Because this was my first trip to Boheme Collectif I was a bit apprehensive when I turned to the corner to find my destination seemed to be a large garage, but once inside my fears of a wasted five bucks were long gone. All sorts of electronic creations and sound manipulation devices were scattered around the room, and the best part was that it was completely interactive. It was like going to a museum, but instead of the ushers confining you with ropes, they were pushing you towards the piece. Still trying to soak up all the wacky inventions, I followed the music up the stairs and slid my way through the crowd up to the front.
It’s hard to describe a band with such an elusive sound like Chalaxy, because nearly every song fringes upon a new genre. Opening with a rhythmic, pulsing bongo line, Chalaxy launched into an instrumental tribal number, incorporating all sorts of synthesizers and audio samples. Chalaxy stayed true to the theme of Future Night and busted out all sorts of electronics, including the nicest theremin I’ve ever seen. Where Chalaxy’s genre blending failed was when their rock’n’roll songs became exhaustingly familiar. The songs were solid, but not nearly as original as the instrumentals. The band was much more exciting when the frontman was pounding on a bongo or dancing with his tambourine, than playing guitar. Chalaxy’s multifaceted approach is definitely one of a kind; I just hope I get some more bongo next time I see them. -Michael Perry