Seattlest is Bringin' the Heat

It's cold outside. The clouds have decided to leave their precipitatory dandruff all over the damn place, putting the entire region into a "Blizzard 2005!!!" tizzy. That sets the bar pretty high for an outing, since a quiet evening in a warm home is even more appealing. That said, tonight has not one, not two, but three events that should be able to keep you warm. You could probably hit up all three if you were really ambitious, doing some musical layering in addition to that of the apparel variety.

First off, Princess Superstar is hot. Onstage she has charisma to spare, and she's got the presence to pull off the hypersexualized bad girl image she puts across in her music. For the last few years she's been touring with a more DJ-oriented setup (as part of DJs Are Not Rock Stars), playing the party jams for the people when not collaborating with producers such as Disco D. While that was entertaining, it's the live show that really gives the full Princess Superstar experience. It's far more satisying to Princess Superstar's hyper flow spout the lyrics "Get your filofax-hollaback / Baby don't ask write in this task right in the sack" live than to hear it recorded. She's touring in support of her new CD My Machine, which apparently shows a lot of stylistic breadth, but the Princess is best when seen and not just heard.

Techno is also hot. The resurgence of the techno scene is showing no signs of letting up, which is great for everyone, since variety is hardly a bad thing. Tonight's edition of Robo.Trash should bring enough variety to be a great thing, with Marco Passarani providing techno by way of Italy. He's started multiple labels over the last ten-plus years, releasing electro, experimental, italo-house, and Detroit-stlyed techno, so it's a safe bet that tonight won't be locked into any particular style.

Dixon is yet another kind of hot. Dixon is but one part of Jazzanova's Sonar Kollectiv, a crew bursting at the seams with talent (and people). Dixon's particular take on their music is a lot more house-oriented, but a lot of the downtempo sound comes through in the pervasive loungey vibe. Dixon has been through Seattle before, having played a beautifully eclectic set at the Baltic Room a few years ago. Tonight's performance should maintain his reputation, and the fact that it's FREE makes the whole thing even more attractive.

Princess Superstar
Thursday, December 1, 8pm-2am
Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St.
$10 adv., 21+

Dixon
Thursday, December 1, 9pm-2am
Trinity, 111 Yesler Way
FREE!, 21+