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Despite how often you hear it spouted, Thursday is not the new
Friday. Some people may kick the weekend off early, but most don’t.
Why then, did we go from a relatively limited selection of club nights
on Thursdays (Club Pop, Back Door) to now having competing techno
nights? Oscillate (RIP) had the night all to itself and petered out,
but now we’ve got the equally exclamatory Bonkers! and Oi
Vay! holding things down biweekly at Re-bar and the Baltic Room,
respectively. Though they have different focuses, both nights are
worthwhile, and it’s a shame that they’re splitting an already small
techno audience pie.
Bonkers! arrives on Thursday at Re-bar after moving from Wednesday.
This week, Bonkers! shakes more fruit from the local talent tree, with
214 and Ctrl_Alt_Dlt joining the residents. 214, a Tampa,
Florida, transplant, produces experiments in electro, with reverb,
glitch, and stuttered programming providing an IDM-informed update
to the genre. Ctrl_Alt_Dlt is a suburban Detroit transplant and
resident for Spy and Knight Rider, and by his own admission he breaks
up the techno monotony by playing “the weirdest most abstract noises
possible.”
Oi Vay!—graduating to Thursdays from Sundays at the Baltic
Room—has more of a “go big or go home” mentality, bringing in
outside talent, with this week’s edition headlined by France’s
Philippe Quenum. Quenum’s been producing for a decade already,
making his way into all the right crates with over 60(!) releases on
Cadenza, Trapez, Soma, and his own Mutant Soul Records. All it takes is
one listen to “Glasgow,” released on Seattle’s own Orac, to have your
interest piqued. The track calls a techno state of emergency,
coupling a faux siren with insistent bass throb for an ominous feel.
It’s a quality counter to “Acalanto,” the accompanying track, which has
a lighter mood and a Latin/tribal vibe. You’ve heard minimal, but not
quite like this.
You shouldn’t have to choose between these two nights. There’s no
reason they can’t both exist, so here’s to hoping they figure something
out to make our lives a bit easier.
***
For all you househeads, Sunshine Jones from the legendary
Dubtribe Sound System is coming through Electric Avenue Friday,
April 18. Sunshine has been keeping the Dubtribe legacy alive since the
group’s split last year with cross-country residencies and an otherwise
busy tour schedule, with a laptop-centric DJ approach that’s renewed
his enthusiasm for “live” performance. 
Bonkers! with 214 and Ctrl_Alt_Dlt is Thurs April 17 at Re-bar,
10 pm–2 am, $5, 21+.
Oi Vay! with Philippe Quenum is Thurs April 17 at the
Baltic Room, 10 pm–2 am, $12, 21+.
Sunshine Jones plays Fri April 18 at Electric Avenue at CHAC
Lower Level, 10 pm–2 am, $7, 21+.