Don’t know where you’ll be when the ball drops this year? One option is to head to Seattle, for MICRO dB, the two-evening event happening December 30 and 31 at Neumos that will feature performances from international producers.

The first day will see some dirty action from Berlin-based pioneer, producer, remixer, and DJ Jesse Rose, whose bass-driven electro-house has tickled the clubs and festivals for over fourteen years. Pump yourself up for the his first-ever Seattle appearance ever by listening to his new track, “Forget My Name,” which will be released in vinyl format on December 15, via Rose’s own label, Front Room Recordings.

Also on day one, Los Angeles-based ambient dub-hop DJ Deru will bring his unique blend of melodic structures and cold, precise rhythm to the table. Meanwhile, wildcard producer novaTRON will offer his original breakbeats, improvised on the spot using his Tron Box, a self-constructed blend of audio hardware. Rounding out the first day’s happenings is newcomer SEED, who will take to the stage with his mutant genre of “Jazzchestral Glitch-Samba, Ballet Ghettotech, and Transcendental Elevator Music,” or so it’s been described by a recent press release. He will be performing alongside other members of the local music collective LiveNLove, including jazz vocalist Greer Sullivan and MC E@5E_95.

On day two, a “Dirty Dancing” New Year’s Eve, artful minimalist and owner of Palette Recordings, John Tejada, will bring his punchy, SoCal techno to the floor, while rising Seattle-resident Dave Pezzner (know simply as Pezzner) will transport listeners with his alternately sensual and funky tech-house. Left Coast tribal house DJ Michael Manahan will face off with distinctly dirty Nordic Soul. Eventually, Glaswegian Alex Smoke will cap the evening with his dark, flawless techno.

Tickets for the December 30 show will go for $15 pre-sale and $18 at the door. December 31 will cost you $20 presale and $25 at the door. Or plan ahead and buy a two-night pass for just $30.

S.F.’s Noise Pop Festival continues adding to its previously announced artist lineup. For its 17th year, the indie music festival has already confirmed No Age, the New Pornographers’ frontman A.C. Newman, and Antony and the Johnsons, among others. St. Vincent, Josh Ritter, Ra Ra Riot, and The Morning Benders now join the list, which will continue growing until the festival kicks off on February 24.

Badges are on sale and going for $150 each, with a 10 percent discount available until January 12. One of those bad boys will ensure general admission into all shows happening during the festival.

Here’s the full, confirmed lineup thus far, in no particular order: No Age, Goblin Cock, Dear and the Headlights, Clues, A.C. Newman, Antony and the Johnsons, St. Vincent, Josh Ritter, French Kicks, Ra Ra Riot, Martha Wainwright, Broken West, The Morning Benders, the Submarines

Pictured: Ra Ra Riot. Photo by Doron Gild.

Simian Mobile Disco gets an A+ on planning ahead for 2009. Currently in the middle of a round of European dates, and with a forthcoming full-length rumored to be arriving soon, the duo has already scheduled North American tour dates through the end of April. These live performances will kick off mid-March.

In the meantime, the boys are doing a triple-header for New Year’s Eve, with back-to-back shows in Birmingham, Bristol, and London, U.K. Should have them nice and energized for the remaining performances.

Dates
12/12 London, England – East Village (DJ set)
12/13 Manchester, England – Warehouse Project (DJ set)
12/14 Glasgow, Scotland – Optimo
12/31 Bristol, England – Blowpop (DJ set)
12/31 Birmingham, England – Custard (DJ set)
12/31 London, England – Bugged Out at Fire (DJ set)
01/02 Madrid, Spain – Low Club (DJ set)
01/03 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso (DJ set)
02/12 London, England – Koko
03/12 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
03/13 Seattle, WA – Neumos
03/15 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
03/16 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
03/17 San Diego, CA – Casbah
03/25 Tampa, FL – Czar
03/26 Orlando, FL – Icon
03/28 Miami, FL – Ultra Music Festival
04/17 Chicago, IL – Metro
04/17 Chicago, IL – Smart Bar (DJ set)
04/18 Toronto, Ontario – The Government
04/19 Montreal, Quebec – Club Soda
04/22 Boston, MA – Paradise
04/23 Brooklyn, NY – Studio B
04/24 Philadelphia, PA – Transit
04/25 Baltimore, MD – Sonar

Kompakt‘s latest installment of sleepytime songs–otherwise known as the label’s Pop Ambient series–will see its ninth edition released on February 16 of next year.

Judging by the tracklisting, it’s looking to be another low-key, laidback affair, with tracks from regular contributors like Marsen Jules and Klimek, as well as artists like Tim Hecker and The Fun Years, who make their first appearance in the series here. Wolfgang Voigt also makes a rare appearance under his Mint alias for the occasion.

Pop Ambient 2009
01 Klimek “True Enemies & False Friends (Yesteryears Suite)”
02 Sylvain Chauveau “Nuage Iii”
03 Mint “Hindemith”
04 Popnoname “Nightliner”
05 Sylvain Chauveau “Fly Like a Horse”
06 Jürgen Paape “Ausklang (Burger/Voigt Mix)”
07 Marsen Jules “It’s Only Castles Burning”
08 Tim Hecker “Shosts”
09 Andrew Thomas “A Dream of a Spider”
10 Burger/Voigt “Frieden”
11 The Fun Years “I Am Speaking Through Barbara”
12 Klimek and Husak “The Godfather (For William Basinski & Snoop Dogg)”

Pictured: Tim Hecker.