Decibel Fest: Turn It Up

Matt Pattinson

Details

Decibel Festival Check www.dbfestival.com for venues and showcases. Decibel event pass $100; individual showcases $10–$25. Thurs., Sept. 20–Sun., Sept. 23.

Death of the Party Showcase With Diplo, Switch, Simian Mobile Disco, and DJs Pretty Titty and Fourcolorzack. Neumo's, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. $15 adv./$17 DOS. 8 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 20.

Orac Label Showcase With Strategy, Jon McMillion, Caro, and Konstantin Gabbro. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St., 625-4444. $7 adv./$10 DOS. 9 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 20.

Raster-Noton Label Showcase With Olaf Bender, Pixel, and Kangding Ray. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, 325-3113. $12 adv./$15 DOS. 5:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 23.

Seattle Weekly on Decibel Festival

Decibel Fest: The Space Between

Decibel Fest: Mad Awesome

Decibel Fest: The Return of Caro

Decibel Fest: Play This Playlist

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• Kanye West
• Daft Punk
• Robin Guthrie
• Harold Budd
• Electronic Music

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On the dancefloor/I feel the bass more/My body starts to jet/Like back in '84/All eyes are on me/Crowds are for me/The DJ plays the break/That's when I elevate.

—Green Velvet, "Shake and Pop"

Never before had I seen a Seattle crowd go as bananas as they did last September during Green Velvet's performance at Decibel. And this year's chance to shake Neumo's floorboards almost didn't happen. Organizer Sean Horton made noises in the springtime about "scaling back" the festival's fourth year--then teasingly dropped names as artists and DJs were confirmed. When the final lineup was revealed, the abundance of riches had electronic music fans joking about what'd be next--a Chemical Brothers set at the Cha Cha? Future Sound of London vs. the Orb? Maybe next year!

This year, the lineup of more than 80 artists in 14 showcases reflects exciting changes in electronic music—artists are scouring the globe for cut-and-paste party jam material, the electro-disco revival is mellowing into its sexiest incarnation yet, and even Kanye West rips off Daft Punk. We've previewed a few artists who'll get you shaking, but have left out many others—an opening gala of local MVPs at the Henry Art Gallery and ambient pioneers Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie, to name two—so check that schedule early, and often.