DISCO MAVERICKS OPTIMO GET INTO TROUBLE
My favorite kind of DJ is the type who rambles wildly and intelligently over several genres during a set or mix, making unlikely transitions seem like exactly the right move. Few selectors fit that description better than Optimo, the Scottish duo of Keith McIvor (aka JD Twitch) and Jonnie Wilkes. Check out their How to Kill the DJ CDs or the Psyche Out mix for proof. (Who segues from Miroslav Vitous to Soft Cell to Carl Craig or goes from Liaisons Dangereuses into the Cramps? Only Optimo.) The savvy Trouble disco night has booked Twitch solo twice, and both times were revelatory expansions of disco's parameters. With Wilkes finally in tow, things should get even farther out. Q, 9 pm–3 am, free before 10 pm/$10 after, 21+.
BONDAX, KID SMPL'S ROBITUSSIN & BEATS
A youthful duo from Lancaster, England, Bondax produce slick R&B-inflected bass music for people who worship subwoofers as much as they do catchy choruses, conventionally soulful vocals, and uplifting piano motifs. Bondax represent the gleaming commercial end of the bass-music spectrum and are very good at what they do. But more interesting to me is Seattle's Kid Smpl (aka Joey Butler), who works in similar territory but does so with greater subtlety and—I use this in its most secular condition—spirituality. Kid Smpl slows and chills R&B to a frigid, languid tremor, resulting in a hushed, reverent sound that's paradoxically heartwarming and consoling. Of the many producers now creating post-Burial nocturnal ambience, Kid Smpl's among the best. His music peaks on his new album, Skylight, from local label Hush Hush. With Jason Burns. Baltic Room, 9 pm, $12 adv, 21+.
PROSUMER'S SLINKY, SLEEK HOUSE MUSIC
Prosumer (Achim Brandenburg) is a big-deal DJ/producer in Berlin, where they take techno and house as seriously as you take Jon Stewart. His own productions slant toward Herbert's deceptively seductive and slinky tech-house, while his DJ sets salute the originators and legacy of Chicago house and Detroit techno with panache. A night of intelligent hedonism beckons. With DJ Nark. Q, 9 pm–3 am, free before 10 pm/$10 after, 21+.
STOP BITING'S BEATMAKERS SHOWCASE AND COMP
Important hiphop weekly Stop Biting celebrates the release of the Beatmakers compilation—with mini-documentary—on upstart label Care Package. The comp contains tracks by 11 area producers, and nine of those will be performing tonight, including OCnotes, WD4D, Specs Wizard, and Arthur Russell Simmons. This edition of Stop Biting always knocks hard. With AbsoluteMadman, Suttikeeree, Ear Dr.Umz, Showbot, and Macros. Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 9:30 pm, $5, 21+.
