PIGS FLY, HELL FREEZES OVER: AMERICA LIKES DANCE MUSIC

OR: DJ'ING IS HARD

This fall is mind-blowingly rife with touring make-your-ass-shake-ers and the like. Check it (if you can):

#1. DFA RECORDS DJ TOUR



The tour which makes me happiest on the inside is the DFA records DJ tour. Various permutations of James Murphy, Juan Maclean, Tim Sweeney, and Shit Robot will be spinning delicious vinyl around North America in the next few months. The reason ostensibly being to promote volume two of the DFA remix compilations. The compilations are like a partial dream come true for me (that dream being, "I wish that the DFA would remix everything I like").

Now if they'd just throw in some Delia & Gavin North American dates, I'd be one happy camper. Dates from here:

09-20 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine *#
09-21 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *#
09-22 Vancouver, British Columbia - Celebrities *#
09-23 Los Angeles, CA - Vanguard *#
09-24 Los Angeles, CA - The Standard *#
09-28 Denver, CO - The Church *%
09-30 Toronto, Ontario - State Theater *^%
10-01 Montreal, Quebec - I Love Neon *^%
10-06 Chicago, IL - Smart Bar *^%
10-07 New York, NY - TBA *#^%
10-11 Houston, TX - A38 #^
10-12 Austin, TX - Factory People #^
10-12 Austin, TX - Whiskey Bar #^
10-13 Atlanta, GA - TBA #^
10-14 Miami, FL - Pop Life at the District #^
10-15 Miami, FL - The Standard Hotel #^

* with James Murphy
# with Juan Maclean
^ with Tim Sweeney
% with Shit Robot (Marcus Lambkin)

Juan Maclean dates:

08-29 Los Angeles, CA - The Standard Hotel
08-31 Guadalajara, Mexico - La Santa Bar
09-01 Mexico City, Mexico - Cibeles
09-02 Chicago, IL - Northerly Island (PureNation Festival) (live band) *
09-03 Toronto, Ontario - The Guvernment (Labour of Love 2006)
10-27 Melbourne, Australia - TBA (DFA vs. Modular) #
10-28 Sydney, Australia - TBA (DFA vs. Modular) #

* with Prodigy
# with Beats in Space

Beats in Space dates:

09-09 Reykjavik, Iceland - TBA
09-22 New York, NY - Don Hill's *
10-20 New York, NY - Don Hill's #
12-01 Sao Paulo, Brazil - Vegas Club

* with Glass Candy
# with Optimo

#2. RADIO SOULWAX PRESENTS



Ah, Soulwax boys, how I love thee so. Last time I was overseas I made sure to pick up as much Soulwax material as possible. The Any Minute Now album was somewhat disappointing, but then out came the Nite Versions and damn, is that a good record. It comes out in the US on Modular next week. Just put it on all the way through, doesn't matter the situation. Maybe every band should do nite verisons of their shit.

I'm having a hard time telling who's playing what when, but it's some combination of Soulwax, Nite Versions, 2manyDJ's, and debauchery. I don't know, just wish I could see them. Dates hyah [* w/ JDH & Dave P. (FIXED/NYC)]:

9/14 Los Angeles, CA @ The Vanguard *
9/15 San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine *
9/17 Chicago, IL @ Double Door *
9/18 Toronto, Canada @ Mod Club *
9/19 Montreal, Canada @ S.A.T *
9/20 Philadelphia @ Pure (Making Time) *
9/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Studio B (Making Time) *
9/22 NY, NY @ Ultrafest - Rumsey Playfield
9/23 Baltimore, MD @ V Festival - 2manydjs only

#3. MOTHERFUCKING JUSTICE



I'm rather sure I've said enough about Justice. I'm also rather sure I will be trekking to Chi-town to see them in person. US Dates:

Oct 31 - SAFARI SAMS w/ MSTRKRFT - LOS ANGELES
Nov 1 - MEZZANINE w/ MSTRKRFT - SAN FRANCISCO
Nov 2 - SMART BAR - CHICAGO
Nov 3 - PURE - PHILADELPHIA
Nov 4 - STUDIO B - NYC

#4. MSTRKRFTRBTRZ



I have not been able to get into MSTRKFT's album The Looks, and their remixes lately have been erring on the "miss" side of hit-or-miss. But part of that is probably because I have high expectations for them, and they still can show that they know how to rock it. I have yet to see them live, so I will probably also catch them the same weekend as Justice in Chicago. Dates:

Sep 08 - Don Hills (New York City, NY)
Sep 09 - Click @ Medusa Lounge (Philadelphia, PA)
Sep 10 - Virgin Festival @ Islands Park (Toronto, ON)
Sep 14 - The Club @ Firestone (Orlando, FL)
Sep 15 - Factory People (Austin, TX)
Sep 16 - A38 (Houston, TX)
Sep 22 - The War Room (Seattle, WA)
Oct 12 - Bills Bar (Boston, MA)
Oct 13 - Sonar (Baltimore, MD)
Oct 14 - Mjq Concourse (Atlanta, GA)
Oct 20 - Chop Suey (Seattle, WA)
Oct 21 - Holocene (Portland, OR)
Oct 27 - The Warehouse (Calgary, AB)
Oct 31 - Safari Sam's W/ Justice (Los Angeles, CA)
Nov 01 - Mezzanine W/ Justice (San Francisco, CA)
Nov 04 - Smart Bar (Chicago, IL)

#5. THE RAPTURE W/ THE PRESETS



I have yet to make a full-on post about it, but I have been listening to the Rapture's Pieces of the People We Love non-stop. I think it's fucking great and it makes me cry tears of joy. I am anxious to see how they pull it off live, since I think Echoes in concert (well, the album too) was sort of a mixed bag. Not so great the first time I saw it, pretty great the second time. But I hear they've gotten even better live, so I may try and be in Chicago for this one too.



The Presets are fun and worth checking out for the "Are You the One?" single alone. I was surprised to see that out of the two guys, one is a live drummer, so the other one has a lot on his plate. Fun live show, so it should be really fucking fun to see them open for the Rapture. North American dates:

09-12 New York, NY - Apple Soho Store (instore, w/o Presets)
10-26 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-27 Toronto, Ontario - Guvernment
10-28 Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall
10-30 New York, NY - Webster Hall
11-01 Boston, MA - Axis
11-02 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
11-03 Philadelphia, PA - Pure Nightclub
11-05 Chicago, IL - Metro
11-07 Austin, TX - Emo's
11-09 Phoenix, AZ - Old Brickhouse Theatre
11-10 Pomona, CA - Glass House
11-11 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (Be the Riottt! Festival)
11-13 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
11-14 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
11-15 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
11-17 Las Vegas, NV - Celebrity Vegas
11-20 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre

That's it. If you go to anything, let me know how it went.