WEDNESDAY 8/28

MODERAT'S CLASSY, GERMANIC-EXPRESSIVE ELECTRO

Moderat—the smooth union of German electronic-music aristocracy Modeselektor and Apparat (Sascha Ring)—operate in that crowded sector of clubland where electro, techno, IDM, dub, and hiphop bump and grind. Unfortunately, I've only heard two tracks from their new album, II, so I can't make any definitive judgments about their first new music since 2009's self-titled debut. However, first single "Bad Kingdom" is a bold, bass-heavy slab of electro funk with Ring's emo vocals to the fore, hinting that Moderat may be moving in a more accessible direction. Whatever the case, this is going to be a rich-sounding, interestingly diverse experience, if past shows by these guys are any indication. Neptune Theater, 8 pm, $26.50, all ages.

THURSDAY 8/29

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: PETE SWANSON AND GOODWIN

Data Breaker's favorite recurring electronic event, MOTOR, roars back into action with a couple of Portland subversives topping the bill. Pete Swanson rose to notoriety with Yellow Swans, one of America's most artfully sculptural noise/ambient-rock units. His solo output of late has gravitated toward a kind of postindustrial techno brut, as witnessed with the brain-matter splatter of his Punk Authority EP. Expect a massive hemorrhage of extreme frequencies and a barrage of bruising beats. GOODWIN (ex-member of Operative and Bonus and former Stranger music intern Scott Goodwin) deals with cleaner and shinier techno and house styles. His set at this year's Debacle Fest burst with joyous, intelligent dance music that made geeks feel sexy. Black Hat (aka Nelson Bean)—whose jagged, rugged music bears similarities to Swanson's—is my pick to break out of the Seattle underground and make (inter)national waves. With Mood Organ, Kaori Suzuki, and DJ MOTORKARR. Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 9 pm, $10, 21+.

FLUME'S SUAVE, BOMBASTIC R&B

Precocious Sydney, Australia, producer Flume (aka Harley Streten) has amassed a huge fan base at an early age with his trés-chic, supersized R&B and dubstep with a panoply of sampled singers' voices getting pitched every which way but natural. He's a master of suave bombast, and even if that's not your bag, you have to respect anybody who gets asked to remix Rustie. However, his ham-fisted "Jackin House Mix" of Marlena Shaw's soul classic "Woman of the Ghetto" should not go unpunished. With Giraffage and Touch Sensitive. Neumos, 8 pm, $15, 21+.