Paul Van Dyk: hardest working Berliner in showbiz

With the passing of James Brown late last year, Berlin's superstar DJ Paul Van Dyk might now assume the title of hardest-working man in show business. Or in any event, Van Dyk and his flight cases certainly have amassed the most frequent flyer miles of any entertainer. Just check his itinerary this month alone: Singapore, Belfast, Las Vegas, Ibiza, Berlin, Sheffield, Houston, Portland. It's hard to believe that people still gobble ecstasy and swing glow-sticks for eight-hour stretches, yet Van Dyk packed the Rumsey Playfield in New York's Central Park two nights in a row on a recent tour stop behind his latest album, In Between. Tonight, he'll no doubt be spinning his sleek brand of progressive trance, a genre for which he's spent the past two decades serving as world ambassador. Paul Van Dyk performs Friday, Sept. 28, at 1015 at 9 p.m. Admission is $30-40; call 431-1200 or visit www.1015.com for more info. –Andy Beta

According to the movie The Terminator, 1997 was the year technology would turn against humanity with apocalyptic results. But instead, 1997 became a landmark year for speakers and tweakers, as breakthrough records by the Chemical Brothers, the Prodigy, and the Crystal Method gave a human face to rave's ritualized rush. If there was to be a cataclysm, however, the Crystal Method armed the techno-addled, dystopian dance floor with adrenalized breakbeat rallying cries spiked by samples from Jesse Jackson, Eric B & Rakim, and The Dark Crystal. Admittedly, the bombastic signatures of big beat now smack more of X Games commercials than the underground. But the Crystal Method still strafes dilated club crowds with fulsome licks and nu_skool's digitally distended funk, as will be exhibited on Friday, Sept. 28, at Ruby Skye at 8 p.m. Admission is $25; call 693-0777 or visit www.rubyskye.com for more info. —Tony Ware

New York DJ/remixer Nick Catchdubs (aka Nick Barat) is a frequent guest at S.F. monthly party "Super Friends," for which he designs the whimsical flyer art. This week, he'll showcase music from Fool's Gold Records, the label he recently formed with A-Trak (best known as Kanye West's amazing DJ) to give a platform to some of their favorite emerging club sounds by artists like Cool Kids and Kid Sister. A live performance by local hip hop producer Trackademicks and DJ sets by resident "Super Friends" jocks Vin Sol and Morse Code round out this special Fool's Gold edition of the party on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Milk at 9 p.m. Admission is $5-10; call 387-6455 or visit www.milksf.com for more info. —Tamara Palmer