Data Breaker

Atlanta DJ/producer Distal is known in some circles as “boss of the South,” which may be news to Big Boi and Andre 3000, but let it be known that OutKast’s principals probably aren’t getting heavy DJ support from bass-centric prime movers like Joy Orbison, Appleblim, 2562, and Ramadanman.

A trawl through Distal’s recorded output reveals him to be one of the most exciting American producers currently working. He tailors his productions for clubs that cater to high-quality, low-frequency thrills, moving with facility among genres like dubstep, techno, garage, and juke. His inventive, kinetic use of percussion, ocean-floor-level bass pressure, and whimsical way with melody make Distal’s tracks stand out in DJ sets like a far-fetched simile in a straightforward newspaper column (uh-huh). Judging from his releases on esteemed labels like Soul Jazz, Grizzly, Rogue Dubs, Car Crash Set (run by Seattle’s Ill Cosby), and his own Embassy Records, Distal will be a freakin’ dynamo in a live setting. Bring a towel.

Seattle’s the Crooked Clef has been garnering some prime deck time with the aforementioned Mr. Cosby this year on some choice bills, which makes sense. Like the CCS label head, the Crooked Clef is a savvy aesthete of all things futuristic and bass-tastic. Besides his DJing (check out a plethora of mixes at www.soundcloud.com/the-crooked-clef), CC writes astutely about music and culture for the Trash Menagerie blog (www.trashmenagerie.com). He came to my attention with his Mittelschmerz mix, which maneuvered magnificently through dubstep and drone metal’s upper regions, taking in cuts by Hudson Mohawke, King Midas Sound, Scuba, and Black to Comm along the way. Even better for the Crooked Clef’s professional fortunes, he drew praise from the New Yorker‘s Sasha Frere-Jones for his Trash in the Bassment series of mixes, which Frere-Jones described as “swift, varied, well-curated and reliable delivery systems of pleasure.”

For this gig, the Clefster (you do call him that, don’t you?) says, “I’m planning a bpm-climb of sorts. I like to start in the high 90s where a lot of cumbia, dancehall, and hiphop like to hang out and push through whatever I can in the low 100s and hope that I arrive as safely as possible at house. Seamless transitions are overrated, though I do strive for such things. In general, I hope to delight the feet and challenge the ear!”

Distal and the Crooked Clef perform Wed Aug 11, Chop Suey, 9 pm, $5 before 11 pm/
$7 after, 21+ (with Ill Cosby and Kid Hops).