Members of Analog Method chuckled as they listened to a recording of the set they had just played at the Muddy River's Newberry Room. There had been a low turnout for the "Groove Series" show on Wednesday, Nov. 17, so the band took advantage by treating the gig as a rehearsal.

Due to busy schedule--the band is playing as a trio with synth player Mike Effenberger at the Muddy River Wednesdays through Dec. 2; as a full, five-piece band on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Dover Brick House; and as the Wednesday house band at the Barley Pub in January--and the numerous side projects each member has undertaken--guitarist Jason Yost was unable to join the group on Wednesday because of his own band's residence at the Barley Pub in Dover, and sax player Sean Berry has been busy with grad school--they've been starved for rehearsal time together. In fact, keyboardist Dan Shure estimates that they have rehearsed only four times in the last six months.

That should change, however, now that they have shaved the group down to the bare essentials: keys, bass and drums. Reduction and simplification can be good things in music, as they can be in life, provided the remaining elements know how to make the most of what they have. "This is going to be the core unit," said drummer Mike Walsh. "If we can get a sax and guitar it would be a bonus, but we want to become sufficient as a trio."

The Analog Method experience thus far has been both entertaining and cerebral. Listeners are just as likely to colonize the dance floor as they are to sit back and analyze the artistry. Analog's tunes are sliced by sudden, un-segued transitions between rapid acid jazz and retro '70s club funk. Sailing over deep bass expulsions and sparring drum work come Shure's swift, drizzling keyboards.

Shure has become a preferred keyboardist on the Seacoast, also playing with the Amorphous Band and Geminatrix, a creation of Percy Hill drummer Aaron Katz. But where he considers himself a hired gun for these other bands, Analog Method is Shure's baby, endowed with his musical genes.

"Mike and I created the band together, so it's our project," he said. "We're doing the hiring in this case."

The man they hired to play bass is former Mode 3 bassist Chris Beam, whose funky licks bring a vintage feel to a modern, electronica style. Walsh, also of the Amorphous Band, adds newer developments to the form, manually doing the work that drum machines and samplers often do nowadays--computerized devices that lack the palpable character of a talented live drummer.

The trio indulged in a few laughs as they heard their first set played back, because they recognized that it needed fine-tuning. Their keen ears picked up inconsistencies that most listeners would miss anyway. But this was a night of preparation for upcoming gigs.

Shure is a keyboardist who understands that sometimes it's about filling a bar with as many notes as possible, while at others it's about hitting only a few notes and making sure they count. It's the Bud Powell vs. Thelonius Monk mentality. Shure's flair for Latin sounds, however, makes him sound more like Chick Corea than Powell or Monk.

Overall, Analog's music makes you feel like you've wandered into a futuristic dance club that has just dug up a time capsule full of old LPs. This is a result of the band's appreciation for music past, present and future. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that they perform without loops or samples or any modern, technological gadgets.

"I'm mostly using sounds and equipment that you could have got in the 1970s with some new, modern capabilities. But really the essence of the keyboard sound is from the '70s," said Shure.

Analog Method has a new album out, Night Rider, but the material is already outdated as far as their current endeavors are concerned. The goal with the trio is to get away from standard jazz training and pursue a more experimental sound.

"We're moving toward more aggressive electronica that a lot of fans would really dig because we're trying to capture authentic electronica sounds," Shure says. "On the album they might hear more jazz, and it's a smooth-sounding album. But live our shows have been more intense and upbeat."