If avant-garde music pioneer Edgar Varese had lived to see the laptop, he would have plugged in at Lampo. Since 1997, the non-profit group Lampo has showcased experimental electronic, electroacoustic and improvisational compositions from artists as far afield as Cologne, Milan and Tokyo. Local acts also open or collaborate, and every so often Lampo will commission an original piece. The name Lampo (Esperanto for lamp) suggests both the shedding of light onto unseen objects and an ironic comment on the so-called universality of music. Like Esperanto, Lampo's artists are, by definition, consigned to the periphery.

A typical performance could include sound sculptures culled from analog and digital synthesizers, guitars, field recordings, saxophones, computers or any combination thereof, sometimes accompanied by amorphous video interpretations. For the uninitiated, a first show might sound like someone strangling a giant robot cricket underwater. Imagine swells of bass that jiggle your insides colliding with bursts of static and ear-splitting squeals, sustained just long enough to send the faint of heart scrambling for the door in twos and threes. Still, the curious who stick it out will discover some intriguing rhythms and complex, textured soundscapes emerging from the orchestrated cacophony. Crowds tend to be diverse yet unassuming, the atmosphere casual and subdued.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Foreman