I got a thing, you got a thing, everybody's got a thing. That's the way it's been in Detroit's famously decentralized dance scene, where on any given weekend parties pile up on top of each other and spread out all over town — or at least all over Corktown. Oops, scratch that, now that the Finite Gallery has met its inevitable. Ah, well. Somehow we'll figure out a way to have a Detroit party that's both dirty as hell (the way it needs to be) and marked by some semblance of order (yes, we know the entire culture is rooted in pirate gigs, but c'mon, you can't do it every weekend and not expect to get the wrong kind of attention).
Well, at least we have some, uh, other Thanksgiving events to get us all excited, don't we?
Sure we do, beginning with the return of Starski and Clutch, better known to their moms and pops as Brian Gillespie and Todd Osborn, who as Osborne released the sublime acid-house groover "Outta Site" earlier this year for Ann Arbor's Spectral Sounds. (That track made it onto DJ charts and critics' hit lists the world over.) Together, these two nutcases throw electro, hip hop, house and ghetto funk into a blender and come up with something hilariously new and good each time. Expect a full-length LP, Detroit Hustle, soon (which means whenever they get around to releasing it). Also spinning: DJ Seoul. Tonight (Nov. 21), at Foran's, 612 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 10 p.m.
Don't necessarily want to be in a club, but still looking for something mad to kick-start your weekend? Then hit up the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) for a night of whack electro featuring Chicago's Magas, Detroit's Goudron and Perspects (um, their sisters and brothers call them Ron Zakrin and Ian Clark). Doors at 8 p.m., music to follow an hour later. 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit.
The best Thanksgiving eve party north of Eight Mile Road brings Darren Revell, who once held residencies at the Shelter, Motor, Industry and City Club, back to town. Now based in L.A., Revell also hosted Club X live on 89X in the early 1990s and later the Big Sonic Heaven show on WDVD-FM. Also spinning: DJ Quiq. At the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 9 p.m.
Take Thursday off for family time, but hop back into more rhythmic hilarity on Friday for "Jive Turkey 4," co-sponsored by heavy hitters Mixworks, Underground Resistance and others. The party's all-star lineup includes UR's Buzz Goree, Wallshaker's Aaron Carl, old-school househead Earl McKinney, Mike "Agent X" Clark and Gillespie. Very special guest: Dego of UK nu-soul/jazz pioneers, 4 Hero. Get ready for beats to be broken up into little pieces and skillfully set together again. Nov. 23 at the Works, 1846 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 10 p.m.
The same night down the street at Corktown Tavern, it's an upstairs-downstairs program featuring Indianapolis' Adam Jay, Neil V. & Dan Lucas and Jim Hunt (upstairs), and a Baretta Music showcase with Brian Kage, Luke Hess and Josh Harrison (downstairs). 1716 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 10 p.m.
On Saturday, the holiday party moves to the heart of downtown for some "Positive Education." The event features headmaster Mike Grant, who has been running the Oak Park-based Moods and Grooves label since the late 1990s, releasing his own tracks and wide-ranging electronic soul music by Theo Parrish, Piranhahead, Glenn Underground, Rick Wade and others. Also on the bill: Michael Geiger, Keith Kemp and Greg Mudge. The rub? Only records from the golden age of 1980 to 1996 will be played. At Oslo, 1456 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 9 p.m.
Feeling restless? Then walk up a couple blocks to the north side of Grand Circus Park to see D. Wynn, who got on the Detroit techno map way back in 1987, when he remixed Rythim is Rythim's "Nude Photo" on Derrick May's Transmat imprint. Wynn has also recorded on Kevin Saunderson's KMS label and performed on the DEMF's main Stage in 2001. See one of the biggest, baddest men in house music shake, rattle 'n' roll the decks at (Proof), 2001 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 10 p.m.
The Subterraneans is a regular column dedicated to Detroit dance culture. Send comments to [email protected]
