Bukem Proves Dance-Music Master

To the uninitiated, it might have been hard to believe that the bespectacled, unassuming man behind the turntables at the packed El Rey Theatre on Tuesday was a real-live dance-music star. But even a novice could tell by the ebb and flow of his 90-minute set that England’s LTJ Bukem was more than just another faceless mixmaster.

Indeed, Bukem (ne Danny Williamson) is a drum-and-bass pioneer, a highly influential DJ, producer and label owner who has created such celebrated tracks as “Logical Progression.” Yet his brand-new double CD, “Journey Inwards,” is his first real solo project in a decade of recording, despite Bukem’s numerous compilations mixing his own and other artists’ works.

The new collection is stylistically varied, but Bukem’s set, part of a show featuring performers from his Good Looking label, stuck to the rapid-fire booming bass and skittering counter-beats that define drum-and-bass. With two expert MCs out front and a deft ability to blend elements of jazz, soul and dub, he warped the smoky atmosphere at will, sometimes fanning a defiant urgency, other times drifting contemplatively. Whatever state of mind Bukem tapped, bodies happily writhed along on the dance floor, in the lobby, on the stairs or wherever the music grabbed them. Bukem’s standout talents, along with the overwhelming sense of unity he fostered among a group of people into their own grooves, provided yet more proof that someday, before we even realize it, dance music is gonna take over.