Wednesday Happenings

Kung Food

-- Whether you are assaulted by the "Saigon Kick," a specialty drink made from Van Gogh double-espresso vodka, Domaine de Canton ginger liquor, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and coffee, or by actual kicks from the Nam Pai Kung Fu Academy, you will be the victim of of intense cross-cultural violence. It's Kung Fu Kitchen at Pho Republique, where France will meet Vietnam, who will josh around with China. Pho Republique, 1415 Washington St., 8:30 p.m. RSVP (kungfukitchen@gmail.com).

Birthing Chair Blues

-- Avant-garde vocalist, composer, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist Amy Denio, who enjoyed a brief moment of fame during the heyday of Seattle music in the early nineties, joins local weirdness master Ken Field and Brooklyn saxophonist Jessica Lurie for a night of improvisation. Johnny D's Uptown, 17 Holland St., Davis Square, 9 p.m.

Hip-Hop

-- Graced by XXL Magazine with the title "Most Hated Name in Hip-Hop," CunningLynguists are somewhat better at composing lyrics than they are at band names. With Substantial. Harper's Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 8 p.m. $20.

Techno

-- Yelle is a French electropop band that would have been what Stereo Total sounded like if they had hired musicians with prior techno experience. Stick around after 11 p.m. for a set from legendary British techno DJ Carl Cox. Two separate admissions. The Roxy, 279 Tremont St., 8 p.m., $18/$20 (Yelle), 11 p.m., $25/$35 (Cox).

Fisheye photo of the Gateway to Chinatown labeled "Bostonist" by Flickr user Derequito.