls on weekends; the only incidents Bonkers!
is likely to draw is artists beating the shit out of malfunctioning
gear. For this edition, they’re bringing in Recess and Kinoko, so you
can get your early-evening rave on.
Congratulations are in order for the Last Supper Club (no, really).
The shiny Pioneer Square locale is celebrating its ninth anniversary
this week, bringing in trancemaster Christopher Lawrence. The
club may not draw the attention of electronic music elitists, but it’s
hard work to keep a venue going, so LSC is obviously doing something
right.
Friday, November 16, marks the return of Philadelphia’s
Lowbudget, Diplo’s partner in Hollertronix and purveyor
of fine party jams. Lowbudget’s visit would be worthy of mention on its
own since he’s one of the best at what he does (if a bit inconsistent),
but what makes this appearance special is that it’s the afterparty for
rhythmologist M.I.A., who’s playing at Showbox Sodo. Not to
venture too much into rumor-mongering territory, but there’s the
possibility of a special guest making an appearance at Sing Sing (think really hard on who that could be).
In new music news, your CD collection demands you acquire the new
Burial album, Untrue. The highly anticipated second album from
the reclusive producer shatters any hint of a sophomore slump, coming
in at this late date with what’s going to appear near the top of a lot
of the year’s best album lists. It’s dark, dynamic, and detailed, and
makes for a better listen than the self-titled LP that garnered so much
praise. Unlike Burial, this album keeps momentum throughout, the
orchestral ambiance operating on both epic and microscopic scales. The
hype train is moving on from dubstep (thankfully), but albums like this
exhibit why the genre’s textural two-step is far from dead. 
Harsh is at Re-bar (1114 Howell St) on Thurs Nov 15, 10
pm–2 am, $5, 21+. With Realicide, the H8ters, and Novahead vs.
Chickentron.
Lowbudget plays Sing Sing at the War Room (722 E Pike St) on Fri
Nov 16, 10 pm–
2 am, 21+.
Bonkers! is at Club Sugar (916 E Pike St) on Wed Nov 21, 8
pm–midnight, $3, 21+.
The Last Supper Club Ninth Anniversary party (124 S Washington
St) on Wed Nov 21, 9 pm–2 am, $15, 21+.