MARQUES WYATT
Spinning songs that praise God's essential goodness and express hope for the future while humans exhibit rank evil, corruption, and self-destructive tendencies strikes this cynic as inexcusable naivety. But music's long served an escapist function, and that's the mission of L.A. DJ Marques Wyatt. His style of spiritual, uplifting house will always have its adherents (it's like gospel with a mildly bumpin' 4/4 rhythm), but its achingly sincere diva dramatics and glib, power-of-love maxims make this writer cranky. You, however, may find it heavenly. Wyatt supports his recent mix CD Horizons (Om) tonight, and it's got some inspired tribal cuts amid the ho-hum hallelujahs. Godspeed. With Ramiro and Jeromy Nail. Fenix Underground, 109 S Washington St, 405-4323, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $15 adv.
FANTASTICO!
This new Thursday-nighter spotlights the increasingly common spectacle of musicians meshing "real" instrumentation with laptop manipulations. With Fantastico!, CD Littlefield (trumpet), Darrius Willrich (keyboards), and Matt Segal (electronic drums) thread their jazz, funk, and soul chops through Nordic Soul's techno, house, and IDM rhythms and bass lines. With DJ Glory B. Lo_Fi Performance Gallery, 429 Eastlake Ave E, www.lofiseattle.org, 8 pm- 2 am, 21+, $5.
MONDAY MAY 10
IQU
Seattle duo IQU were doing this indie-rock/dance-music thing way before it became fodder for glossy mags with 20-page fashion spreads. Disco-punk neophytes should study IQU's brilliant 1998 debut album, Chotto Matte a Moment!, like a sacred text. Before IQU drop the follow-up, Sun Q, in August and embark on a national tour, you can get a preview of their fabulously exotic pop-funk and hedonistic dance music. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to witness Kento Oiwa's theremin wizardry. With DJ Collage, Capitalist Punishment vs. Scratch Master Joe, and Mr. Afternoon. Deep Down Lounge, 126 S Jackson St, 682-3242, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $5.
