Araabmuzik, Flosstradamus, Teengirl Fantasy, Nick Hook at East River Park, August 20, Free
The MPC wizard known at Araabmuzik rides again tonight at the East River waterfront, with fellow knob-twiddlers Flosstradamus, Teengirl Fantasy and Nick Hook in tow. The New York-by-way-of Rhode Island producer first broke into the music scene when Cam'ron tapped him to update his sound, and update his sound he did. Full of icy synth stabs and dizzying drum hits, Araabmuzik's work -- both with rappers and as standalone works -- have become the stuff of legend. Check his album Electronic Dream, which takes cheesy Euro-House and gives it a razorblade edge, if you need to get up to speed. Be sure not to miss Teengirl Fantasy, the Williamsburg production duo whose Tracer (due out on Tuesday) is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. -Drew Millard
The Drums, Chairlift at Brooklyn Bowl, August 22, Free with RSVP
New York indiepop kings The Drums will be playing their fifth New York show of the summer this Wednesday, following their set the the Village Voice's 4knots Festival and opening for Bloc Party's Terminal 5 three-night stand. (It's possible we're forgetting a show or two, these guys get around.) Their sprightly, reverb-caressed pop is worth seeing whenever you get the chance, but is particularly suited for end-of-summer melancholy, so it's rather accommodating of these gents to offer one more show. Sharing the bill is borough neighbor's Chairlift, whose song "I Belong In Your Arms" should have been one of the hits of the summer and/or the "I Melt With You" or their generation. -Michael Tedder
Tim Hecker, Oneohtrix Point Never, Charalambides, Colin L. Orchestra Grasshopper, Opponents, Ala Muerte at Public Assembly, August 25, $22
Please know we are not being snarky at all when we say this is a great bill if you've had a stressful week. We all need music to soothe our frazzled nerves at times. Montreal composer Tim Hecker makes drone-damaged ambient classical pieces that sound like chamber music for a haunted house where the ghosts are perpetually mourning but never all that threatening. (Okay, maybe a little.) Sometimes this is what you need to mellow out with. Oneohtrix Point Never are a bit headier, throwing post-Animal Collective psychedelica through a hall of broken mirrors then drowning it in a ocean of cold medicine. Sometimes you need to get pushed in to another dimension to relax properly. -MT
Kitty Pryde, Lakutis at Santos Party House, Aug. 22, $10
This week is a weirdly amazing one for hip-hop in the city. In addition to Action Bronson and Flatbush Zombies playing a free show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday and Danny Brown and Just Blaze doing MOMA's perennially stellar PS1 series on Saturday, the love-her-or-loathe-her (we love her) teenage rapper Kitty Pryde is headlining Santos on Wednesday. Her EPha ha, i'm sorry is one of the best low-key rap tapes of the year, all mumbled internal rhyme and subtly brilliant, rolling beats. She'll be joined by Lakutis, the insanozoid, Game of Thrones-obsessed rapper aligned with Das Racist's Greedhead camp. Lakutis's energy melded with the charming "let's put on a show!" mentality of Kitty Pryde's sets should make for one of the more memorable evenings in recent memory. -DM
