Strictly Reggae Happy Hour and Bassline Pressure

The influence of reggae on current music and, more important, DJ culture, is felt the world over. Here at home, Jilly's on Broadway is starting up the Strictly Reggae Happy Hour (7 to 9 p.m.) and Bassline Pressure (9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.) every Wednesday night. Resident DJ Daylight Robber plays mostly roots reggae and ragga (reggae-tinged drum-'n'-bass). His partner, Spider Bigger, follows with his collection of dubstep, a new subgenre that's rising from the ashes of UK garage. Known as "grime" when MCs rap over it, the music is ear-deep in fat-ass bass lines and syncopated beat structure. By all accounts, it's kind of a big deal in the UK and on the East Coast. Meanwhile, Jilly's has earned a reputation for booking great DJ events that quickly fizzle out after a couple of months. For clubgoers who want to hear genuinely new music, let's hope that doesn't happen with this night.