Data Breaker

Dietrich Schoenemann is a very busy man with a huge,
quality-laden discography—but you’ve probably never heard of him,
let alone heard his music. With that mouthful of a handle, he’s not
exactly a household name, even among underground-electronic-music
aficionados—although he has remixed Philip Glass’s “The
Thin Blue Line.” So, much credit should go to the
Knightriders and Bonkers! crews for bringing Schoenemann
to Re-bar on May 8.

Schoenemann started performing in New York City clubs like
Danceteria and Limelight in the early ’90s while in his late teens. He
came to many heads’ attention after he joined the techno group
Prototype 909 in 1993 with Taylor Deupree and Jason
Szostek. They went on to release some of that decade’s most
riveting, exploratory techno (see 1993’s Acid Technology and
1995’s Transistor Rhythm). When P909 split in 1998, Schoenemann
launched the Hidden Agenda label and focused his energies on solo
production and DJing dance-floor-centric techno, while starting three
other imprints. One of his productions, Trailer Park, under the
moniker Unit Park with Deupree, featured some of the most lethal
minimal techno of the ’90s. Showing diversity, Schoenemann also
released an excellent disc of plutonian abstract techno in 2000,
Shadowgraphs. His 2001 DJ mix An Agenda and a Beat revealed his uncanny ear for bleeding-edge, hard techno, including his
own civil-rights-speech-enhanced anthem “19 Bullets.”

Schoenemann’s maintained his razor-sharp acumen as a selector while
nurturing his labels and creative partnership with producer Tony
Rohr. As a mastering engineer, Schoenemann has access to exclusive
dubplates, as well, so expect a unique, powerful set from him at
Bonkers!—and with 3-D visuals projected behind him.

That same night, local producer Erictronic will be
celebrating the release of his CD Disco Chronic Volume One, on
Seattle’s Pleasure Boat Records. Disco Chronic follows in
the wiggly slipstream of previous Pleasure Boat output by the
Naturebot and PotatoFinger. That is, Eric-tronic is one of
those knob-twiddlers who convert twitchy rhythms and a predilection for
“wrong” textures into compositions that splutter, twinkle, and blurt
with charming insouciance.

Yes, Disco Chronic is yet more wonky IDM, a deeply
unfashionable style of late, but Erictronic’s keyboard dexterity and
nostalgia-nudging, video-game melodies make his music instantly
mood-lifting. Tracks like “Ignoblest of Beasts” and “Thanks for Having
Babies” recall the quirky convolutions and unhinged tunesmithery of
Bogdan Raczynski and Astrobotnia. Then “Ud_2” comes along
to upend the prevalent manic madness with a gorgeous fluty reverie.
With Disco Chronic, the Pleasure Boat dynasty continues to
gather steam.

Dietrich Schoenemann, Nerd Revolt, Travis Baron, Erictronic
perform Fri May 8, Re-bar, 10 pm, $9 before 11 pm/$13 after,
21+.