Pop Kiss! and ZZK this week

You couldn't find two genres more disparate genres to base club nights on than "digital Cumbia" of the type that Buenos Aires collective Zizek Urban Beats Club (ZZK) promulgates and the indie pop subgenre twee celebrated by DJ Jason Berry and co-horts at the Popkiss party Wednesday night. Somehow, to the Libra in me, the combination sounds like a winning one.

ZZK hits Beauty Bar for Clayton Hauck's Tuesdays are Famous night, and you'd be wise to check it out for its collision of First World technology and Third World originating rhythms. For more background, read my story from a couple years back. Its free—and doesn't come around more than once a year. For a sampling of the chopped and bastardized beats the gang is working with, download the ZZK Mixtape Vol.9 El Remolon.

On the indie pop end of the spectrum, one could not help but notice the resurgence of the C86 sound (inspired by a famed compilation of Creation Records artists) in the America indie world the past few years. Bands like Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Vivian Girls picked up the mantle of slightly shambly, noisy, melancholy and joyous guitar pop of Sarah Records and the UK anorak underground. Following in the footsteps of D.C.'s Velocity Girl, the contemporary acts have fairly easy to discern influences—at least for those of us who are well versed in the underbelly of Brit Pop.

Chicago DJ Jason Berry has discerned those influences and culled a playlist for PopKiss! a twee night that connects the dots between today's twee (Brilliant Colors, Eux Autres, Liechtenstein, Gold Bears) and the originators. He's spinning at Late Bar Wednesday, July 28 with Sam O' Rama from Laurie's Planet of Sound, delivering twee and indiepop, old and new, 9pm–4am, mostly from the 7" format I'm guessing. To get us psyched for his set, Berry's worked up a twee DJ set to whet our whistles. He's also doing a numbered cassette mixtape limited to the first 25 people that ask him for one Wednesday.

Tracklist after the jump.

Another Sunny Day - Anorak City
The Flatmates - I Could Be in Heaven
Chin Chin - Stay With Me
Shop Assistants - I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
Tullycraft - Heroes and Villains (Pooh Sticks cover)
The Lucksmiths - Off With His Cardigan
Fat Tulips - On the Seventh Day
Go Sailor - I Just Do
Rosehips - Room in Your Heart
Strawberry Story - Pushbutton Head
The Soup Dragons - Whole Wide World
The Big Gun - Heard About Love
This Poison! - Engine Failure
The Wake - Crush the Flowers
The Field Mice - Emma's House
Boyracer - 9 to 5 Style
Delightful Little Nothings - Over Us
Juniper - Think and Die Thinking
The Love Buttons - Jon, You Bastard
The Mayfields - Call My Name
Brighter - Poppy Day
Heavenly - Our Love is Heavenly
Even As We Speak - Best Kept Secret
Big Red Bus - Cathedral Walls
The Smiths - Jeane
Velocity Girl - I Don't Care if You Go