Without a doubt, the biggest draw this weekend is going to be the first Slam show in Denver in more than a decade on Saturday night, but there's plenty more on tap, including a brand-new monthly vegetarian dinner buffet/yoga practice/tai chi lesson/dance party that's bound to bliss you out in one way, shape or form at Satori, the Midwest Madness tonight in Beta's Beatport Lounge, featuring Matt Rissi and others, as well as a Night Slugs takeover and much more. The Dance Card is stacked this weekend. Keep reading to get the full rundown.
See also: - Slam's Stuart McMillan on the duo's first North American tour in a decade - The ten best EDM songs of 2012 - The ten worst EDM songs of 2012
SLAM @ NORAD | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013 Longevity is rare in many professions, and it's especially elusive in the fickle electronic-music business, where fleeting trends come and go almost overnight. So it was a very special occasion in 2011 when the legendary DJ/producer duo Slam (comprising Scotsmen Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle) celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its highly influential house and techno label, Soma Records. Slam's debut, Headstates, helped define the tech-house style during the 1990s, and it remains a dance-music classic, along with many of their singles, perhaps most notably the 1993 techno standard "Positive Education." In recent years, the act has reached a creative peak, founding a second imprint, Paragraph, and releasing numerous high-profile singles, as well as doing remix work for the likes of Carl Craig, Pan-Pot and Radio Slave. Today, the two regularly perform at the world's most renowned nightclubs, including Fabric in London, Berlin's Berghain, the Womb in Tokyo and the Arches in their native Glasgow. Slam will play at NORAD on the duo's first North American tour in a decade with H-Foundation (Hipp-E and Halo) and John Templeton. -- Matt Miner
See also: Slam's Stuart McMillan on the duo's first North American tour in a decade
MATT RISSI @ BETA | FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013 Matt Rissi (previously known as DJ Sonar) is proof that you don't have to be from a big (or EDM-centric) city to master mixing beats for dance floors around the world. This Iowa native has been weaving sets since the mid-1990s, but he's never been exactly what you'd call traditional; his live performances are a combination of mixing and live PA with spontaneous splices and loops that add texture and groove to his minimalist-leaning techno sound (ideal for hours of foot-stomping bliss). Rissi's long been known for his powerful live sets, but lately he's been dabbling in production via his own label, Solar Cathedral Recordings, as well as on releases from Zuvaya Recordings, Enemy Recordings and more. Tonight, he'll join Josh Manke and Devious D for a Midwest Madness session in Beta's Beatport Lounge; on the main floor, Clockwork, Dodger and Subliminal get bassic.. (9 p.m., 18+, $5-$15)
CEDRIC GERVAIS @ BETA | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013 French-born, Miami-based Cedric Gervais crafts a brand of house that weaves threads of electro and progressive house into a big, shimmery, club-smashing tapestry of late-night abandon. On hits such as "Spirit in My Life," Gervais displays a talent for slick, vocal-driven progressive house that would make fellow Frenchman David Guetta jealous. Then he can turn around and produce a bouncy, blippy, silly sample-driven track such as his remix of George Morel's "Let's Take Drugs," which is almost a throwback to the halcyon days of PLUR rave culture. That he can find success and maintain a DJ-culture buzz on both tracks is a testament to his talent as well as his rising star power. -- Cory Casciato
Keep reading to see what else is on this weekend's Dance Card
NORAD hosts a birthday party for Rescue tonight; Uriah West, DJ Sense, Louis Tardona, Steve Synfull and Sean Michaels will help him celebrate. (9 p.m., 21+)
The inaugural Sādhanā, a new running second-Saturday event at Satori, is bound to bliss you out -- the lineup includes a vegetarian buffet, yoga and tai chi, and tunes by resident Brett Starr with guests Hoang Luu and Sami T of the Blend. Tune in and drop out. (7 p.m., 21+ $10-$20)
Sub.mission hosts a Night Slugs takeover at Cervantes' with Bok Bok, Girl Unit, Kingdom and L-Vis 1990, so if you're looking for a bass fix on Saturday night, this is where to find your whomp. (9 p.m., 16+, $10-$20)
ManCub and babyshoe play a DJ set at Meadowlark on Saturday night with Rumtum, Real Cosby, CC/NN and Audiotreats for a smorgasbord of experimental electronica to soothe and stimulate. (9 p.m., 21+, no cover)
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