Tycho photo via Facebook
San Francisco native experimental electronic group Tycho will take the stage at the Lyric Thursday night as one of the more unique shows on the venue’s calendar this semester.
Officially forming in 2002, the Scott Hansen-led music project has released four full-length studio albums, each of which has garnered attention from a cult following of ambient and electronic music lovers.
Despite the fact that Tycho started during the inception of the EDM boom, its music certainly could not be classified as such. There tends to be a heavy use of electronic elements throughout each of the group’s albums, but it’s certainly not the type of music one could expect to hear at a dance club.
Although Tycho originally consisted of only Hansen composing all tracks, the project has since picked up three additional musicians to support the group’s growing tonal range and stylistic spread.
Tycho has evolved from a laid-back style of composition to incorporating a much more consistent rhythm and beat throughout all of its music. Perhaps this could be attributed to the addition of a full-time drummer to the group, but is also clear in the funkier, brighter bass lines heard throughout the newest wave of music.
Tycho plays at the Lyric Thursday.
Tycho has also been opening much of their newest album, “Awake,” to guest remixers, harnessing the work of legendary producers such as RJD2, Beacon and Baio.
The combination of these remixes as well as the overall change in sound Tycho has taken on in recent years is more lively and intriguing. In the group’s early years, the music only appealed to a niche audience, but as Tycho has evolved, there certainly is more room for music lovers of all shapes and sizes.
The added members and new direction also introduces a different dimension to the group’s live show. An overall sense of musicality and technical skill is evident as Tycho plays songs that do not follow any sort of traditional song structure.
With very few audible cues or overall lyrical pattern, the musicians must rely on sheer knowledge of each and every track as they stretch their musical prowess to play each song exactly as it’s intended.
Although the music has a much more calm feel and atmosphere, the live show is quite exhilarating to watch if one factors in the raw skill that it takes to put on such a performance.
Tycho will be displaying its best work to date Thursday at the Lyric Theater. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25.
