Dance-party machine

Tonight the king of the dance floor, the man known as Diplo, returns for his first 18-plus show in the area in at least three years, and this show is going to rip the Middle East to shreds. The master turntablist will be accompanied by other touring talent from his Philadelphia-based record label, Mad Decent, including Telepathe, Boy 8-Bit, and the LA art-rock band Abe Vigoda.

Diplo, or Wesley Pents, is best known as producer and DJ for the edgy, globe-hopping, genre-crossing pop diva M.I.A., so he's clearly not afraid of pushing crunked-up, subwoofer-friendly beats to the most experimental end of the spectrum. Not only that, he is almost single-handedly the man responsible for bringing the sound of Latin America's hip-hop underground to the mainstream. And yes, he was the beatsmith behind the now overplayed M.I.A. hit "Paper Planes."

His most recent mix-tape was a delightfully eclectic blend of sounds. He borrowed instrumental parts from old-school punk rock, psychedelic rock, and early roots reggae and recontexualized them by layering elements of contemporary top 40 music and electronic elements on top, creating a groundbreaking album that appeals to music fans around the world.

Be it hip-hop, funk, reggaeton, dancehall, techno, or dub, Diplo knows which records to select to get people moving, and as the world's foremost disc jockey, he gets the exclusive singles before anyone else does. This is a big deal, people. As we've been saying the whole time, there are far too few undergraduate-friendly goings-on out there, especially in the world of dance music, so let's pack the club and make this Diplo's best stop on the tour.

18+ Tonight, doors at 8 p.m. $15. Middle East Downstairs, 480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge. 617-492-9181. mideastclub.com

Max Pearl is a Hampshire College student who blogs about under-21 events in Boston.