Nightlife agenda

Quadron

For the past decade, a coterie of forward-thinking Scandinavian artists has been deliberately combining jazz, soul, pop and electronica influences into genre-defiant works. Hailing from Denmark, Quadron is the latest sensation from a region that produced Little Dragon (Sweden) and Beady Belle (Norway). Quadron's story starts with the duo Owusu & Hannibal, whose flawless 2006 album sounded like Simply Red and Marvin Gaye on a spaceship with Flying Lotus. Producer Robin Hannibal then linked up with vocalist Coco through another dreamy Dane beat collective, the Boom Clap Bachelors, and the two are exploring a musical partnership as Quadron. It's a sexy, amorphous sound that beat heads, EDM fans, nu-jazzists and alterna-electro kids all gravitate to equally.

Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Liv, 2001 11th St. NW. http://www.bohemiancaverns.com. $15.

Anti-Flag

Pittsburgh punks Anti-Flag have been angry for a long time. The group has been rocking far-left-wing punk anthems for the better part of two decades, speedy songs with serious messages -- anti-war, anti-corporation, anti-fascist. Historian and political activist Howard Zinn even wrote liner notes on one album. There's always room for another cause, and for this show it's a local one as the band headlines a Taxation Without Representation show. There will be punk rock, pamphlets and maybe even a pit. Proceeds go to local nonprofit group We Are Family.

Friday at 6 p.m. St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW. http://www.anti-flag.com. $10; $9 with canned food donation.

D.C. Soundclash

This is the biggest weekend of the year for Washington fans of Caribbean music. Some of the hottest soca and calypso stars in the world are flocking to town for the D.C. Caribbean Carnival, which begins Saturday. But if your tastes run to old-school Jamaican reggae and ska -- the soul-stirring sounds of Prince Buster, the Upsetters, Delroy Wilson or King Tubby -- then you should be at Marx Cafe on Friday for the eighth anniversary of the monthly Soundclash party. Selectors Sammy Gong, Rice & Peas and the Kaiser work off original vinyl records, spinning a mix of classics, songs you haven't heard in years and tunes that will have you running to the DJ booth to ask what's playing. Get ready to skank and rub-a-dub all night, helped by $3.50 Red Stripes and stiff rum drinks.

Friday, 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Marx Cafe, 3203 Mount Pleasant St. NW. 202-518-7600. http://www.dcsoundclash.com. Free.

Carnival City

It's hard to say what our favorite part of the D.C. Caribbean Carnival is: The Saturday morning parade that snakes down Georgia Avenue, with crowds of dancers in sparkling, over-the-top costumes; the festival grounds, where families and singles alike groove to live music while the smell of jerk chicken and roti wafts over the crowd; or the numerous club parties that give us the chance to see some of soca's biggest names on the same night. At Crossroads, for example, the bill features Alison Hinds, the Barbadian "Queen of Soca"; reigning Soca Monarchs JW & Blaze, who took the title at Trinidad's Carnival this year with the infectious hit "Palance"; Grenadian soca star Tallpree; and the Caribbean Traffik Jam band. New York's Steelie Bashment is the featured DJ. Check our online listings for more soca-flavored parties.

Saturday at 10 p.m. Crossroads, 4103 Baltimore Ave., Bladensburg. 301-927-1056. http://www.crossroadsclub.com. $35.

-- Rhome Anderson, Fritz Hahn and David Malitz