DJ VADIM, DJ FIRST RATE, PLAN B, DIVERSE
Underground hiphop's hardest-working DJ, Vadim--along with his amazing turntablist sidekick First Rate--always presents history lessons you can dance your ass off to, so don't sleep. Seattle multi-instrumentalist Plan B returns home to offer his ingenious take on Shadow-esque sampladelia and espionage-thriller jazz funk. Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $10 adv.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 11
MARK FARINA
Casa Del Ritmo brings in the much-loved Mark Farina, who's promoting his quirky Latin/pop/house disc Air Farina. The linchpin of S.F. dance powerhouse Om Records, Farina has pleasured hundreds of thousands of folks with his buttah-smooth Mushroom Jazz mix series. With Wesley Holmes and Jon Lemmon. Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $15. WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15
GOTAN PROJECT
It was only a matter of time before someone fused the tango's antiquely sad sensuality with modern electronica's gleaming production techniques. Parisian Philippe Cohen Solal's Gotan Project makes the conjunction function as smoothly as a Rolex on the group's debut album, La Revancha Del Tango. In the capable hands of Solal & Co., dub bass lines and downtempo funk beats buttress tango's baroque, wistful melodies without sounding gimmicky or unnatural. Sure, Gotan Project's music carries a strong whiff of cocktail-lounge faux-sophistication, but with fans like Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider and Tropicalia legend Caetano Veloso, these cats have more than enough props to avoid dilettante claims. Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 628-3151, 8 pm, 21+, $20 adv, $23 DOS.
PHILOSOPHY MAJOR, DATZ COLD
Seattle occultist Philosophy Major is poised to drop his phenomenal end-times dub disc Hypnerotomachia (WordSound). This CD release party allows citizens to catch a rare live appearance by this postmodern sound sorcerer. If there's a heavier, more psychedelic dub specimen than Hypnerotomachia this year, I'll eat Lee Perry's shorts. With Datz Cold, MC Confuz, HNS, and DJ Veins. ToST, 513 N 36th St, 547-0240, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $5
