Shows of the Week: Mike’s Smoky Unfurling Flow Grows Looser as His Beats Sharpen

Sunday, May 5

Mike is one of New York’s most fearsomely consistent rappers. The 26-year-old puts out at least one album or mixtape a year, every one of them good to excellent, and he’s already inspired fellow MCs to get weirder (Earl Sweatshirt’s latter-day style owes a lot to Mike). His smoky, unfurling flow has grown looser over time; meanwhile his craft as a beatmaker has sharpened, culminating in the bizarre soundscapes on last year’s self-produced Burning Desire, further honed on his recent LP Pinball. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave. 8:30 pm. $20. All ages.

Sunday, May 5

Strategy is one of Portland’s most prolific and unpredictable electronic tinkerers. Born Paul Dickow, the producer has put out everything from brainy electropop to lush ambient to sublimely cheesy rave music under the moniker over the past 25 years. 2022′s echo-drenched techno odyssey Graffiti in Space is one of his strongest releases, and he’s been on a tear since then, most recently releasing a sound collage, “True Believers,” composed of people talking about UFOs. Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth St. 8 pm. $5–$20 sliding scale. 21+.

Tuesday, May 7

Julia Holter’s first album, Tragedy, found her singing ancient Greek poetry through a vocoder, and her music has only gotten deeper and more mysterious since then. Her new album, Something in the Room She Moves, sounds somewhere between a collection of Renaissance madrigals and a lost Joni Mitchell album from her late-’70s experimental period. It’s a treat to hear Holter grow more comfortable as a cult favorite who can basically do whatever she wants. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. 7 pm. $20. All ages.