Drugs: 20 dollars

Designer Drugs is a duo from New York City, and I’m just going to get it out there: They play some of the heaviest, most infectious EBM (to the uninitiated, let’s just say “electronic music”) you’ll hear now or ever. For those of you who complain about the lack of EMB/hard electro/dubstep shows in Portland, the ball’s in your court. It’s like voting—if you miss out on this one, you don’t get to complain anymore.

The relatively unknown TA Event Center will host Designer Drugs and about 20 other acts tonight as part of the under-the-radar Fallout Festival, which also includes dubstep producer Bare, Check6, Rustik & Noface and Zymurgy, among several others. If you need help finding the TA Event Center, just look for the hordes of electronic music fans that instinctively sniff out all these shows despite the limited promotion.

The duo of Designer Drugs, comprised of Michael Vincent Patrick and Theodore Paul Nelson, are making a special stop on their tour to come be with us. Their previous tour routing finds them trekking through Canada, then bypassing Seattle and zipping straight down to Portland. Their next show is in Tokyo, making Portland their only west coast stop. Quite an honor, considering Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are notoriously rabid about hard electro.

If you’ve been in a club within the last year, you’ve heard DD’s work. The current buzz started when DD released a 7-inch, “Riot/Drop Down.” The modestly titled record was, of course, the names of the tracks. While “Riot” was a sleeper, “Drop Down” made some serious waves and inspired several remixes by the likes of Mendel, BeatauCue and others. That isn’t to say that the remixes ever eclipse the original—though released in 2009, you’ll still hear it in clubs today. That’s quite an accomplishment in the fleeting, fickle club environment.

Iheartcomix, the label responsible for exposing Designer Drugs to the masses, re-released DD’s much-slept-on debut offering, “Zombies!/Back Up In This,” this time featuring remixes by names more familiar to EBM listeners—Le Castle Vania and Don Rimini, to name two of the handful. France’s Kiddy Smile also remixed “Zombies!,” but that cut didn’t make the formal release. If you want it—and trust me, you do—you’ll have to suss it out the old-fashioned way.

Of all the songs on the re-released “Zombies!/Back Up In This” record, the Le Castle Vania/Computer Club/Rrrump remix of “Back Up In This” stands out as the star track. Unfortunately, “Zombies!” doesn’t get much of the respect that it should, as the record contains only the original and two remixes. Even more unfortunate is the fact that this mix could have been drastically improved had Kiddy Smile’s remix made the cut.

Designer Drugs is currently on a tour titled “Through the Prism,” coinciding with a song of the same name that’s currently making its rounds in the club circuit. Though its leads are much more subdued than those on “Drop Down,” in a bizarre reversal of neurologic convention, the infectious groove-laden drums pound their way into the listener’s head like a melody or synth lead normally would.

Portland doesn’t get many shows like this, so don’t sleep. And trust me, if you go, you won’t. Like any good party, Fallout 2010 goes on until 4 a.m. At that time, not even the MAX can help you, so enjoy responsibly. ?