Long before the "Harlem Shake," there was "The Rockafeller Skank." Doesn't ring a bell, huh? It should considering the 1998 plunderphonics-heavy groove was one of the more epic big beat hits from the enormous arsenal of British-born musician Norman Cook. Still clueless, bro? Perhaps you know the Englishman by his more famous handle, Fatboy Slim, or maybe you caught his shizzle in heavy rotation on MTV back in the day.
And, ironically enough (as we noted earlier this week) the esteemed Englishman and superstar DJ/producer will stage a spin gig in Scottsdale on the most quintessentially American of holidays, signifying our countries separation from his homeland. It's one of several noteworthy EDM or DJ-oriented events transpiring in metro Phoenix during the Fourth of July. Here are five more worth checking out:
Bottle Rock-It at Club Silver Every weekend, the respective owners of Downtown Phoenix's various nightspots along Washington Street compete for the attentions (and disposable incomces) of clubgoers. They're apparently quite neighborly the rest of the week, however, as illustrated by tonight's Bottle Rock-It party. To wit: House music czars Pete "SuperMix" Salaz and Sean "Senbad" Bager, co-owners of both Bar Smith and The Monarch, will spend this evening a few doors down at Club Silver.
The pair will perform in a special set against the equally renowned duo of Thomas Turner and Timothy Heit that will feature a "full spectrum of house music" during the DJs-on-DJs fracas. The beat battle starts at 9 p.m. Admission is free if you RSVP online.
Analog at Wild Knight It's a bit of a rarity to witness DJs working with vinyl anymore, as laptops and/or CD-Js are essentially de rigueur in a club setting. That's even more of a truism in Scottsdale clubs, where the closest things to an actual platter being used these days are Serato control records. Close to a dozen DJs, both local and otherwise, are planning to buck this trend, however, Wednesday night during Analog, when they'll drop the needle on actual wax.
Per the party's web page, its gonna be "All Vinyl...All Night" for the 11 selectors scheduled to participate that will dig through crates for choice cuts instead of combing through their hard drives. The lineup of those spinning "nothing but the classics" includes Scottsdale regulars Tranzit, Soloman, Dan Lunsford, and Michelle Sparks, as well as cassette-scratching king Ruthless Ramsey, LA's DJ Dax, and video jock ESC. Doors are at 10 p.m. No cover for folks that RSVP online.
Turns out that Fatboy Slim isn't the only former MTV favorite dropping into a Scottsdale hotspot this weekend in honor of the holiday. DJ Skribble -- who was seemingly the channel's go-to mixmaster more than a decade ago by way of regular gigs on The Grind, Total Request Live, and a billion other shows -- occupies the elevated booth Wednesday night at Smashboxx starting at around 10 p.m.
He'll likely go wild out up until last call, showing the Old Town crowd and haters alike that he's still got mad spin skills while simultaneously celebrating the release of the newest disc in his Dance Mix USA series. As always at Smashboxx, there won't be a cover.
Twist Thursdays at Martini Ranch DJ Slippe knows how to cover his ass. After learning that Axis-Radius -- the longtime home for his popular 18-and-over dance affair Twist Thursdays -- was going to be closing, he moved things a few blocks down Stetson Drive to the nearby Martini Ranch, and he's set to relaunch the party Thursday night on the Fourth of July.
Every room at the combination dance club and music venue will host jams after things kick off at 10 p.m. G-Unit artist Hot Rod and Slippe's EDM-with-vocals side protect Drunk Dial will stage live sets in the main room along with hip-hoppers Ink and Ryan O'Connor. Meanwhile, JD from 101.5 Jamz and Kalin Tyler will DJ in the upstairs Shaker Lounge. Admission is $15.
Blunt Club's Fourth of July Banger at Yucca Tap Promoter Dumperfoo is appropriately blunt in his hard sell of the shindig taking place on Thursday night at the Yucca, declaring simply "Fuck those bootleg firework parties - Spend Fouth of July with the Blunt Club." Word.
There won't be much in the way of M-80s or Black Cats at the joint, despite images of such explosives on the flyer, but you can partake in the live hip-hop/jazz fusion work of The Brothers Cosmos, as well as the night's usual mix of live art and b-boy footwork. Pickster One will also be in the mix, as will fellow selector World Famous Rani G., who will be making his Blunt Club debut. Things get going at 9 p.m. and admission is free.
Fatboy Slim at Maya Day & Nightclub As one of the more prominent vanguards of EDM's halcyon days and pre-Skrillex zenith in the aughts, Fatboy Slim's infectious acid house and big beat sounds were practically inescapable, as jams like "Song for Lindy" and "Right Here, Right Now" were a part of movies, video games, and commercials. Then there were his most recognizable songs, 1999's "Praise You" and 2001's "Weapon of Choice," both of which were aided by unforgettable videos by director Spike Jonze (remember him?).
Fatboy Slim's come a long way (pardon the pun) since that era, having given up drinking, performed during the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics, and has been focusing more on the production side of things. He still hits up venues both in Europe and here in the states for DJ gigs and will make his first-ever appearance in the Valley on Thursday, July 4, at Maya. While we're not expecting clubgoers to bounce off the walls of the posh venue like Christopher Walken, there should be an excess of dancing antics at the Independence Day party as Cook performs "under the big bright yellow sun." Gates open at 11 a.m. General admission is $40, VIPs pay $80.
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