If DJ Rekha's set at the Black Cat in January is any indication, there is an unrequited demand for international dance music in the District. That event not only sold out, but people of all stripes were dancing to the same beat and the crowd reflected one of this city's greatest assets, its cultural and ethnic diversity. One can expect more of the same tomorrow night at Bohemian Caverns, where two of global electronica's most respected practitioners, Cheb i Sabbah (pictured right) and Janaka Selekta (pictured below), will be performing at Līv in an event dubbed Electroganic, whose proceeds will benefit Race Against Domestic Violence.

Electroganic will also celebrate the release of Sabbah's latest CD, Devotion. Sabbah's recent albums have all combined electronic elements with various types of ethnic music, but he separates himself from most electronic artists in that he does not simply rely on samples. Instead, he collaborates closely with native artists who are part of the genre within which he is working, whether it be North African, Middle Eastern, or in this case, the devotional music of South Asia.

While Devotion and his previous albums are layered, textured, and even dense, Cheb i Sabbah, the producer, and Cheb i Sabbah, the DJ, can be very different.

"As a DJ, I don’t prepare my set and I just go with the flow," Sabbah explained. "When I produce an album, I have a very specific scene, but when I DJ, it’s totally different and there’s no telling what I’m going to spin."

But don't expect the latest Jay-Z record during one of Sabbah's sets. "I stay within what I call the 'Triple A,' Asia, Arabia, and Africa," he said.

Sabbah's life is nothing if not interesting. Born in Algeria of Jewish and Berber heritage, Sabbah moved to France, where he started as a DJ in 1964, spinning American soul records at a Parisian discotheque. He eventually crossed the Atlantic and ended up in San Francisco, where he spent time managing the jazz pioneer, Don Cherry. It was in San Francisco where he began collaborating with the night's other main attraction, DJ Janaka Selekta.

Selekta, the son of a diplomat, was born in Sri Lanka, raised in Kuwait and England, and eventually settled in the Bay area 11 years ago. In 1999, he co-founded Dhamaal, an influential DJ crew of which Sabbah is a member, and whose San Francisco events draw thousands of people at a time. In 2004, Selekta won the San Francisco Guardian's Readers Poll Award for Best DJ.

Describing his sound, Selekta explained, "My sets are essentially music that takes from a traditional sound, and adds cutting edge, technology influenced music".

Out west, Selekta is best known for spinning breakbeats and drum 'n bass, but his sound is in a period of evolution.

"Right now I’m more influenced by dubstep," he said, speaking of the genre whose characteristics include highly syncopated drum tracks and minimalist bass lines.

"Dubstep doesn’t have a very rigid structure and it’s much freer," Selekta went on to explain. "It's very tight and heavy, and works well with the [South Asian] melodies I put on top."

In addition to these two internationally recognized DJs, D.C.'s local scene will be well represented at Electroganic. Also on the bill are V:shal Kanwar, whose set will feature MC Chris Stylez, Belgrade native Mr. Darko, and Julez.

Electroganic takes place tomorrow from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Bohemian Caverns. Click here for set times and advance sale tickets, which are available until 2 p.m. tomorrow. $12 in advance/$15 at the door.

Images from Cheb i Sabbah's MySpace page and Janaka Selekta's website