Whereas opener Dabrye had some interesting tunes, one man nodding his head and flipping some switches does not an interesting concert make. 

Prefuse, on the other hand, brought a sense of vitality and power to the crowded club, with the three musicians on-stage (including a DJ on turntables) coming across like a rock band. 

With a performance that achieved his goal of “giving people the song” before embellishing and enhancing the already complex music, Herren seems to have found the perfect way to present his music live.

With his engaging showmanship, he strikes a distance from the laptop electronica of the so-called IDM (Intelligent Dance Music, apparently to distinguish it from dance music that goes to Yale).

Although Warp—the label that carries all of Prefuse’s releases—is a stronghold of IDM artists, Scott is quick to emphasize that his music springs from an MPC 2000 sampler/sequencer, and that he uses computers only in the production process.

“I value the artistic limits imposed by the more primitive technology,” he says. “I feel they help me focus on the song, instead of the production. Also, I can’t do shit with computers!”

Talking to Herren at length only shows how seriously he takes his art. “Keep your TV off!” he admonishes. “You have everything you need [at Harvard] to feed your brain!”

A believer in the album as a holistic work, he views the continuing trend towards downloading music files with some sadness.

Listening to music, Herren says, “should be a more organic process, the way the artist designed it.”

“If you look at some LP covers from the 70s and 80s, there is some gorgeous artwork,” he says, whereas an MP3 file “just floats” without a visual or physical anchor.