Usually there’s parity between events here and in Portland. This
week is the rare exception where all the action is down south.
So if you’ve been considering a road trip, this is the week to do it,
after a Thursday primer on the kind of talent they’ve got in the City
of Roses.
Thursday, Bonkers! is bringing in a pair of Portland’s
finest, SciFiSol and Señor Frio. The pair popped
up on the radar a few years back as Laptop Battle competitors, exposing
them as talents to watch. Señor Frio combines electro’s
rolling bass lines with techno’s meticulous detail, most recently
releasing a track on the compilation Acid Offspring. “Hatjail”
crosses electro bass with spacey atmospherics, subtly leaving the break
behind, ultimately sounding like it just missed a spot on the Blade Runner soundtrack. SciFiSol could work in
the same vein, albeit with a completely different approach. Layering
her own distorted vocals over sometimes-abrasive beats and atmospheric
washes, her productions go from dreamlike haze to uncomfortable,
unsettling detours—an embrace as prelude to a knife in the
back. Each and either performer would be enough incentive to
attend, and tonight the duo will also be combining forces as Camino
Acid.
As for reasons to head southward, Holocene is hosting both DJ
/Rupture and Richie Hawtin over the next few days, and
neither is making a stop here.
You should already be familiar with
DJ /Rupture by way of his
hyperintelligent, everything-including-the-kitchen-sink mixes (look up the Gold Teeth Thief mix—it’s free). Rupture
recently moved back to the U.S. after seven years in Spain, and his
first release since, Uproot (due out in October), is itself
something of a relocation, with long, measured mixes replacing the
usual feats of how’d-he-mix-that daring—it’s a slower-paced trek
through the world of dubbed-out urban bass.
Wednesday, the king of techno, Hawtin, makes a rare Northwest
appearance. It was a little hard to get fully excited for this Hawtin
set when it was originally scheduled right after the DEMF’s techno
overload, but since Hawtin had to reschedule due to illness, there’s
been time to get properly amped back up. There’s a definite cult of
personality surrounding Hawtin, which makes his appearances buzz
with energy even if the track selection doesn’t warrant it. Portland’s
audiences are known for their fervor, and if Hawtin can tap into that,
this could end up being an epic evening (and well worth the gas).
A closing note for those of you heading even further south to
Burning Man: Have fun, but do try to come back with your bodies (and
minds) intact. 
Camino Acid, Señor Frio, and SciFiSol play Thurs Aug 21,
Bonkers! at Re-bar, 10 pm–
2 am, $5, 21+.
DJ /Rupture plays Fri Aug 22, Holocene (PDX), 9 pm–2:30 am,
$5, 21+.
Richie Hawtin plays Wed Aug 27, Holocene (PDX), 9 pm–2:30
am, $16 adv/$18 DOS, 21+.