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+.