LIE BACK AND FEEL NIGHTMARES ON WAX’S FUNK
Warp Records‘ longest-running act, Nightmares on Wax, have settled into a familiar style that suggests leader George Evelyn subsists on the most potent pot in the world. But NOW’s anomalous 1991 debut full-length, A Word of Science: The First and Final Chapter, was actually more redolent of LSD than weed, reflecting that era’s immersion in acid house and freaky electro. The six albums that followed, though, slotted comfortably into the triphop sphere, albeit with a higher emphasis on tropical atmospheres and dubby inflections. At core, Evelyn’s a mellow seducer, a suave manipulator of moods, and a deft architect of rhythms designed to get you horizontal while keeping your hips nodding and your head grinding. The man has a doctorate in laid-back funk, and the title of NOW’s new album, Feelin’ Good, is a self-fulfilling prophecy. With Theoretics and Introcut. Neumos, 8 pm, $17 adv, 21+.
NADASTROM’S MOOMBAHTON,
SINDEN’S TECH-HOUSE ODDITIES
Nadastrom (Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom of Washington, DC) are progenitors of moombahton, an oft-rambunctious fusion of house and reggaeton that began adding humidity to dance clubs in 2009. It’s typically barrel-chested, raucous dance music that moves at about 110 bpm and is full of exuberant exhortations in gruff voices. Fun stuff, mostly. Sinden is the best artist on Diplo’s Mad Decent label, for my money. Whereas many on the MD roster pander too hard to EDM’s LCD, Sinden infuses his dance tracks with plenty of weird textures and oddly hypnotic rhythms. In fact, I’d say he’s the best artist on Fool’s Gold, too. A great case in point is the recent Ring Around the Moon EP on that label. Its four tech-house tracks revel in a playful yet dark psychedelia that never descends into corniness. With Salva and Jameson Just. Neumos, 9 pm, $18 adv, 21+.
WORTHY’S BASS-SICK HOUSE MUSIC
Seattle loves San Francisco label Dirtybird, as witnessed by the frequency with which its cofounder Claude VonStroke and artists like J.Phlip and Justin Martin play here. Its operatives balance crowd-pleasing production qualities that also stand up to headphone scrutiny. Worthy is yet one more Dirtybirdman on the global circuit, performing at big festivals like Ultra, Love Parade, and Burning Man. A favorite of filthy-rich DJs like Diplo, Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, and Sven Väth, Worthy creates extroverted house music that taps into breakbeat’s robust funkiness and future bass’s obscene low end to aid in the movement of rear ends. Things seem to be twerking out well for Worthy in this regard. See Sound Lounge, 9 pm, $15 adv, 21+. 
