Listen and Go See: Live Electronic Act Buz at the Firebird, Saturday, June 19

Hat tip to a random reader for pointing me toward Buz, a local live-electronic duo worth checking out. The band's been around for awhile -- it released an album called Shapeshifter back in 2006 -- but keyboardist Jake Elking tells me Buz hopes to have a new record out by the end of the year. (ProTools problems caused delays, he notes.) The band did release a single, "Boomstick" in March (which you can buy here from the band's label, Withered Records). Buz sounds like nothing else in St. Louis. Its frenetic beats and breaks call to mind Squarepusher, Aphex Twin's peak years or a mellower Crystal Method, but its music overall encompasses everything from drum 'n bass to loopy techno. The dark, evocative Shapeshifter has enough classical-piano flourishes, IDM signifiers and keyboard weirdness to be distinctive. Like the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack? You'll dig this. Sample below.

Buz is playing at the Firebird on Saturday, June 19, with Boutrous and Sinfinis. The show starts at 9:30 and tickets are $7.

MP3: Buz, "Are You Problematic (Because I Am)"