STILL TRIPIN’

Mixpak vs. Thread would be one of the month’s best parties without a single special guest: On the left, you’ve got the bass-loving label, started by Dre Skull in 2009, behind releases like Vybz Kartel’s Kingston Story LP and floor-packing singles from Jubilee and Dubbel Dutch, and on the right it’s Newark’s hottest all-ages party, where resident DJs Nadus, Reck, Ezrakh, and Sliink quick-mix their Jersey-centric, chopped-not-screwed adaption of Baltimore club. Tonight, however, patrons of 285 Kent will have the pleasure of sampling not only the above, but also Houston’s DJ Michael “5000” Watts, the Swishahouse mainstay whose slowed-down Southern rap should provide the perfect foil for the aforementioned crews.

Sat., Dec. 14, 9 p.m., 2013