Electronic dance music has little to do with candy ravers and glowsticks anymore.

In fact, the umbrella term "electronic" has come to encompass so many genres and subgenres (and sub-subgenres) that you need a map to keep track of them all.

Friday at First Avenue, an all-star lineup of DJs will give clubbers a taste of some of the more buzz-worthy dance genres out there today. Think electro, ghetto tech, Baltimore club -- oh, my.

While commercial radio is as homogenous as ever, underground dance music continues to be a source for cutting-edge sounds. Much of the best stuff has gestated for years in regional pockets, such as Baltimore club, which has only recently found national exposure.

Friday's long list of DJs includes Dave Nada from Baltimore, Bird Peterson from Austin, Texas, and Minneapolis' own Soviet Panda, who heads up one of the scene's most talked-about dance nights, Too Much Love at First Ave.

The DJs were wrangled by music nuts Mike Davis and Wes Winship from the local poster-art group Burlesque of North America. The night has a twofold purpose, they said. First, it's a party to celebrate the release of the Burlesque-produced vinyl EP, "Do It to It," featuring dance remixes by several of the night's DJs. They also want to see if fans of these different genres can commingle under one roof.

Star Tribune file, Star Tribune
An all-star lineup of DJs perform Friday at First Avenue, including Soviet Panda, who regularly packs the legendary dance club with his Too Much Love night.

When it comes to underground music, Davis and Winship know their stuff. They're like musicologists, able to studiously explain what distinguishes, say, ghetto tech from ghetto house. Davis, who DJs as Mike the 2600 King, said he's amassed thousands of songs from dozens of genres, frequently trading with other DJs.

"It's almost like collecting baseball cards," Davis said.

Now is a good time to listen, Winship said: "The electronic thing has kind of come back."

Some of these more obscure genres are breaching mainstream barriers on the backs of tastemakers such as M.I.A., who blends everything from electro to Baltimore club.

Davis hopes Friday's audience will be just as diverse. He said he wants to see the hip-hop fans who follow Plain Ole Bill & Jimmy 2 Times get down with the dance-rock clubbers who like Soviet Panda.

"I'm really excited to get all of these crowds together," Davis said. "It's like a convention or something."

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909