Duke Shin

Like a Buzzin’ Fly himself, Londoner Ben Watt has gone through a few stages in his life, toiling away for over a decade with his electronic pop outfit Everything But The Girl (with vocalist Tracey Thorn) before finally reaching mainstream success with Todd Terry’s remix of "Missing," which became a global phenomenon in 1995 (and reached #2 on electronic-phobic U.S. Billboard Hot 100). His story almost ended there, when Watt was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease. Battling back from the brink of death, he paused to detail the ordeal in the autobiographical book "Patient," before taking a more underground approach to music at his new house night Lazy Dog. Then, in 2003, he founded the Buzzin’ Fly label. Originally focusing on deep-house grooves, Buzzin’ Fly was not immune to Watt’s musical progressions—most notably on Watt’s "Buzzin Fly" mix compilations, which mirrored his increasing interest in techno-influenced melody. Meanwhile, breakthrough acts like San Francisco’s Justin Martin and Portugal’s Darkmountaingroup further boosted Buzzin’ Fly’s profile. Luckily for us, Watt is still motivated to move the floor worldwide as a DJ, fusing a deep-house soul with moody electronic flourishes, as witnessed on his excellent latest mix, "Buzzin’ Fly Vol. 4." Drop in to Spy Bar tonight, and you’ll be treated to impeccable programming from a musical icon that chose to embrace the dancefloor after pop success, and is perhaps making a more profound influence than he ever did before—as if staying relevant wasn’t enough!

Ben Watt joins DJ Heather and Brian Gardner at Spy Bar, 303 West Erie, (312)587-3675, on July 18, 10pm-4am. $15. Rsvp to going.com for comp admission. (2007-07-10)

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