James Murphy has generally led by example, releasing stuff from brainy acts like Black Dice on his label DFA (cofounded with Tim Goldsworthy of U.N.K.L.E.) and refusing to stoop to the level of anyone not smart enough to get it. Then LCD Soundsystem blew the whistle on cool-kid electro culture with the 2002 single “Losing My Edge,” in which front man Murphy served notice that he’d been there first, man, and the rest of us could go suck it. The cool kids were OK with this–bad attention is still attention–and made it an immediate cult hit. On the follow-up “Yeah,” however, the king of tellin’ it like it is sounds more like dad harshing everyone’s mellow: “Everybody keeps on talking about it / Nobody’s getting it done.” But though the lyrics are just finger wagging, the beat says dance till you puke: prog squiggles, analog Stevie Wonder funk, bright electro bleeps, and vaguely world-beat percussion (with double cowbell!) culminate in a rave-up orgasm, and instead of sounding like a mishmash, it’s a hot-shit sundae with a cherry on top. With the Eternals and DJ Jordan Zawideh. Tuesday, April 27, 9:30 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western; 773-276-3600 or 800-594-8499. James Murphy DJs along with 2 Many DJs and Disc Jockey CB of Life During Wartime on Wednesday, April 28, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark; 773-549-4140.
