OPTIMO - T MINUS FIVE

JD Twitch and JG Wilkes of Optimo will be at the Tribeca Grand this Saturday and the Llano Estacado on Monday. It's their first visit to NYC in over a year. I am psyched. You should be too. I've never read a bad review of their eclectic, wide-ranging sets, so all signs point to this visit being a real treat. The Tribeca Grand party is free, but RSVP's are a must - send your name to weare138nyc@yahoo.com to get on the list. I'd also recommend getting there early, as they're expecting it to be packed. Tickets are $5 for Monday and only available at the door.

As for what to expect, here's what they played during their Breezeblock set a few weeks ago:

TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun / I Wolf - Fallin (Lo Soul Mix) / Mu - Paris Hilton / Code 6 - C.O.D.E.S. / Midnight Mike - Hot In The Kitchen / No Smoke - Koro Koro / Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business / Gang Of Four - At Home He's A Tourist / The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel / Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities / Acid Test - Acid Test 1 / The Step - Yeah You / M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames (Superpitcher Mix) / Mount Florida - Dingered / Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine / Misc - Flow Control (Basteroid Mix) / LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations / 808 State - Cubik / London Posse - How's Life In London? / Gang of Four - I've Found That Essense Rare / Surgeon - British Murder Boys Learn Your Lesson / Orbital - Satan / Boards Of Canada - In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country

... which is not to say any of this will get played this weekend. It seems the whole point with Optimo is that anything goes when it comes to the music. The free mixes on their website suggest as much. The current one, Slightly Spaced, is good but Jamaica Street, a dub/reggae mix, is probably my favorite. (And the krautrock mix Sour Kraut wins for best name.) The best starting point is their two disc set How To Kill The DJ [Part 2]. Or, just check out one of this weekend's events.