Electronic music is not defined by its exclusive use of computerized sounds. In fact, some of the most cutting-edge artists in electronic music today mix live instruments with laptops in the ever-present pursuit of “giving it a human element.” Tycho’s lead member Scott Hansen, originally from Sacramento, now based in San Francisco, has been tinkering with guitars and computers for a decade and a half, sometimes more in one direction than the other. The music he’s making now has true form and pop structure, while comfortably fitting within instrumental ambient territory. Epoch, his surprise-released 2016 album, sounds like a gorgeous, alien anthem top 40 dance hit for teens on Mars. He’s at the top of his craftsmanship game, mixing textures and instruments to create subtle and yet oddly unsettling feel-good record for anyone that feels a little alien themselves.
Friday, June 30, 7:30 pm, $85-588, 2001 Gayley Road, Berkeley, TychoMusic.com