Varcharz, by Mouse on Mars. Ipecac, 2006

The annals of electronic music history are full of talented artists who turn the gold of their studio recordings into lead when they hit the stage. Computer-triggered samples don’t amplify as readily as bass and guitars. With each layer of pre-recorded sound, the likelihood increases that the limpid flow on a record will turn into a river of mud in a live setting. And, even if the technical aspects of the performance are ably handled, the attempt to reproduce an intricate collage in performance leads most acts to bend with furrowed-brow over their PowerBooks, too busy to let either themselves, or their audience, relax.

But there are exceptions out there, such as Germany’s Mouse on Mars. Like Kraftwerk before them, this duo understands the virtues of restraint. The more you limit the sources of your sound, the better the chances that it will sound good live. Mouse on Mars trumps their illustrious ancestors, though, by using equipment that can be manipulated in response to the feedback generated by the specifics of a particular music-making context. Although the difference between pushing buttons and twiddling knobs may not seem that significant at first, it makes a world of difference in concert.

Or in the studio. This curious album, derived from the sessions that led to 2004’s funk-happy Radical Connector, demonstrates that Mouse on Mars is perfectly capable of rocking out in the privacy of their Düsseldorf work space. Lacking the polish of their last few releases on Thrill Jockey Records, as well as the vocals that had become an increasingly prominent element in their sound, it sometimes recalls the minimalism of the duo’s early records. At the same time, though, Varcharz also testifies to what Mouse on Mars have learned in the interim. This may be the most “live” studio recording ever produced by an electronic artist. Full of the contrast between tight and slack moments that characterize their concerts, it demonstrates that imperfection can be a shortcut to the sublime.