by RAF KATIGBAK

Even as a kid, Jay Rajeck knew what he wanted to do when he grew up. "It was always a dream of mine to be in a band that had a dash in its name," he jokes. While it's obvious the Chicago musician doesn't take himself too seriously, by combining vintage analog keyboards, live drums and perfectly synced projections that are custom-created for each song, it's obvious his electronic power trio TRS-80 is very serious (about rocking the spot, at least).

With their latest effort Shake Hands With Danger, TRS-80 seem to have found the delicate balance between balls-to-the-wall rock performance and bleepy, neuron-twisting experimental electronic music, "a clash between ultra organic and ultra artificiality" - a confusing combination indeed, but one that's resulted in them opening up for everyone from Death In Vegas and Oval to Jim O'Rourke and Sisters of Mercy. "It's like mixing oil with water, shining a light through it, and creating a strange image on your wall," explains Rajeck.

The seed for TRS-80's hybrid musical strain came seven years ago. After playing in a multitude of guitar-based bands, Rajeck was desperate for new sounds. "Rock music started to feel formulaic and limited, but with electronic music - or whatever label is put on it - there are no limits. Instead of just using guitar, bass, and drums, I can use any sound from anywhere. Now the studio is the instrument. It draws on the listeners' own imagination instead of everything being spelled out through lyrics."

But Rajeck knew doing traditional electronic performance wouldn't satisfy his inner rock child, and soon found a need to bring live electronic music out of its snoozy DJ/laptop formula. "Most of the electronic-based shows I attended in the late '80s and early '90s were DJs or something similar. I felt it lacked the energy of bands that had a live drummer. I'm not anti-DJ or artists who use laptops or Gameboys, but there's something exciting about someone playing a drum kit. It just makes the music rock a little harder when playing live."

With Fashion Flesh and the World Provider at le Local on Wednesday, July 27, 9 p.m., $7

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