After grabbing some Nick’s Crispy Tacos (tasty, tasty) I headed on over to the Red Devil Lounge Thursday night to hear a triple header of Bay Area electronica. The genre isn’t something I listen to on a regular basis, but I don’t mind the occasional mellow of Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, Thievery Corporation or Air. As a matter of fact this was only my third live experience.

Fluorescent Grey started the night with an impressive set of experimental. The layering of atmospheric sounds formed a sublime aural masterpiece with complex rhythms that had Indian influences. It wasn’t something that I imagine you would dance to, but rather something you approach as you would the viewing of a painting in a gallery. Not to mention that he commanded the mixer as if he were a classical pianist tickling the ivories.

Mr. Projectile was more accessible but kept it mellow, content to provide the soundtrack as more and more people started showing up and ordering their drinks. Later in the set he turned it up and even sparked a little rave dance action front stage. But no fear, it wasn’t cheese-filled ungst, ungst – his distinctive take is more deliberate, allowing you to truly be party to the process of composition without gagging.

When it was time for Trifonic to take the stage the crowd was ready, displaying their support on black t-shirts. The brothers were the first act of the night to actually address the crowd, and in general were more along the lines of what you would call a “show.” For those of us who don’t find hovering over a mixer exciting to watch, Trifonic fills the void, playing guitar, bass and even, yes, singing on occasion.

Overall, Trifonic just makes you feel good and relaxed – in fact I was kind of sad we weren’t outdoors. Channeling the post-rock drum climax over melodic repetitions of distant guitar and synth sounds is something that I will just never get tired of listening to. Their live experience did justice to their studio recordings, something that’s not always a given for talented electronic songwriters or “recording artists.” While I wouldn’t mind hearing some more experimentation or use of “found” audio samples (think Sigur Ros), Trifonic has carved out a style that’s as chill as a polar bear’s toe nail. Ok, I stole that phrase.

Trifonic’s 2008 release, Emergence, features the hit “Parks on Fire,” and is available for purchase on iTunes.

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