Musicians and DJs hand me CDs all the time. But few have had the impact on me that Jon McMillion's did one fine day in 2004. That disc contained the kind of rarefied IDM abstractions whose mass appeal is, uh, limited. But for those into the brainy output of labels like Irdial, Mille Plateaux, Touch, and Rather Interesting, McMillion's sly rhythmic convolutions and microbial atmospheres promise serious headphone pleasure. Let's hope this material surfaces someday.

Flash forward to fall 2005: McMillion slips me another CD. This time the music's geared for clubs—albeit clubs run by folk who harbor unconventional notions about dance music. In a December Data Breaker, I described McMillion's music as "playful, strange, kinetic, and provocative—which makes it similar to the texturally outré yet danceable output of Seattle's Bruno Pronsato." Comparisons to Pronsato are not made idly: McMillion's on that lofty level.

Besides creating brain-tickling techno tracks, McMillion works for Microsoft ("mostly configuration testing"). But before he became immersed in computers' wondrous music-making capabilities, McMillion "grew up listening to a wide variety of music, the more obscure the better," while also playing guitar in post-punk bands. He credits the owner of R&P record store for introducing him to seminal groups like the Fall and Can, which spurred him to dig even deeper for unusual sounds. "Having that exposure definitely helped shape my theory," McMillion says. "I also grew up watching Night Flight, and [was] blown away by [it]."

Equally blown away was Orac Records' Randy Jones. The Seattle label boss knew after a few minutes of hearing McMillion's demo that he had to release it. Four pieces from McMillion's archives grace the new Inner Floor 12-inch. The EP's danceable yet still has loads of weird sounds slicing through it. It's playfully funkadelic, whimsical yet cerebral. The sound design is intricate and the textures bizarre, yet the music remains focused on pleasure centers. McMillion's tracks could slot into sets featuring cuts by artists on Perlon, Musique Risquée, Telegraph, and other elite imprints.

"Lately I've been making stuff with the dance floor solely in mind," McMillion says. "There are some obvious ingredients to making dance music, but I think that's changing. There are a lot of artists out there upgrading the definition. The labels you mentioned, including Orac, are contributing to that cause. It's a great time to be involved in electronic music; people seem to be very open to abstract ideas on and off the dance floor. It seems like there's a broader variety of stuff coming out.

"I don't consciously take any steps to sound different," he continues. "My music is an extension of my personality. I have this way of doing things and it comes from years of experimenting and developing, and sometimes the results end in something unique." Truly.

Beat Happenings

THURSDAY APRIL 27

JOSH WINK The great Philadelphia acid-house producer can spin a mean minimal-techno DJ set, too—and for free? What's the catch? Oh, it's in Pioneer Square. Last Supper Club, 124 S Washington St, 748-9975, 9 pm–2 am, free, 21+.

JAZZANOVA Six-strong German producer/DJ collective Jazzanova send DJs Jürgen von Knoblauch and Roskow, who'll guide us through a lush trail of broken beat, future jazz, soulful house, and other subgenres championed by promoters SunTzu Sound's savvy brain trust. Baltic Room, 1207 E Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm–2 am, $10 adv, 21+.

FRIDAY APRIL 28

DERRICK CARTER Carter's among the top 10 house DJs of all time and his road-tested sets always inspire wild times. Just because he plays here thrice a year doesn't mean he's worn out his welcome. With Wesley Holmes. War Room, 722 E Pike St, 328-7666, 9 pm–2 am, 21+; check www.thewarroomseattle.com for cover fee.

SATURDAY APRIL 29

GLOVEBOX Fronted by saucy songstress Mishka, Australian quartet GloveboX peddle extroverted electronic pop that could segue smoothly with Brazilian Girls, Hot Chip, and VHS or Beta tracks at some beachside soiree. GloveboX's self-titled debut's a frothy trifle that has enough fuzz-toned guitars to rope in rock fans who aren't reflexively dance-club phobic. With Voyager One, Climber. High Dive, 513 N 36th St, 632-0212, 10 pm–2 am, $6, 21+; also at Silver Platters, 9560 First Ave NE, 524-3472, 5 pm, free.

IN LOVING MEMORY This event is billed as "A Celebration of Seattle Music Culture"; it also serves as a memorial for the victims of the March 25 Capitol Hill shootings. The varied and excellent lineup includes some of the fallen's favorite performers: Barry Curtis of the Kingsmen, Reggie Watts, KJ Sawka, Calvin Johnson, Kled, Jimni Cricket, darkly brilliant drill 'n' bass phenoms Venetian Snares and Doormouse, and more. Seattle Center International Fountain, 10 am–dusk, free, http://inlovingmemoryseattle.org.

SUNDAY APRIL 30

ERIC LANZILLOTTA, FIBRILLATION Lanzillotta's the former boss of experimental label/distro house Anomalous Records. His last No Tomorrow show sizzled synapses with disorienting tone bending reminiscent of Coil and Conrad Schnitzler's best work. Go. Baltic Room, 1207 E Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm–2 am, $5, 21+.