FutureEverything: Alec Empire/Tristan Perich @ RNCM, Manchester, 27 February

As the RNCM’s concert hall is plunged into darkness, it would seem that Tristan Perich – presenting new work Noise Patterns – really wants the audience to concentrate, but wants the processes behind his microchip-generated sequences of 1-bit white noise to remain largely a mystery. Though his is not the most accessible aesthetic, pulses of digital distortion enable a level of engagement, dynamic and textural peaks and valleys revealing themselves. As these patterns echo around the cavernous venue, in turn creating another layer of sound to decode, Perich is able to explore the surprising variation within sounds that are so similar.

As the creative force behind Atari Teenage Riot, Alec Empire became known for an uncompromising and aggressive version of techno that was the perfect sonic incarnation of the band’s hard-left political stance. It’s therefore unexpected to see how this kind of artist reconciles appearing at a royally decorated institution. It is, however, very much part of FutureEverything’s modus operandi to make connections where previously there were none, and this evening shows a more restrained and subtler side to Empire’s repertoire as he performs his album Low on Ice, recorded in a single session in Iceland in 1994.

By slowly building up textures before introducing the first half-time beat, Empire creates an immersive narrative, flowing from one eerie, atonal section to the next. The experience is enhanced by the visuals of Berlin-based artist Zan Lyons – behind Empire’s shadowy figure moving around a desk of samplers and analogue synths, Lyons’ projections slip in and out of focus, as cold and stark as the landscape that inspired the music. Though the synth sounds and drum loops may no longer seem cutting edge, the influence of this album could well have set the tone for much of the darker and more experimental electronic music of the last 20 years.

As the set draws to a close, there is a shift towards tonality, creating a sweeter, Nordic, glacial atmosphere with a haunting edge, and it becomes more understandable how the art/music establishment might want to return this tentative embrace – especially when the music on offer is so unsettling and so beguiling.