On October 28th Signal Path returned to their roots and hometown of Missoula, Montana to put on a live-tronic show that showcased some impressive members of the scene such as former member of The Glitch Mob, Kraddy, and NYC electronic trance mainstay Designer Drugs.

The evening for the most part was a Halloween costume party for those in attendance. Still, the those I speak of were somewhat sparse at least when Kraddy came out onto the stage to spin his remixed and live electronic glitch and dub-step beats that have made him a regular on the electronic circuit. Still, as he emerged, the couple hundred uniquely costumed fans seemed eerily quiet. Kraddy responded by saying, “Now that was an uncomfortable silence…” eliciting cheers before he then delved into an hour long set of mix-matched spinning, personal samplings and fan favorites. He finished the set with a very unique take on his well-known track “Android Porn,” stretching it out for over 12 minutes. It was a very powerful and star-spangled way to exit the stage. Cheers all around.

Kraddy gave way to the very popular NYC DJ Designer Drugs who put on a mix match of trance and dub-step, at times becoming repetitive but for the most part engaging the swelling crowd and keeping the room moving.

Unfortunately, as Signal Path came out and the night moved from the DJ setting to a live-tronic setting, the group came across as somewhat hollow and not quite as exciting as in the past. Ryan Burnett on guitar and production kept the beats live and driving, while Damon Metzner was a great supplement on acoustic drums. Aided by a bassist, they delved into older tracks as well as profiling songs from their latest free release that came out on the first of September, Imaginary Lines. Burnett moved back and forth from his computer to guitar and in the latter setting often kept on top of show, playing very light licks over an otherwise dark and spacious cybernetic background. Still, at times it all fell a bit flat, perhaps because the audience itself seemed a bit distant and restrained.

Signal Path came up somewhat short on their October 28th showing at The Wilma in Missoula, but their talent is real and their ability to mix more tranced-out and deep-end electronic music with musical subtleties is real. Signal Path can keep you moving for hours, if they have hours to perform as they didn’t this specific night. And if on their game as in previous showings they have proved why they remain major up and comers on the live-tronica scene with an extra emphasis on the electronica.