San Francisco DJ Nikola Baytala has become a crucial
component of the minimal-techno collective known as Kontrol. But
don’t typecast him as a one-dimensional droid with a M-nus Records logo
tattoo. He’s been exploring the upper echelons of the techno/house
continuum since the early ’90s (including the last 10 years at The Top,
a weekly event hosted by S.W.A.T., aka Special Weapons and
Tactics), gaining a reputation as a DJ’s DJ, with acclaim coming from
house-music legends like Derrick Carter and Doc Martin.
Moreover, Baytala’s list of musical influences and loves is vast,
eclectic, and impeccable. The following roll call just scratches
the surface: dub/reggae (Lee “Scratch” Perry), jazz (Pharoah Sanders),
world (Ravi Shankar, Mulatu Astatke), funk (Cymande), soul (Bill
Withers), hiphop (Gang Starr), Krautrock (Can), electro (Egyptian
Lover, Kraftwerk), disco (DJ Harvey), Latin (Tito Puente),
soundtrack/new age (Vangelis), rock (Steely Dan), post-punk (ESG,
Liquid Liquid), and post-rock (Outhud). As for his bread and butter,
Baytala similarly displays excellent judgment, with a heavy preference
for quality-pushers like Jeff Mills, Gas, Monolake, Robert Hood, Theo
Parrish, and Mr. Fingers.
When you see a DJ possess such wide-ranging, outstanding taste, it
instills confidence that he/she will rarely, if ever, veer into
wackness. Baytala clearly has put many hours of study into his craft,
and it’s paid off with smooth mixes and world-class track selection.
Besides his formidable technical skills and profound knowledge, Baytala
reportedly exudes a lot of personality and passion behind the decks,
which must have served him well while opening for acts like Jane’s
Addiction.
Everything I’ve heard by Baytala suggests that his sets avoid the
supposed pitfalls of minimal dance music. They’re kinetic, dynamic,
and, of course, cheese-free. I can’t believe I’ve only just recently
found out about this mensch.
•••
Boysnoize and Turbo Recordings art-ist D.I.M. (aka Berlin’s
Andreas Meid) works that corrugated-bass electro-house steez that the
Ed Banger stable took to le banque over the last few years, making it
one of the definitive electronic-music approaches of the ’00s. To these
ears, the subgenre is mostly played out, but when done well, as D.I.M.
proves, this extroverted, hyperkinetic brand of dance music repurposes
the strident, punchy thrills of stadium-glam rock for 21st-century ears
weaned on Daft Punk and Justice. The local support crew for this show
understands the importance of never letting the high energy wane. They
are all PhDs (Party Hard Doctors). 
Boring.