FLAVA IN YA EAR • Haunt Thursdays until the 10th March
In Ya Ear Promotions have just unleashed a new Thursday night win by kicking off 2011 with Flava In Ya Ear. A sought after night among the Brighton clubbing crowd, it’s been upped to a weekly event due to high demand. Located at The Haunt, it offers tasty hip hop bangers and r’n’b beats – basically doing what it says on the tin and intoxicating your ears with classic tunes that will have you on the floor all night long. If you do stop to grab a drink, the guys behind it claim to offer the cheapest drinks in town. (SD)

HESSLE AUDIO Life Fri 4th
The proliferation of the idea of 140bpm as a genre and not just a tempo is exemplified by label Hessle Audio. Early exponents of dude du jour James Blake, Hessle have been pushing many other key figures in the whatever-step scene, in particular tonight’s line-up of Pearson Sound (aka Ramadanman), Pangaea and label boss Ben UFO. Another month of future-bass from the scene’s frontline venue, Life. (MB)

FORMER GHOSTS Green Door Store Fri 4th
Synth-laden Former Ghosts are the brainchild of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, and seemingly an outlet for his gloomier thoughts. Unprepared to raise his voice above an uncompromising dirge of depressing lyrics and death rattles, it falls to the tight experimental backing of electronica, drum sequences, synths, whines and beeps to lift Former Ghosts’ sound into something both charming and unpredictable. Embracing a full spectrum of styles banded by Stewart’s deadpan delivery, these musicians are truly talented. (JMM)

DONKY PITCH • Jam Sat 5th
It’s maybe strange to think there’s a truly international, leading club night in Brighton, and that it’s in such an intimate venue as the underrated Jam. Donky Pitch is Britain’s premiere stop-off for skweee stars and to prove it tonight has an insanely strong line-up from the worldwide scene. Melkeveien, Sprutbass and Beatbully from Oslo’s Dod Pop label fly in, with a live set from local hero Boss Kite, and Thunderloops from Serbian-based Svetlana Industries. You want more? Residents Slugabed (from Planet Mu) and The Grinel & Nameless will cram in some bass-heavy tunes too. It’s a night clubbers in other countries will be jealous of. (JK)

SKRILLEX Coalition Sat 5th
Dubstep innovator, teen street punk, hardcore metal vocalist, and all round genre-bender Skrillex is hitting our humble coast as part of his debut European tour, and this show will be a revelation. His psychotic glitchy dubstep and addictive dancefloor fillers for DeadMou5’s label Mau5trap are shaking the scene by its jugular. Prepare your senses for an audio-visual assault of bright lights, fast beats and smooth dance moves as in support are Ninja Tune founders, hip hop-sampling, electronic breaks pioneers Coldcut who provide a live visual set alongside SOURCE scratch favourite JFB. (JMM/ZC)

FUNTCASE Audio Weds 9th
FuntCase produces sensory overload dubstep that wobbles, womps and machine guns through your body, making you dance whether you want to or not. With tunes like ‘Ho!’, ‘Mattress Punch’ and ‘So Vexed’ all full of fire, fury and funk, its unsurprising that this guy’s getting major airplay from the likes of Mista Jam. And with bookings like this, Supercharged maintain their reputation for bringing Brighton the freshest acts dance music has to offer. (ZC)

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR Digital Thurs 10th
Honestly, we looked slightly askance at H&LA when they extricated themselves from their hometown label – New York alt.disco gods DFA – and signed with UK indie coolsters Moshi Moshi, but when new album ‘Blue Songs’ arrived, all was more than forgiven. It teams a pinch of early 80s underground disco with a big bowl of 90s piano house, and live they’ll be serving it up in a gender-jamming orgy of moody cool and abandon. Time to pick a safe word you won’t want to use. (MB)

