FRI | ILL.GATES at BETA | 1/3/14 With more than two decades in the electronic-music scene under his belt, ill.Gates is now helping to inspire a wave of new-school producers via his ill.Methodology online courses and the events he hosts, which cater to those interested in stepping up their game with Ableton Live. The producer, who hails from Toronto, has made his name with live shows that are less of a concert and more of a showcase of production possibilities. Stylistically, ill.Gates takes listeners on a ride through scores of moom-bah-infused dancehall tracks, dubstep bangers that hit deep in the subs, and beats that will leave you wanting to add every one of his tracks to your collection. -- Britt Chester
SAT | DONALD GLAUDE at BETA | 1/4/14 Seattle's Donald Glaude established his rep as an elite, cutting-edge house DJ at underground warehouse raves in the early '90s and quickly became a Denver favorite. Playing a highly infectious blend of house and breaks, Glaude puts himself on the line as an all-around entertainer rather than a typical stoic spinner: He screams, jumps up and down and even runs out into the crowd to dance with his fans. Such antics set Glaude's show apart from those of his peers; they've also earned him his nickname as "the James Brown of DJs." -- Timothy Pittz
SAT | THE CRYSTAL METHOD at BELLY UP ASPEN | 1/4/14 Serving as America's answer to English acts like the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method -- Las Vegas natives Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland -- managed to cash in on the already waning big-beat vibe before the public's taste for it dissipated completely. And from there, the music evolved into the similar, if slightly more underground-focused, nu-skool breaks sound: a big, stompy, rock-inflected breakbeat style that lacks subtlety but packs a wallop and is accessible enough to appeal to mainstream, rock-focused audiences. -- Cory Casciato
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3
Action 52 is at NORAD for HOME / Night Supply Showcase (9 p.m., No Cover before 11, 21+)
Deejay Herremix, DJ Javi, Guz and DJ Raul are at Vinyl for Viernes De Reventon. (9 p.m., $5-$20, 18+)
Pruitt and Falcon Punch are at Bar Standard for Fun Factory, and all vinyl DJ set. (9 p.m., $5, 21+)
J.Wail, Genetics, Astronomix, Lucid Vision, Juicy Money, Post Sound Theory and Parker Davis are at Cervantes' for Future Sound Meltdown (8 p.m., $10, 16+)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4
Beckley & Krootz, JLeet, John Sidberry and Sang Dinh are at NORAD for Deep as F*ck (9 p.m., 21+)
DJ Le, Kachondo and DJ Ricky are at the Church for Noches En La Catedral (9 p.m., $5, 18+)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5
DJ Roland and DJ Slave1 are at the Church for Sin Sunday (9 p.m., 21+)
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