The old Pittsburgh had a long-standing reputation for Rust Belt rhythm and blues. The new Pittsburgh is becoming known nationally for groundbreaking experimental acts such as Girl Talk and Black Moth Super Rainbow.

Grand Buffet is among the acts featured on the collection "Circuits of Steel II: Electronic Music From Pittsburgh" and performing at the Arts Festival Friday. Click photo for larger image. Circuits of Steel Showcase Where: Three Rivers Arts Festival, Market Square, Downtown. When: 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday. Admission: Free. Listen In: Hear excerpts from tunes by Pittsburgh electronic musicians on the "Circuits of Steel II" compilation: "We're Campin' " by Discuss "Andy Van Slyke Marijuana Sensitivity" by Girl Talk "The Weakening (Pathetic Mix)" by Rein[Forced]

It doesn't end there. A bustling, eclectic and emerging electronic music scene will be on display Friday night at the Three Rivers Arts Festival during the Circuits of Steel Showcase, with performances by hip-hop pranksters Grand Buffet along with Rein[Forced], Discuss, Hotness and others.

They all appear on the newly released collection "Circuits of Steel II: Electronic Music From Pittsburgh," on SSS Records. The two-disc, 38-track set is a sometimes dreary, sometimes fascinating trip into electronic territory that covers electro-pop, space-rock, industrial dance, underground hip-hop, noise and, of course, mashup, for starters.

"Circuits of Steel" was assembled by local music guru Manny Theiner, who answered a few questions for us on the city's electronic scene.

Q: There are 38 different artists on this compilation. How did you find them all?

A: The distinctive aspect of this compilation is not just that it's Pittsburgh's only electronic music comp, but also that everyone on it is a live performer, not just a DJ who plays someone else's tracks or a producer who never leaves the studio. So I've met the vast majority of these artists by seeing and hearing them play live. Either they came to me looking to play a show, or I saw them at some other venue. Some of them are fairly new, but others I've known for more than a decade (or two decades in the case of Michael Johnsen and Powder French), in which case they are also friends who I see on a regular basis.

Q: Is there anything distinctive about Pittsburgh's electronic music scene?

Pittsburgh's Rein[Forced] shows up on the newest "Circuits of Steel" compilation and on Friday's TRAF bill. Click photo for larger image.

A: I think one distinction is that even though there's a lot going on in that scene, and has been for several years, people still don't pay attention to it much, so crowds are still very small for everyone. They were small for Girl Talk, too, until a few months ago. As far as genres which predominate, there are a fair amount of experimental sound manipulators, some of whom have jobs at various arts organizations, some artists who associate with the gothic/industrial scene, or moved away from that scene and the rave scene to do more edgy, non-clubby stuff, like powernoise and breakcore. There are also some folks working in synthpop, downtempo, IDM and abstract hip-hop.

Q: What kind of range do we have in terms of sound?

A: Everything from straightforward synthpop to harsh noise, much like the older [compilations] I've done, stretching backward all the way to the "Outward Inward" tape in 1986. I didn't want to exclude anyone who was doing something interesting and playing it live. Though there are handful of local artists who didn't get on for various reasons. The comp does have 38 artists, which is the most comprehensive effort ever attempted to summarize the local electronic and experimental scene.

Q: What can people expect in terms of the performances Friday night?

A: One end of the spectrum is sitting down and intently concentrating on the sound someone's creating with a computer, a sampler, or boxes with knobs. The other end is an all-out sweaty dance party. And everything in between. The Market Square showcase definitely builds to a climax with Grand Buffet at the end.

Q: Will Girl Talk's success bring more attention to this scene?

A: His success and how he constantly identifies with Pittsburgh (his track on "CoS II" drops the name of a former Pirates player) will hopefully make people elsewhere realize that we aren't just a backward-looking, tradition-bound city -- that there are plenty of artists here doing high-tech, innovative work.

On the other hand, many of Girl Talk's fans are young and drawn into his mystique by his use of Top 40 samples, so they don't quite have the sophistication to delve immediately into the experimental end of things. When we released "CoS II"at the sold-out Girl Talk show at Mr. Small's, many of the kids were confused, and thought it was a new Girl Talk release. When we told them it was a comp of local artists that also featured an exclusive Girl Talk track, they seemed a bit crestfallen. But hey, at least we got them to come over to the [merchandise] table and look at the comp. So maybe they'll investigate it later on.