BT + TD @ WCL

Countering all the claims that electronic music took a sharp dive in the mid to late 90's has been the continued quality of composition from producers like BT (Brian Transeau), a Berklee College of Music dropout who began his electro-dance music career working with his DJ friends Deep Dish in Washington DC on the way to earning international fame as a trance music pioneer.

Though his style and production habits are constantly changing, the one commonality is that his music has always been highly ethereal with a deeply inlaid pulse that seems to resonate and stay with you long past listening. 1996's "Blue Skies," the top single from the album Ima, stands as a case in point of his music as walking meditation, as Tori Amos' soaring vocals, in combination with the somber atmosphere, a rousing build-up, and BT's predilection to stutter everything from breaks, beats, and vocals (Amos' wail in this song) takes one on a journey replete with emotive force. His more widely know works include tracks such as "Never Gonna Come Back Down" (1999) which had exposure in film as well as continued dancefloor and commercial use. A diverse talent, BT has composed the film scores for disparate films: The Fast and The Furious and Monster. Major influences New Order and Depeche Mode were brought to bear in 2003's Emotional Technology, considered his most mainstream work to date.

His latest album, This Binary Universe, is a definite return to the highly experimental, as it not only boasts a splicing of genres - classical, breakbeat, jazz - it also continuously varies its musical technique, as he integrates altered electronics, such as tweaked keyboards or Furbys (alas, they don't drop "I'll kill you" vocals), into beats which are met in three of the album's songs by the accompaniment of a 110-person orchestra. The programming is supposed to be his most highly involved, or evolved, to date as he integrates the fruits of his own software constantly throughout the production, overlapping and putting in disparate elements to make one cohesive mosaic.

This musical (and mathematical) exploration takes place at World Cafe Live, accompanied by traditional and CG animation crafted to the music. BT will be playing as part of a three-piece - he'll be accompanied by Ben Grossman and Scott Pagano. As with Underworld's Karl Hyde, look for BT to plug in a more tradional instrument, an electric guitar, during the set.

Thomas Dolby will then perform his own blend of genre-pushing electronic music derived from various computer programs as well as archaic scientific instruments. He will be accompanied by his own stunning visuals and will perform with BT following his set.

BT + Thomas Dolby
World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St.)
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Doors: 6PM
Show: 7:30PM
$21-$39
Tickets available online

* Prior to the event, Upstairs Live will host free wine tasting.

Image Credit: Flickr user Aaron Weinstein