FRIDAY 12/20

RL GRIME'S BOOMING TRAP ON ACID

After debuting in 2012 with his Grapes EP, Los Angeles producer RL Grime (aka Henry Steinway) has sped to the upper reaches of the electronic-music domain, where his tracks get love from Diplo, Flosstradamus, and A-Trak, among other rich jockeys of disc. His grandiose yet nuanced fusion of new-school hiphop and future-bass music makes such success understandable. Booming beats and bass + melodies that trigger rave flashbacks and tender/raunchy feelings = hands in the air and feet in motion. Neptune Theatre, 9 pm, $16.50 adv/$18 DOS, all ages.

CAUTION: PETE SWANSON'S TECHNO WAR ZONE AHEAD

When an electronic musician calls a record Punk Authority, you can expect tunes that deviate from club protocol. Which is what ex–Yellow Swans member Pete Swanson did with the 2013 mini LP by that title. This is techno encrusted with toxic sludge and bolstered by beats that sound like cannon shots. Listening to Swanson's music is like being in an active war zone, with all the attendant adrenaline that that scenario implies. One of his most powerful tracks is the 13-minute epic "Life Ends at 30"; it feels like being riddled with drum-machine bullets and pelted by analog-synth shrapnel. We're in for a night of painful ecstasy. This edition of Sam Melancon's Motor event, the ninth, also features excellent locals Chris Davis (Brain Fruit), TJ Max (Jayson Kochan and Timm Mason), and DJ Slow. Chop Suey, 9 pm, $10, 21+.

MIKE SERVITO'S BRASHLY THRUSTING HOUSE MOVES

DJ Mike Servito blossomed in the fertile soil of Detroit to become a prime mover in the techno and house fields. He spent several solid years in Ghostly International's stable of disc jockeys along with Matthew Dear, Tadd "Dabrye" Mullinix, Derek Plaslaiko, and Ryan Elliott and spun at some of the Motor City and Ann Arbor's most adventurous club nights. Now a resident at Brooklyn's renowned Bunker club, Servito did a Boiler Room DJ set earlier this year that's one of those brashly thrusting outings with plenty of testifying diva action. It sounds firmly in the house tradition without coming off as stodgy—a difficult feat to pull off. He's supported by Seattle DJs Struggle and Energy Flash, two of this city's most knowledgeable and technically proficient decknicians in the left-field techno and house realms. Re-bar, 9 pm, $10 adv, 21+. recommended