First, I’d like to say it’s great to be back in Seattle, breaking
data once more for
electronic-music heads. During my 16-month
stint in Orange County, I sorely missed the febrile activity this
city’s producers and DJs generate. One week of beatcentric events
here outshines a year’s worth in the OC. That’s no hyperbole.
Second, I want to commend Bug in the Bassbin columnist Donte
Parks for doing an outstanding job covering the electronic-music
scene over the last year and change. His clear-eyed, keen-eared prose
and eclectic taste kept me abreast of Seattle’s happenings from
afar.
Third, it gives me much pleasure to resume this column with the
announcement of the first anniversary of Bonkers!. This is
exactly the sort of night that made me envious of the Emerald City
while I was dying, er, living in SoCal. Bonkers! will put the icing on
that well-deserved exclamation mark Thursday, September 4, at Re-bar
with a high-powered lineup of loco locals. Headliners Jacob
London shift for this one night from their usual funky-house high
jinx into full-on gabber mode. Jerry Abstract escapes from his
Tukwila lab after a long hiatus to bestow gems from his IDM and electro
stashes. DJ WD4D will do a rare live performance of his dreamy,
distorted instrumental hiphop and Red Pony (Rebecca West) will
be spinning her usual impeccable tech-house cuts. If that weren’t
enough, improvisational duo Power Mitten will be battling the
Bonkers! residents with an array of “drum machines, samplers, synths,
live instrumentation, and on-the-fly looping” that will likely have you
moving in ways you never have before.
Another reason to feel good about returning to the 206: DFA Records
stalwart the Juan MacLean is bringing a live band to Nectar
Lounge on Wednesday, September 10. The ex–Six Finger
Satellite guitarist now elegantly rocks the
“happy”-house/cosmic-disco business with emotional-robot verve. Able
support comes from Seattle’s Head Like a Kite, who merge chunky
funk beats with irresistibly hummable melodies and quirky textures,
plinky Portland electro-pop craftsman Copy, and DJ Colby
B.
Finally, Sing Sing majordomo Clayton Vomero (aka DJ/producer
Pretty Titty) is flying in Spank Rock DJ XXXchange (Alex
Epton) from the East Coast for another round of surprising oldies, club
bangers, and mashups at the War Room. Expect your tight jeans and
ironic/iconic ’70s gym shorts to fit much looser by night’s end.
Bonkers! first anniversary show: Jacob London, Jerry Abstract, DJ
WD4D, Red Pony, and Power Mitten vs. Team Bonkers! play Thurs Sept 4,
Re-bar, 9 pm–2 am, $6 before 11/ $8 after, 21+.
The Juan Maclean, Head Like a Kite, Copy, DJ Colby B play Wed
Sept 10, Nectar,
9 pm–2 am, $10 adv, 21+.
Sing Sing: XXXchange of Spank Rock, Pretty Titty, and Expendable
Youth play Fri Sept 5, War Room, 9 pm–2 am, 21+,
www
.deathoftheparty.org.