Two of America's most reliable house/funky-breaks DJs haul their wax (or Seratos) to Newport Beach's Tentation Ultra Lounge tonight. A protégé of Donald Glaude as a young man in Olympia, Washington, DJ Dan has been a West Coast fixture on the rave/swank-club circuit for over 15 years. Dan consistently ranks near the top in DJ Magazine's annual best-DJ polls.
The same goes for Glaude, who came up in Tacoma, Washington in the '80s and later served as a catalyst for Seattle and San Francisco's dance scenes. On the decks, Dan (now based in LA) and Donald (operating in San Diego) complement each other like Red Bull and Rockstar (trust me, you can never have too much energy drink in you at these events). They won't dazzle you with innovative cuts, but they will keep the floor moving and full with solid streams of hypnotic, hyper house and breaks tracks that have been tested worldwide for their effectiveness.
Here's some footage of the duo at the latest Ultra Music Festival in Miami.
Bauhaus/Love and Rockets bassist/vocalist David J will be DJing tonight at Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar for the LaBoiteFunk Dance Party. “I shall be spinning a deep lounge concoction of electronic Latin Jazz tinged grooves / dub & more,” David J said, when contacted via MySpace. Also, FYI: I've heard rumors to the effect that anyone requesting "Bela Lugosi's Dead” will be thrown into a vat full of guano.
Also on the bill: Them Jeans of Dim Mak Tuesdays at Cinespace, Colossal KNXN, Keith 2.0 of Moscow and DJ (n).
Detroit Bar, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 642-0600, 9 p.m., $10.
Here's a brief video of Mr. J spinning a song that sounds familiar, but I can't quite identify it—maybe something like Handsome Boy Modeling School, Tom Vek, or the Go! Team?
We've seen Estela spin psych rock and hip-hop before, but not funk and soul, which are Good Foot's bread and butter (the night is hosted by the reliable dance-floor-fillers Dennis Owens and Scott Weaver [00 Soul].) So it should be interesting to see if Estela/Nobody can deliver the goods in these styles. My money's on him laying down some deep cuts for maximum mind and body satisfaction.
Que Sera, 1923 E. 7th St., Long Beach, (562) 599-6170; 9 p.m., $5.
DIOY,Y? (you have no idea how fun it is to type that) produce strident, rhythmically punchy numbers with loads of yobbish attitude (think of the blokes in Snatch). Their debut album, You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into (Almost Gold), isn't as rough and rugged as the band would like you to think, but it does provide some fleeting adrenalized thrills, a few memorable choons, and some wicked cowbell clatter in “We Are Rockstars” (that famous British irony at work). It'll be interesting to see the reaction of the headliners if DIOY,Y? perform “Attack of the 60 Ft. Lesbian Octopus.”
YM peddle brash party rap that mostly thinks below the belt. “Lo Riders in Hydraulics” lifts the main synth motif from Kraftwerk's “It's More Fun to Compute” and it's all in good fun, until somebody huffs too much gas. “Fucked Up” sounds like it samples a warped guitar riff from Pussy Galore (makes sense, if you're lezzies, right?) as it outlines a scarily obsessive relationship. “Kryptonite Pussy” rides that ubiquitous Baltimore club rhythm (boom/kick, shuffle shuffle/snare) to wax horny about the titular subject. YM are the opposite of most rap, which is often features straight males behaving vilely in their lyrics. With YM, it's gay ladies behaving vilely in their lyrics, and that's refreshing, if only for its novelty.
Presented by Indie 103 FM, the show also features Technology and Closed Heart Surgery. Doors at 7 p.m. $13.00 ADV, $15.00 DOS.
Los Angeles DJs extraordinaire Gaslamp Killer and Kutmah—both of the Low End Theory crew—return to the Crosby for their monthly Spit night at the new Santa Ana venue (400 N. Broadway). Their Spit debut blew minds and we're expecting another seminar in next-level beats and Ph.D.-caliber crate-digging. Action starts around 9 p.m. and entry is free (in fact, you'll leave richer than you were when you entered).
The reunited gothadelic group Love and Rockets will warm up for their April 27 Coachella show with two SoCal dates, including tonight at the Glass House in Pomona (the other gig's in San Diego, April 24 at Canes). DJ Diabetic (Shepard Fairey) opens. Tix are $25 adv/$30 DOS. Doors at 7 p.m. All ages. Call (909) 865-3802 for more information.
Love and Rockets will also play Lollapalooza Aug. 3.
Here's a video of Love and Rockets covering the Temptations' “Ball of Confusion.” This is one of the better examples of a British artist re-imagining a Motown song while still capturing its spirit.
LA DJs Gaslamp Killer and Kutmah kick off their monthly event Spit (happening on first Thursdays at 9 p.m.), bringing the rhythmic fire tonight at the newly opened Crosby club in Santa Ana (we missed the "soft opening" April 1 because we were out of town, damn it). Want to hear hip-hop being molded into futuristic, psychedelic new shapes? Then it behooves you to get your hoodie- and backpack-wearing ass to the Crosby.
We've waited at least seven months for the Crosby to get up and running, and now it's ON. Check out the saga here, if you haven't already, and give thanks for the tenacity and vision of Chris Alfaro, Phil Nisco and Marc Yamaoka.
