I Heart House Music: FFM

Beneath an alluring combination of leg warmers and eyeliner, FFM’s electro-house sound sparkles but rarely fades. Shunning the decks in favor of live dance music, FFM drives like a yellow Corvette: Bold, sassy and playful to the core, the Logan Square trio puts the pedal down to irreverent tech-house then peels away with a slow burn that leaves audiences breathing in fumes of glitter and bass. “It’s house, but some of it almost seems like shoegazer house,” drummer Adam Nelson says.

Before FFM, the duo of Nelson and Frkovich made its reputation on the ’90s loft-party scene as Sombionx. Nelson deejayed while wife Frkovich vamped her vocals on sharp cuts, such as “Breathe in My Fire” and “My Noise.”

Formed in August 2007, FFM—composed of Lindsay Frkovich (lead vocals, guitar, synth), Michaela White (bass, synth) and Nelson—cranked up the volume on the look and sound of its prior incarnation. Those vamps have evolved into choppy, electro-inspired riffs, enhanced by neon tights and miniskirts.

“Now, I think we’re darker, tougher and more fun all at the same time, if that’s possible,” Nelson says. The band’s latest single, “Time Bomb” (available on beatport.com), ticks nastily with the aid of Frkovich’s tarty vocals and White’s driving bass lines. It’s an unconventional take on house, accented with attitude.

Tonight, the trio finds itself again performing at the down-and-dirty, classic house–oriented weekly, where FFM’s live, pouty electro-tech-house should be a nice foil to a DJ set from resident house loyalist Jamie 3:26.