Pro-Finnish

New York has plenty of legendary DJs and producers, but many of the musicians doing the most in recent years to push house and techno forward are from overseas. Lucky for us, they visit often. Like the best of New York's classic house producers, Finnish producer Vladislav Delay as Luomo crafts actual songs on the second Luomo disc, The Perfect Lover. And like many of his contemporaries, he now lives in Berlin (it is also where the label Kompakt is based; see listings below).

Shot through the seemingly limited lens of minimal house, the eight- or nine-minute-long tracks are not the simple loops found on most minimal 12-inches. Delay's tunes are more fully realized, in part because he uses singers who employ breathless repetitions and hushed phrases. The record's pop-oriented structure could be attributed to the fact that Delay doesn't go clubbing—nor does he listen to electronic music in his spare time, preferring jazz and reggae. Delay's dance music netherworld is the place that mainstream labels were searching for years ago, but never found.

Luomo, a/k/a Vladislav Delay (Tronic Treatment) March 15, Sullivan Room, 218 Sullivan Street, 212.252.2151

'THE WORLD OF DRUM & BASS TOUR'
March 11
Spirit, 530 West 27th Street, 212.613.0900

Featuring the hardest U.K. hitters, including the Don of d'n'b, Grooverider, and the tour's head honcho, SS, as well as Twisted Individual, Shy FX, and MC Skibadee, this is a monster-good, roller-coaster lineup. Locals DJ Dara, Reid Speed, Odi, and TC Izlam join the lighta crew.

SASHA AND DIGWEED
March 12
Crobar, 530 West 28th Street, 212.629.9000

If you must listen to epic dancefloor progressive house tunes, you should hear them as spun by Sasha and Digweed, who remain the best, and the most progressive (in the true sense of the word) of that bunch—with the latter pushing toward the more experimental territory of tech house. With Jimmy Van M.

CARL COX
March 13
Avalon, 662 Sixth Avenue, 212.807.7780

Cox made spinning on three turntables his trademark and was also voted the World's Number One DJ for several years in the late '90s. His hybrid of borderline cheesy techno with beats of a more underground stripe has helped sell him to the masses.

'OTHER MUSIC PRESENTS KOMPAKT VS. REPHLEX'
March 13
Volume, 99 North 13th Street, Brooklyn, no phone

I bet the German label Kompakt kicks U.K. label Rephlex's ass, at least in terms of dancefloor demonology. However, for pure noise anarchy, Rephlex wins out. K's Michael Mayer, when he played a few months ago at APT with Reinhard Voigt, displayed more subtle taste than his partner, favoring minimal tunes laden with soft textures. With Superpitcher, the boy genius of Kompakt, going up against Rephlex's Bogdan Raczynski and SoundMurderer, who wield wild, uncontrollable rhythms like weapons.

LIL LOUIE VEGA: ELEMENTS OF LIFE
March 18
Arc, 6 Hubert Street, 212.226.9212

As this is the next-to-last month of operations for the building that housed Arc, Vinyl, Shelter, and Area, it's fitting that the Master at Work, who spent many a years as a Vinyl resident, bids adieu with his nine-piece live band Elements of Life.

ZENTERTAINMENT TOUR
March 18
Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, 212.777.6800

Don't call it a comeback, 'cause they never really went away. The Ninja Tune posse were all hard at work while the rest of us were busy playing with our electroclash toys. Now that we're tired and bored of that, Kid Koala, Amon Tobin, and Bonobo, and the new guns Blockhead and Sixtoo, are back with their weird jazz-infused, breakbeat-gone-haywire attacks. Also, the show's only five bucks.

'BODY & SOUL REUNION'
March 21
Arc, 6 Hubert Street, 212.226.9212

For the first time in over a year since the end of the long-running infamous Sunday house jam, the threesome who made it legendary, Danny Krivit, Joe Claussell, and François K, come together to remind everyone what they've been missing.

'GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL'S SPECTRAL SESSIONS'
March 23
APT, 419 West 13th Street, 212.414.4245

As one of the country's most exciting new labels, the Midwest product of Ghostly International is in its own quirky little world, with a range of sounds—from updated disco to fleshy house music—coming from its roster. This marks the start of the monthly residency for the label, with a rotating round of guests including Matthew Dear, Tadd Mullinix, and Daybre.

'REPELLENT FESTIVAL'
March 26-30
Various venues, 917.558.4777

Smarty pants and artsy types unite for Repellent magazine's collusion of art, media, and music. With three venues showcasing music, ranging from the noisy electronic beats from Electronicat, DJ sets from A Touch of Class, and micro house from Nitsuji and Ozawa. For more info go to repellentzine.com.

'BASEMENT BHANGRA SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY'
April 1
S.O.B.'s, 204 Varick Street, 212.243.4940

The longest-running South Asian fusion techno night in the city—and well, really it's the only one—turns Lucky 7. With the incomparable DJ Rekha and crew and still-to-be-announced special guests.

DJ HEATHER
April 10
Sullivan Room, 218 Sullivan Street, 212.252.2151

The toughest of the SuperJane collective DJs, Heather works in the Chicago tradition of jarring funk, with a push-and-pull rhythm that forces you to move your body. She is spinning at the latest Matter:/form weekly jam at the little lounge that could, Sullivan Room.