Among all the beeps, revving engines and animated voices inside the basement bunker of Pinball Pete's, 220 Albert Ave., locals now will hear a new addition of electronic music not produced by a gaming system.
Synthesizers, drum machines, iPods and a computer are now on the floor next to the air hockey, pool tables and video games for Wednesday night's "Revolution."
Electronic musicians brought the sound and diversity from Club X-Cel, 224 S. Washington Square in Lansing, to Pinball Pete's two months ago. Performers from the twice-a-month Friday night electronic music experience in the club's lounge hope to expand their audience and bring out the unique underground music.
"People from hip-hop, industrial, abstract and rock scenes of music are all coming together and really supporting each other," local electronic music maker Carson McClain said. "It's a melting pot of all forms of music from classical to heavy metal."
The live performances at X-Cel regularly include industrial bands, abstract and experimental DJs and musicians, techno music, electronic musicians and drum 'n' bass/jungle DJs, McClain said.
"We're trying to build a base following for this unique music," fellow performer and abstract DJ Will Walker said.
Walker said he listened to techno music throughout high school and was involved in warehouse and DJ parties in the electronic music scene when he lived in Detroit.
"Then the scene really dried up," he said. "Then this experimental thing started up recently. Maybe it's a good thing that it stopped for a while and now it's starting fresh again."
Walker said electronic music is more of a concentrated taste in the area, but there is a chance for more recognition.
By hosting live electronic music, Pinball Pete's also helps open up the experience to people under the age of 21.
Holt resident Rob Roosa, who frequents Pinball Pete's a couple of times each week, said he focused more on the games he was playing than the music in the background.
"But it is true that people who hang out here would like the music," he said. "It all kind of falls into the same tier of computer-based entertainment."
McClain said people who are fans of bands like Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy or Squarepusher now have a chance to see music like that right before their eyes.
"Once we fire up our gear, people realize that it's like the real music they hear on records," McClain said. "Some DJs and other people say that the music scene in Lansing is dead. Maybe they're not tapping the right resources.
"There's a huge untapped resource of electronic musicians and people who want to hear it."
