THE STACK with Derek Fisher and theperfectcyn

The power couple of the Portland DJ scene shakes the shame off.

Derek Fisher and Cynthia Valenti deliver a perfect one-two punch. On any given night, Fisher will be pumping his fist from the DJ booth to some foot-stomping European house anthem. Then the colors will suddenly shift, and he'll drop a totally unexpected mood into the stew, dazing the crowd before Valenti comes on board, knocking them out with a sensual selection. Fisher--Glasgow, Scotland's gift to Portland's DJ scene--stands out as a cunning mixologist, wielding a singularly broad knowledge of music across decades and genres, while theperfectcyn (Valenti's DJ name) is known for her flawless delivery and driving cuts. Together, they make a night of dancing a stimulating and rousing experience. We caught up with them at the sultry brick box known as XV to check out some of their sonic secret weapons. (Corban Lester)

The Things, "I Don't Care"

Derek Fisher: "This is a very simple pop song. It's not a computerized 'bleep bleep bleep' for the dance floor. It's just a good song that you can dance to. It's wibbly--to use a great Mr. Scruff description. It wibbles, it just funks along, and it's obviously a live bassist or there's a very good sampled loop--and you can feel it. It's like back to the old English electrofunk.

Miss Kittin, "Requiem for a Hit"

Cynthia Valenti: "This song kind of comes out of nowhere. It's just fucking nasty! [laughs] I like to play it right after kind of a 'fruitier' night of music. It's totally the opposite of fruity--it's got a gritty, kind of 'ghettotech' bass line. And Miss Kittin saying the most erotic things she can say. She says, 'I'll beat that bitch with a hit!' I mean, who knows what that's supposed to mean? But it sounds hot, and it always gets people dancing."

Future Look Foundation, the Scratch N' Sniff EP

DF: "This song is a gorgeous, downtempo track. It's lush, it's gorgeous, and it reminds you of an English kind of summer. It starts off with a cricket bat hitting a cricket ball. It reminds you of maybe sitting in an English summer or a British summer with the sun high in the sky--even late at night because we're so far north.

Kiki & Silver Surfer, featuring Captain Comatose, "Shake Off"

CV: "This song has become somewhat of a mantra for our little DJ group called 'Shameless' because the vocals go 'shake your shame off, get your game on--it's alright.' If there's any time that that song would be good, it's right now. Things are weighing heavy on people's minds and, you know, the election, and the war, and money, and 'the sky is falling,' so 'shake the shame off, get your game on'."

Derek Fisher & theperfectcyn play Shameless, an electro dance party tribute to John Peel with Recess, Dave Allen and 31 Avas, on Thursday, Dec. 2, at Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 8:30 pm. $3. 21+.

WWeek 2015

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