The Beatdown

If 2003 was the year that indie kids started dancing, DJ Nature might make 2006 the year that DFW hipsters finally get the memo. At the Party, his Wednesday night residency at Rubber Gloves, Nature highlights the latest tracks from genres that have recently dominated club scenes in New York, London and Rio but have thus far failed to find a steady audience in the metroplex. Jamaican one-drop reggae, baile funk, grime, dance-rock and experimental pieces all make appearances in Nature's Party sets, which are versatile enough to keep Pitchfork readers guessing and fresh enough to keep discerning clubgoers on the floor. Equally intriguing is the fact that Nature himself played a role in popularizing much of this music several years ago as a star in the San Juan, Puerto Rico reggaeton scene, where his popularity earned him an appearance in a 2003 Fader Magazine profile and subsequently enhanced his name recognition in the U.S. Until his arrival in Denton this January, Nature had been playing parties in Brooklyn and working with artists such as Arto Lindsay, MIA and Mars Volta and is currently in town to contribute to an XL Records remix project featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Although he doesn't know how long he'll be here, his potential to draw a crowd in an area starved for good dance parties could convince him to stay awhile.