Beat Box

Since the early days of her career, Chicago-reared and Los Angeles-based DJ Colette has stood out from the pack by singing live over her DJ sets and dabbling with crafting deep house songs with an edge. A frequent guest in S.F. (she's signed to local label Om Records), DJ Colette will appear at weekly party "Remedy," presenting her first live show with a backing band. They'll offer sumptuous songs like "If" from her new album Push on Friday, Aug. 24, at DNA Lounge at 10 p.m. Admission is $10-20; call 626-1409 or visit www.dnalounge.com for more info. — Tamara Palmer

While it's not 1989, one may be forgiven for checking the decade when Brooklyn emcee Special Ed and Bronx duo Nice & Smooth bring East Coast hip hop to S.F. this week. Both enjoyed short stints in the limelight (spawning hits like "I Got It Made" and "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," respectively), and they're still heavily sampled and cited as influential artists. Heck, Snoop Dogg alone has been largely responsible for keeping Special Ed's name out there in the 21st century, generating interest in Ed's 2004 album Still Got It Made (on which Snoop guested). Still young at 35, don't expect Ed to come out like some old codger at this show with Nice & Smooth on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Fat City at 9 p.m. Admission is $15-20; call 861-2890 or visit www.fatcitysf.com for more info. — T.P.

The resurgence of the disco edit has been quite surprising, with young 'uns perhaps spawned to the strains of the Bee Gees extending yesteryear's roller-skate jams to great effect. One of the genre's finest practitioners is Norway's Todd Terje, who appeared on the scene a few years back with a conga-heavy, falsetto-free edit of "You Should Be Dancin'." Terje has kept one foot in the past (editing Loft favorites Cloud One) and one in the present, remixing countryman Lindstrøøm. Terje's Bay Area gig is a rare treat. Check him out on Sunday, Aug. 26, at Club Hide at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 before 10 p.m./$10 after; visit www.honeysoundsystem.com for more info. Also putting in an appearance is Terje's label boss at Full Pupp, space-disco maestro Prins Thomas, who spins with Gun Club and Smash Hit Music DJs on Thursday, Aug. 30, at Temple at 10 p.m. Admission is $12 before midnight; call 520-6741 or visit www.gunclub.dj for more info. — Andy Beta

The Brand New Heavies had a string of moderate hits in the early '90s with songs like "Never Stop" and "Stay This Way." Their unique blend of acid jazz and British soul-hop influenced the neo-soul movement in America shortly afterward. But when singer N'Dea Davenport left the group, most of its backbone and commercial appeal left as well. Since Davenport rejoined in late 2005, the Heavies have been on a tear, toying with a new sound, and touring behind the widely praised Get Used to It album they dropped last October. Here the band sounds more mature and less like the U.K.'s answer to A Tribe Called Quest. They've become the accomplished soul-acid-groove act that they've been growing into since the late '80s. The Brand New Heavies open for Macy Gray on Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Fillmore at 9 p.m. Admission is $50; call 346-6000 or visit www.thefillmore.com for more info. — Jonathan Cunningham