Listings

San Francisco takes over Centro-fly this week with not one, but two West Coast wonderboys paying a visit. First up at Subliminal Sessions are ex-Chicagoan Mark Farina and Soulstice, a seven-person group that wants to sound like Sade for the new millennium. They are promising, particularly singer Gina Rene's lusty lead vox, but I'll warn you: They're not as seductive as the smooth operators, and they run the danger of falling too close to coffee-table drum'n'bass and breaks. But what they lack in depth on record might change in a live setting. Farina will probably do his usual dancefloor damage. With years spent around the likes of Derrick Carter and Sneak, he's picked up the fine art of jackin' a crowd, disco-house style, adding SF psychedelia and some jazzy bits to create his own sound. With resident Erick Morillo. Thursday @ 10, Centro-fly, 45 W 21st, 627-7770.

Fellow San Fran jock Julius Papp plays the next night. He's more disco and diva than his counterpart, but Papp still retains the ethereal and surreal aspect of SF house music. With releases on respected labels like Nervous, Paper, and Om, Papp is also a fine DJ with rock-solid turntable technique. He'll fit right in at GBH, which is in its first few weeks over at its new home (the crew left Cheetah for Centro-fly). With residents Anthony Mac, Carl Kennedy, Penelope Tuesdae, and Seth. Friday @ 10, Centro-fly.

Electro is back, but don't call it a comeback. (It never really went away.) Brendan Gillen (a/k/a BMG), who owns Detroit's Interdimensional Transmissions label, brings his electro outfit Ectomorph to town for a rare live performance, while the openers, New York jocks John Selway and Ulysses, continue the path started by New York's godfather of electro, Bambaataa. Wednesday @ 10, Fun, 130 Madison, 964-0303.

tromano@villagevoice.com