RAEKWON Coalition Sat 19th
Coming just a year after the Wu-Tang’s ’36 Chambers’ classic, Clan member Raekwon’s ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ is not just one of the collective’s best LPs, but one of New York hip hop’s finest hours. A true cinematic experience with great storytelling, characters and evocative imagery, it might not have sold like Method Man’s ‘Tical’ but it gave Raekwon every bit as much respect in the underground. What we’re saying here is that the man is a genuine hip hop legend and we don’t get many of those in Brighton each year. Go see. (JK)

PLUMP DJS Digital Sat 19th
If you still need to dance off your post-Christmas paunch then Digital’s got the right night for you. Obese beats and fat breaks make up the Plump DJs’ diet and they’ve been helping clubbers shed calories for over a decade now. Since moving from Finger Lickin’ Records in 2009 they’re currently releasing their delectable tunes on the Global Underground label and remixing for the likes of Stanton Warriors, Dave Spoon and DeadMau5, so get on down to Digital to shake off your pounds. Trust us, the Atkins ain’t got shit on this. (ZC)

THE QEMISTS •Concorde 2 Sat 19th
Local legends The Qemists fuse their rock roots with drum’n’bass inclinations to present a live experience that’s full on and downright dirty. They’re joined by The Engine Earz Experiment, a dubstep band with tunes so deep and soulful their live show is beautifully immersive with irresistible vibes and has been earning them support from Radio 1’s Nihal. If you’re wondering whether to attend this evening just check out their videos from Madavail – it’ll seal the deal. (ZC)

NERO Audio Weds 23rd
Nero have been around for years, and even if you haven’t heard of them, you’ll definitely have heard them. Their big bass remixes of The Streets, La Roux and others have seen them sit firmly on the Radio 1 playlist, and with the vocal charms of Alana Grey, their own sounds are getting an increasing amount of airplay too. Currently being championed with a BBC Sound of 2011 recommendation, Nero’s accessible and solid blend of dubstep, drum’n’bass and heady vocals is well worth the £6 entry fee. (JMM)

LANDO KAL Jam Fri 25th
Back when Grandmother Flash gave birth to hip hop, she couldn’t have imagined her offspring turning out like this. Glitchy, pared-down, electro-laden beeps and beats exude from Lando Kal, aka half of Lazer Sword, but it’s unmistakably hip hop that gives the swagger in these genes. Experimental as a half-remembered, half-feared dream, and tinged with 2 step, this night unveils the strange nephew of hip hop. (JMM)

THE WALL STREETCRASH! • Concorde 2 Fri 25th
As if Playgroup weren’t busy enough with their festival and all the events that they put on for themselves, they’re now helping out those who are really up against it. Half the proceeds of this 1929-themed night will be given to international anti-poverty charity War On Want. The line-up is worth a fiver for an early bird ticket anyway – it’s a tenner on the door – with DMC champion DJ Switch (not MIA’s mate) turning his hand to swing. He’s joined by Dutty Moonshine and Bill Murray. No, not the movie star, the electro-jive band. (JK)

CRITICAL SOUND Life Fri 25th
Drum’n’bass is still there, people. You thought dubstep had killed it? You’re forgetting it’s the cockroach of musical genres – d’n’b would still be there after a nuclear holocaust (see the Burning Man festival for a preview of that scenario). Critical Sound are a label pushing the deeper, more considered seam – no eye-rolling jump-up here. dBridge heads the line-up and will no doubt be bashing out his ‘autonomic’ sub-genre – a deep, syncopated take on d’n’b – alongside Lenzman and label head honcho Kasra. (MB)

DA DOO RON RON • Komedia Sat 26th
Fulfilling the Da Doos’ criteria of strictly fem-centric tunes tonight is guest DJ Tim Burgess out of The Charlatans. He’s a proper DJ as well as an avid record collector and appears alongside regulars Chris King and Jon Slade as well as Declan Allen from ATP, spinning a set of sisterly soul, funk and pop from the 50s to mid-70s. Tim Burgess stalkers might also like to know he’s also playing an acoustic Charlatans set at Komedia on Thursday 17th. (NC)

Words by Dan Bowden, Darren Carnaby, Zac Colbert, Nick Coquet, Stephanie Dunleavy, Jessica Marshall McHattie