Damian Lazarus' freaky house fantasia

Damian Lazarus - "Neverending" from David Terranova on Vimeo.

If you're like most of the kids we run with here at P&H, right now you're probably asking yourself, "Self, where can I go on Saturday night where I can listen to a deranged smattering of live experimental techno in a jerry-rigged nightclub built up like an indoor jungle, whilst fighting back recurring nightmares of sexy evil nurses in animal masks?"

Lucky you stopped by then, because we'd like to introduce you to producer Damian Lazarus. The U.K. native and recent Echo Park transplant is hosting what looks to be one of the most intriguing parties in L.A. techno of 2009, with great minimal acts like Matthew Dear and M.A.N.D.Y. performing and a one-off live set of his own work rounding out this Saturday night at Avalon.

As the video above for single "Neverending," makes clear, the tracks on his new album "Smoke the Monster Out" have a sinister sense of humor that creeps along the edges of his productions and visual aesthetic.

"I wanted to do something like a Ministry of Sound video with greased up girls and a bizarre dance routine," Lazarus said. "It's kind of an ironic take on a pop song."

Swedish DJs take SoCal: John Dahlbäck makes L.A. debut Saturday, other Swedes follow on the 21st

Sweden might be best known in America as the place where stylish and deceptively easy-to-assemble furniture is manufactured. But a handful of DJs from the Scandinavian country are attempting to change the perception -- among music fans, anyway -- about what their country has been producing better than anyone else. (Hint: It's house music.)

Last year, Swedish DJ and producer Axwell turned in one of the most energetic live sets I've seen in years at the Avalon as his countrymen (and women) swarmed the dance floor, where oversized Swedish flags waved  among the house-heads.

This month, the same club on Vine Street hosts no fewer than three spinners from Sweden, including the Swedish House Mafia's Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso. And before the House Mafia hits Hollywood on the 21st, up-and-comer John Dahlbäck twists and tweaks beats at the Avalon this Saturday night in his Los Angeles debut.

Though Sweden's long had a history in the pop world of producing big hits with commanding synth-based hooks, over the last five years or so, a new generation of house-music DJs has left its mark all over Europe and South America (mainstream American music fans, naturally, are the last to get hip to the trend). Eric Prydz, a former member of the Swedish House Mafia, scored a massive club smash (and crossover pop hit, with the tune going to the top of the charts in countries such as England and Germany) in 2004 with "Call on Me." The track still receives play in clubs from Miami to Munich nightly and is based on, of all things, a sample of Steve Winwood's 1982 hit "Valerie." Call it perhaps the most unlikely house hit of the decade -- but it never fails to get bodies on the dance floor every time it's played. 

As we ease into a new decade, it looks as if ascendant DJ and house music producer John Dahlbäck might be the next breakout star out of Stockholm. Tracks such as "Blink" (seen in the video above) and, in particular, "Hustle Up" exemplify the producer's knack for locking down tight grooves and adding just enough unexpected twists to keep fans of intelligent electro-house on their toes. See how Swedish House Mafia members support one another in this clip, which features Ingrosso and Axwell dropping "Hustle Up" during a 2007 appearance.

We fired off a few questions to Dahlbäck by e-mail earlier this week in anticipation of his opening set for Sander Kleinenberg on Saturday at the Avalon. His answers after the jump.

Live review: Little Boots at Spaceland

Has there ever been more of a chip-shot obvious pick for a future pop star than Little Boots? When a pixieish British girl with an affection for Japanese light-up gadgets vamps over techno-pop as dark and fizzy as a Cherry Coke float, somewhere in heaven an A&R scout gets their wings.

But her Spaceland show last night revealed something a bit more serious at play: a seriously cracking live band dynamic that had "impenetrably packed Coachella tent in 2010" written all over it (probably in glitter pen).

All it takes is traction from one single to get her there and Boots can pick from a half-dozen of them. The first contender, the Italo-house banger "Stuck On Repeat," sashays like Kylie but feels a little colder and meaner, like she's not too happy that some suitor finally won her attention.

Imagine Glass Candy with a budget, or Goblin scoring a John Hughes movie. "Meddle," the other single off her digital-only "Arecibo" EP, kicks even harder before dissolving into a blippy chant and Dario Argento-flick synths, and "Mathematics" will evoke fond memories for anyone who's spilled a drink on themselves to Annie's "Two of Hearts."

Echo Park and Silver Lake male showgoers: Be wary of muggings

For all you single males planning on flying solo to shows in Silver Lake or Echo Park in the near future, you may want to consider taking a burly friend along with you. According to Councilman Eric Garcetti's blog, there's been a recent spate of 10 robberies targeting lone men around the intersections of Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street in Echo Park and  Hyperion and Rowena Avenues in Silver Lake, each of which is close to several popular neighborhood music venues, including The Echo and Spaceland.

Introducing: The Week That Will Be (In Shows) [UPDATED]

Everyone, say hello to our newest weekly feature: A Monday roundup of only the finest in local show-going worth your pittance of discretionary Amero scrip. We're calling it "The Week That Will Be (In Shows)," and it is magnificent and servicey. Behold:

Nightmares on Wax: The U.K.-born, Spain-based producer Nightmares on Wax was one of the progenitors of underground rap's recent trend toward skittish production styles run through a fractal of free jazz, soul, dub and electronica. His hypnotic, uplifting live sets will rumble your gut and spin your head in circles. Echoplex, 1152 Glendale Blvd.,  Echo Park.  8 tonight, $20. (213) 413-8200.

Knitting Factory is just giving it away to anyone these days

Hey there, you perpetually broke L.A. ska, hardcore and backpack rap kids! If you get thee to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on Monday at 6 p.m., you can get an early taste of what the Obama administration has for the rest of America: free stuff just for showing up! The plucky club is offering gratis pairs of tickets to a whole slurry of its forthcoming shows, and more than a few are worth a Red Line trip: the Adolescents, P.O.S., Tim Barry of Avail and a Mike Park/Kevin Seconds/Jesse Michaels triple bill among them (where you can plead with Michaels to think about an Operation Ivy reunion).