Dance it off for finals

Rob Paine, Manoj, Professor Stone, S-Dub, Selector E-3
Fez Ballroom, 316 S.W. 11th, top floor
Tonight, June 7 – 9 p.m.
$10 – 21+ w/ID

Tom Thump, Bobby Bossa, Mr. Mu Mu
Saucebox, 214 S.W. Broadway
Tonight, June 7 – 10 p.m.
FREE – 21+ w/ID

Finally, classes are over, and while finals are still to be reckoned with, one can sit back and prepare for the intensity by relieving some stress with some electric relaxation. Two of the more eclectic and intriguing domestic DJs out there today, Rob Paine and Tom Thump, play tonight in good ol’ PDX, spreading the good vibes around.

Get ready to get down at the Fez Ballroom, as the super-cool “Bassism” night that takes place every first Friday of every month will feature special guest Rob Paine from Philadelphia taking a turn at the decks. Paine will be spinning an eclectic mix of dubbed-out tribal, tech, deep, and soulful house and garage, with even some downtempo and reggae. The label he started, Worship Recordings, reflects this mix of dub soundscapes melding with the energy and heavy beats of house, while maintaining an organic feel to it all.

Though just starting to gain recognition now for his work produced for Worship, Paine has been a fixture in the Philadelphia underground dance scene since the early ’90s, when he was studying jazz at Temple University. It was during this time that he also began to gain interest in house and club culture, but he also cites hip-hop, jazz, reggae and even punk as influences for his current sound. Besides his solo work, this includes his collaboration with Zach Eberz as Solomonic Sound, combining live and programmed elements. His new mix CD WOR.CD.01 features some of the best from the label so far. It features dub-style vocals and textures with danceable rhythms.

Local dub and reggae aficionados Manoj and Professor Stone will also be on hand, while S-Dub and Selector E-3 of Portland band Systemwide will lay down the two-step garage as usual.

For a more loungy atmosphere, San Francisco-based DJ Tom Thump will be spinning at Saucebox along with regulars Bobby Bossa and Mr. Mu Mu. Thump’s compilation, Panatone: Warm, out on Cosmic Flux Musiq Records, is a solid collection of lush, candle-lit odes to sensual meanderings through the heart and features work by John Tejada, Slow Supreme, Valerie Etienne and others.

Besides DJing in the Bay Area, Thump is also one of the primo lads at Groove Merchant, one of the top modern electronic record stores on the West Coast. Panatone: Warm should be a clear indication of the mood that Thump will try to set, with its tasty jazzy vibes and delicious sexy rhythms, from the trip-hop of Pat Barry’s “What You Do (Solid State remix)” to the ambience of Alton Miller’s remix of Couzens’ “Menage A Trois,” to the crunchy bossa nova of Suntrust’s “How Insensitive.” All should result in a treat for your libido.