FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

NORTEC COLLECTIVE, DAREK MAZZONEMexico's foremost electronic-music ambassadors invade Seattle to invest some Latin sabor into our Northwest club scene. Trad Mexican styles would seem to be anathema to modern techno templates, but Nortec Collective make the unlikely elements jell in irresistible ways. Their new album, Tijuana Sessions Vol 3, contains a palatable balance of melodic cheese and rhythmic verve. This is the rare novelty concept I can support without guilt or embarrassment. Trinity, 111 Yesler Way, 447-4140, 10 pm–3 am, $10, 21+.

FRED EVERYTHINGMontreal DJ/producer/remixer Fred Everything (Frederic Blais) reliably brings the quality deep, soulful house music sans fromage. He'll be supporting his new House of Om mix disc. With Jon Lemmon. SeeSound Lounge, 115 Blanchard, 374-3733, 9 pm–2 am, free before 10, $7 after, 21+.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29

FREAKNIGHT 9Local organizers United State of Consciousness presumably outlaid a shit ton of cash to book three "Carnival Areas" of homegrown and international talent for this Halloween extravaganza. The big three of mainstream dance-music genres are represented by the usual suspects: prog house/trance (Paul Oakenfold, Gabriel & Dresden, Liquid Todd), breaks (DJ Icey, Uberzone, Crystal Method), and drum 'n' bass (Aphrodite, Dom & Roland, Hive). Wear warm, comfortable clothes and hydrate in earnest. Qwest Field, 1000 Occidental Ave S, 888-221-7491, 8 pm, $25/$30/$35 limited tickets, $40 thereafter, more DOS, all ages.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 30

GRAVENHURST, BROADCASTGravenhurst's new album, Fires in Distant Buildings, continues the Warp label's drift away from electronic music and toward song-oriented artists who, like, sing and play guitar. (Gravenhurst bill-mates Broadcast started this trend in 1997.) Led by multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot, Gravenhurst lock into the Velvet Underground's mantric jangle, explore tumultuous soundtrackish dynamics, wallow in the introverted grandiloquence of bland stadium rockers like Travis and Coldplay, dogpaddle in pensive slowcore waters, and mewl in frou-frou acoustic-folk balladry mode. However, the epic rave-up version of the Kinks' "See My Friend" almost compensates for the disc's pervasive dullnesses. Let's hope they're better live than on disc. Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 8 pm–2 am, $12 adv, 21+.