Listings – 11/23/2004

Regular karaoke is fun, but you always suffer through the same old songs—stuff like “Fever,” “Summer Nights,” and “Crazy,” which is not so fun. But no one’s dared do an all-hip-hop karaoke party, until now. If you think people are bad singers, just imagine how bad they’ll be as rappers. (Wigga, please!) Choose from songs like De La Soul’s “Me Myself & I,” Jay-Z’s “99 Problems,” and Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass” to embarrass yourself with. If all goes well, this monthly will be around for a while. Monday @ 8, Rothko, 116 Suffolk, rothkonyc.com

Roy Dank and his musical partner Brennan Green welcome Factory Records’ A Certain Ratio to their cozy monthly to celebrate the party’s one-year anniversary. Their early records—with a synth-based post-punk sound—serve as precursors to the music that LCG Soundsystem and the Rapture have made popular over the past few years. Original member Martin Moscrop brings his special brand of punk-funk to the smallest little dancefloor in the city. Thursday @ 10, APT, 419 W 13th, 212.414.4245

Not content to be kept in the tech-house corner, Swayzak, who defined that genre with Snowboarding in Argentina, have released a fourth record, Loops From the Bergerie, that includes pop-song structures and vocals as well as the streamlined deep, dubby house that first made them known. They are touring with a full band, including a drummer and a singer, and sticking to a more structured set. They play with Ghostly’s golden boy Matthew Dear, who spins a set using Final Scratch. Wednesday @ 9, Canal Room, 285 W Bway, 212.941.8100