Art-School Electronica

Though generally associated with laptop-generated dance beats, the term "electronic music" also encompasses the far-ranging work of modern composers who incorporate industrial clamor and found sounds, such as rusty creaks and water drips, into their creations. The Kansas City Electronic Music Alliance's 14 individual artists and one associated label produce some of the area's most challenging music. Tonight at La Esquina (1000 West 25th Street), KCEMA teams with the Urban Culture Project and Portugal's João Pedro Oliveira, a visiting professor at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Called Interactive Gestures, this collaborative electro-acoustic showcase features visual accompaniment for many of the featured pieces. Oliveira's program contributions include "A Escaba Estreita," for alto flute and tape, and "Time Spell," for clarinet and tape. Other featured composers include KCEMA members Christopher Biggs ("MHCHAOS," an intense merger of flute squawks and computerized percussion) and Jacob Gotlib ("Tower of Babel," a sound collage presented in immersive eight-channel audio). The audio experimentation begins at 8 p.m. For more information about this free performance, call 816-221-5115. Kansas City Electronic Music Alliance
Fri., April 25, 8 p.m., 2008