WELCOME TO DILLAVILLE: PAYING TRIBUTE

(Crocodile) The late, great James Yancey has at this point achieved official hiphop coronation, having influenced artists as far-flung as Flying Lotus and Autechre to Kanye West and MF Doom. His off-kilter, filtered-funk futurist boom-bap served as instrumental backing for two of the legacy acts gracing the Crocodile tonight: perennial underdogs Slum Village and thinking man’s stoners the Pharcyde, from whom Fatlip and Slimkid3 will be representing. Nineties indie/undie rap was rarely served up with such class and grace, and Dilla’s soulful, vinyl-crackled beats remain unmarked by the passage of time: Give a listen to “Fall in Love” by Slum Village and fall in love with this man’s beat chemistry all over again. KYLE FLECK
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THE STONED SLEAZE OF FU MANCHU

(El Corazon) All hail Fu Manchu! These dudes have been playing their somewhat sleazy but always heavy brand of catchy desert rock for 27 years now, influencing a generation of dirtbag stoners to tune low and play slow. A few of those very stoners make up the band Ancient Warlocks, a rad local band that mixes catchy hooks with stoney grooves and just so happens to be opening. Bottom line, it’s nearly impossible to not have a great time at a Fu Manchu gig. That is, unless you’re out of weed. And if that’s the case, pretty sure someone in this city has you covered. KEVIN DIERS
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ULCERATE'S BROWBEATEN METAL ONSLAUGHT

(Highline) There’s no crying in baseball. And there sure as hell shouldn’t be any smiling in metal. Yeah, maybe Eddie Van Halen could get away with sporting that grin while playing guitar, but if you’re peddling anything darker than “Eruption,” you shouldn’t look like you’re enjoying yourself. There are certainly no smiles plastered to the faces of Ulcerate when they weave their soiled sonic tapestries onstage—only looks of utter contempt. And for good reason: The New Zealand band mined pretty much every desolate form of heavy music out there to create a composite of wretched tones, bleak chord progressions, and unrelenting double-kick-drum beats. Do you like death metal but think Cannibal Corpse are too frivolous? Do you like black metal but think Enslaved look like they’re having too much fun? Then you’ll appreciate the browbeaten vibe of Ulcerate. With the Drip, L.B.!, Numb and the Vatican. BRIAN COOK
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, this weekend, and beyond!