The French electronic performer M83 (once a duo, now Anthony Gonzalez on his own) is one of those musicians best enjoyed in a solitary mode, and preferably through a good set of headphones. But when he comes to town, we don’t mind sharing. His layered, gauzy electronic melodies are nostalgic, soothing lullabies for the night-owl set that opts for dancing over dreaming when it’s dark out. The tracks on his latest album, Saturdays = Youth, deliberately evoke both early-’80s anthemic synth pop — the kind that brings to mind Don Johnson in no hurry to give chase, or Molly Ringwald slam-dancing through public-school hallways — and a moonlit Mediterranean seaside nightclub. Brooklyn trip-rockers School of Seven Bells join him tonight at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.864.3278). Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are $15 and available at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Middle East box office.
