International Bands

Canadian Dance-Off

MSTRKRFT (Sat., Radio Room Patio, 1am) DFA 1979 bassist Jesse F. Keeler's Toronto DJ duo with Al Puodziukas.

Deadmau5 (Wed., La Zona Rosa, 11:30pm) Say "Dead mouse." Torontonian Joel Zimmerman as progressive house/trance DJ.

Felix Cartal (Sat., Radio Room Patio, 10pm) MSTRKRFT tourmate Cartal brings hard-hitting electro from Vancouver.

Jokers of the Scene (Fri., Vice, 10pm) Ottawa's DJ Booth and Chameleonic released electro-rave EP Acid Bagg last year, including single "Baggy Bottom Boys."

Les Handclaps (Sat., Beauty Bar, 1am) Montreal guitar-Farfisa-laptop trio incorporates dancers.

Shout Out Out Out Out (Wed., Karma Lounge, 1am; Fri., Beauty Bar Backyard, 1am) SXSW veterans and Edmonton, Alberta, rhythm-loving sixpiece (two drummers plus four bassists) takes dance punk to a new level.

Thunderheist (Thu., Beauty Bar, 12:15am; Fri., Club de Ville, 11:30pm) Rapper Isis plus producer Grahm Zilla sweat Toronto digitally with Sweet 16.

Woodhands (Wed., Habana Calle 6 Patio, 12mid) "Wood" is the new "wolf," but don't tell Toronto electro-pop duo Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt. – Darcie Stevens

Budapest Goes West

The Moog (Fri., Club 115, 9pm) Giving Strokes and Hives to European Killers since 2004.

Amber Smith (Sat., Maggie Mae's Gibson Room, 8pm) Sensitive boys Muse-ing on EU emo.

Supersonic (Fri., Club 115, 8pm) Quartet standing by if Primal Scream no-shows. – Doug Freeman

Tunesmiths en Español

Ximena Sariñana (Thu., Momo's, 11pm) This Mexico City siren can deliver it any way you want – soft and smoky or tough and growly but always with thoughtful lyrics and sophisticated melodies.

Los Claxons (Wed., Flamingo Cantina, 11pm) Los muchachos de Monterrey, Mexico, bring smooth, layered vox and backbeat.

Nacho Vegas (Wed., Esther's Follies, 8pm) The passion! The drama! Gijón, Spain's Vegas brings it, sings it.

We Are Balboa (Fri., Fuze, 11pm) Lua Watty's crystalline vocals lead the alt-rock way from Madrid.

Poet in Process (Sat., Cedar Street Courtyard, 9pm) They're from Barcelona but sing most of their pop-rock in English. – Belinda Acosta

Instructions for Three Northern Ireland Acts Beyond the Pale

General Fiasco (Wed., Cedar Door, 1am) Drive straight down the road, stopping for hitchhikers. Roll windows down when car fills with smoke. Increase volume on radio, but ignore stop signs.

The Beat Poets (Fri., Lamberts, 1am) Clean heart wound. Unwrap bandage, and press carefully to affected area. Inhale deeply, and feel the blood warm again. Release when pulse pounds.

In Case of Fire (Fri., Latitude 30, 9pm) Break glass and swing ax, but do not evacuate unless Fire spreads out of control. Call 911, and then levitate. – Margaret Moser

Far East (and Far Out) Jazz

Maki Rinka (Wed., Maggie Mae's Rooftop, 10pm) Japan's Marilyn Monroe sings hooray for cabaret.

Futomomo Satisfaction (Sat., Opal Divine's, 12mid) Big band jazz swings harder with bikini-clad trombone section.

Asakusa Jinta (Sat., Elysium, 12mid) Tokyo jazz punks rock & roll. – Thomas Fawcett

Mutant Children of Tropicália (Brazil)

Érika Machado (Wed., the Rio, 1am) Samba-rock meets Nintendo-sampling synth beats. Os Mutantes would be proud.

Pato Fu (Thu., Momo's, 8pm) Belo Horizonte quintet has quacked tracks for nine albums.

The River Raid (Sat., Fuze, 8pm) Forty years ago, these Recife rockers would have been exiled.

Holger (Sat., Club 115, 9pm) São Paulo crew sprinkles power-pop with banjo licks.

Cassim & Barbária (Fri., the Rio, 10pm) Subtropicalists from southern Brazil experiment with aural alchemy. – Thomas Fawcett

12 Canucks Shilling Slang

Moka Only & Def 3 (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 10:40pm) Rhymesayers Entertainment has friends across the border.

Jesse Dangerously (Fri., Prague, 10:30pm) Supporting the idea that Canadians are also funny when they're angry.

Beast (Thu., Maggie Mae's Rooftop, 9pm) Scary, scary Southern-styled trip-hop.

Grand Analog (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 9:30pm) Live band drops reggae-hop like Minnesota's Heiruspecs.

Keys n Krates (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 10pm) Remixing the remix from inside a jungle party.

Empire Isis (Wed., Pangaea, 11pm) January's Brand New Style, cut in New York, Montreal, Tel Aviv, and Kingston.

Buck 65 (Sat., Scoot Inn, 11pm) Gravelly and just bizarre enough for the Strange Famous lineup.

Classified (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 12:30am) This April's Self Explanatory finds a bass-voiced MC riding low, soulful beats.

Josh Martinez (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 11:15pm) Chicharones' MC probably passes more than a mic with Devin the Dude.

More or Les (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 9pm) Gift of Gab voice hype, hype, hypes it up.

Shad (Fri., Wave, 8pm; the Music Gym Patio, 11:55pm) "Vibes and Stuff," and Marvin Gaye.

D.O. (Fri., the Music Gym Patio, 8:30pm) Blind locals could mistake the North Starr for Young Nick. – Chase Hoffberger