Whew! There’s a lot of throwdown and get lit opportunities in nightlife this week and weekend, beginning tonight, 8/5, at 9pm with the Guardian’s own Best of the Bay Rock Party revving up the amps at Mezzanine — with performances by Chuck Prophet, the Bitter Honeys, and Stephanie Finch and the Company Men, hosted by The Freeze and DJed by Ome. You’ll definitely want to hit this up, especially to schmooze with this year’s Best of the Bay winners. Your elbows will be rubbed down to the bone!
Here are some more shindigs you need to get into:
ZZK
The outstanding Argentinean electro-cumbia label and Zizek party source is hitting the road — with primo acts El Remolon, Chancha Via Circuito, and El G in tow. (Check this wonderful Chancha mix, basically a refresher course in the primal cumbia sound). Digital folklorico!
Thu/5, 9pm, $12. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHIoxQrcs2U
Matthew Dear
The shapeshifting heartthrob of emotional techno is back in town to promote forthcoming album Black City, this time without his full band — but it will be a dance floor show to remember. Nikola Baytala, Shoddy Lynn, and Blufarm open.
Fri/6, 10pm, $15. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com
A-Trak
Those crazy-fun electro-lovin’ Blow Up kids are back, with another “summer concert series” rager, featuring young turntable wiz A-Trak as well as Peanut Butter Wolf (whose got a dun finger in the whole synth wave pie), Nacho Lovers, and the always great Jeffrey Paradise.
Sat/7, 10 pm, $15, 18+. Mission Rock Cafe, 817 Terry Francois Blvd., SF. www.blowupsf.com
Revelations in the Illuminated Forest
It’s one of your last chances to get in on the amazing “Green Sound” Soundwave Festival that’s taken over SF this summer and lit up many an adventurous, experimental-loving ear. The fest has set up the Lab as an Illuminated Forest — “a multimedia interactive exhibit and reactive performance space” (i.e., there are amazing things going on) — and this will be the de facto closing party. With plant sounds and other audiovisual wonders from Etraordinary Forest, Geraud Bec, and Takahiro Kawaguchi.
Sat/7, 7:30, $10-$15 sliding scale. The Lab, 2948 16th Street, SF. www.projectsoundwave.com
Hard French
Awesome soul music all afternoon on a patio filled with intensely stylish and friendly young queers? Bring on the thankful tongue kisses! Bonus: this month’s installment’s theme is Psycho Beach Party, naturally.
Sat/7, 3pm-8pm, $5 ($10 for tasty beer bust). El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF. www.elriosf.com
Le Perle Degli Squallor
Supersexi bodymotion and hot boy cruising at DJ Bus Station John’s monthly disco rareties hotspot at the wildly off-the-radar Hot Spot bar. Calling all fanny fondlers and tonsil-ticklers — come feel (an) Italian, stallion.
Sat/7, 9pm, $5. Hot Spot, 1414 Market, SF.
