As Vitalic, the French programmer and multi-instrumentalist Pascal Arbez has carved out a career as a master of manic, maximalist noise. His 2001 breakthrough EP Poney was a turbo-charged, distorted hot mess of pumping beats and digital feedback that, looking back, seemed to forewarn of the musical excesses that were to come later that decade through Parisian label Ed Banger, the ultra-hip French Touch scene, and the whole “nu-rave” thing, which you’d be forgiven for trying to suppress from your memory completely.

In the intervening 16 years, Arbez has dropped – and flirted with returning to – the abrasive sound of his first releases, but has never quite managed to hit the heights that he did back in the day. The Frenchman’s latest album Voyager, which was released in January, still has flashes of his trademark chugging synths, and there are nods to his earlier works’ feverish, twitchy brilliance. But this is an altogether more mature record. There are melodies, especially on the Kavinsky-influenced Hans Is Driving, which features Miss Kittin on vocals. There are big pop hooks – something you would not have found anywhere near a Vitalic record a decade ago – on Waiting On The Stars, and Depeche Mode vibes permeate the whole thing. It’s a cosmic odyssey that ends in a throbbing, ambient Supertramp cover: not as full-on nuts as his early recordings, but a step in a bold new direction.

Touring in support of Voyager, Arbez takes over a sold-out SWG3 TV Studio tomorrow night. His live show is a notoriously energetic, experimental rammy that will frazzle your senses and pummel your eardrums with killer tunes: make sure you experience it if you get the chance.

• Vitalic, tomorrow, SWG3, 10pm – 3am, £19

A Celebration of Drake

The unusual complexity of Drake’s public persona has made him one of the most fascinating and talked-about hip-hop artists of our times. A middle-class upbringing in Toronto and a successful teenage acting career mean that he could never get away with referencing the old rap game clichés of crime and violence. Instead, his own megastardom and his seemingly constant moroseness are the main themes across a back catalogue that “largely consists of him complaining at length,” as one critic so succinctly put it.

The unstoppable rapper has an enormously-anticipated Hydro gig in a fortnight, but hardcore fans – and those unfortunate enough to miss out on tickets – can get their fill of his tunes this weekend in Finnieston.

Just like his predecessor Kanye West, he’ll be getting the full SWG3 tribute treatment tomorrow: expect an entire night dedicated to his songs, collaborations, remixes and the kind of obscurities that can compel even his most chin-stroking muso fans to the floor. DJs HomeAlone and Dee will also be dropping hip-hop classics from collaborators like Lil Wayne, Rihanna and Kanye to keep things from getting stale.

• A Celebration of Drake, tomorrow, SWG3 Warehouse, 10pm – 2am, £8

Minus Militia – Militant Mayhem

Minus Militia are a shadowy Dutch trio who style themselves as a kind of airbrushed, musclebound rebel group waging guerrilla war against things like melodies.

The group’s members, who call themselves Crypsis, Radical Redemption and Chain Reaction (probably not their real names, but it’s impossible to verify without being on the front line) and dress in camouflage tactical gear, are obviously lovers of high camp. But it’s no exaggeration to say that their music is brutal: a word that they gleefully plaster in bold over the paper fans on their merchandise store.

They’re signed to the same label as Angerfist, so that gives you an idea of their sonic palette: angry, crushing hardstyle designed to melt eardrums and drive crowds into an absolute frenzy. It all seems a bit silly, but you can’t deny there’s entertainment value in it. One to be observed from the back of the room with a knowing smirk... or from the dead centre of the mosh pit, where the action is.

• Minus Militia – Militant Mayhem, tomorrow, The Classic Grand, 9pm – 3am, £25

Africaine 808

The unstoppable rise of Glasgow’s Auntie Flo has been a joy to witness over the past few years. The eclectic spinner has gone from being a respected resident DJ around town to a renowned international artist, headlining parties across the world with his winning mix of obscure electronica and world music. A spot of nurturing from local label Highlife has been an integral part of his success, and as part of their tenth anniversary celebrations they’ve commissioned a remix package of his refined 2015 album Theory of Flo.

The label is also throwing a series of parties around the UK and Europe, and on Saturday they bring the German duo-cum-collective Africaine 808 to the Art School. Combining West African rhythms with New Orleans jazz, electro-soul and the thudding 4/4 of dance music, their Afro-futurist sound is joyful and authentic. The homegrown Flo is in support: a match made in heaven that will have punters swinging from the rooftops.

• Africaine 808, Saturday, The Art School, 11pm – 3am, £5