"I'm going to play all new material - primarily improvised," says local sci-fry electronic music pioneer Al Conroy, who goes by the full-blast elektro-artist handle Not Half.

"Not Half? It's just something I grew up with. It's Cockney slang. I was raised on British comedy and it just stuck in my head," Conroy says, before detailing his next bizarre gig.

"I'll be providing some atmospheric keyboards and sci-fi sounds. I'm not playing material from any of my recordings, which won't be any big surprise because that's the way I do all my live shows," Conroy says about his upcoming show at Aqua Books (274 Garry St.) on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.

"Kelly Hughes runs Aqua Books, and he has this series called Kelly Hughes Live where authors, artists, people come in and discuss their work. This time he's having author Nick DiChario, and local UFOlogist Chris Rutkowski, so he's asked me to play tunes between the guests."

Not Half is the perfect sound choice to augment this curious eve of paranormal ideas. His turbo-charged, spooky ambient sounds, and weird synthesizer subtleties are a rare audio treat; so U interested street beatin' listeners should definitely check out this unique electronic experience. Not Half plays his strange electronic music entirely LIVE - not a full-bore laptop anywhere to be heard!

"I'm bringing a couple of synths, and a little sampler," Conroy informs. "I'll be using my Kawai K5000W. I'll also be using a Korg MS 2000. The one shaped like a wedge that I've also used in Breath Grenades. By the way, I go by Vortexo the Living Synth Blast in BGs, and I've been playing with them for 14 years. We're currently recording a double LP for a U.S. label based in Minneapolis. The working title is The Thugadelicate Sounds of Sober Psychedelia. It should be out sometime this year."

Conroy became interested in creating electronic music in the early '80s. He's since released about a dozen cassette recordings, he's contributed to a half-dozen compilations, and he's recorded numerous vinyl and disc releases.

"I was more interested in weird things when I was a kid," he says. "I didn't have any money to buy instruments, and I wasn't interested in playing guitar, so I got together some old radios and a tape deck, and whatever else I could find. I used to use a toy piano too, and other toys to make my early recordings. A lot of my inspiration just came from my curiosity."

He played his first live show in 1991 in a unit called Ultra Violent Sensory Attack. In the early to mid-'90s, he gigged on electronics with Scavenger Vacuum and Twisting Ground before joining Breath Grenades to replace co-founding Moog member Captain A.K. in 1996.

"Since experiencing the expressive electronic freedom of synth rock legends Breath Grenades - I've given up thinking about other bands entirely. So I do the Not Half shows as well. I played my first Not Half show in 1998 and I've been doing them more and more. After Breath Grenades, bands are nothing," Conroy laughs.

He's remixed cuts by Venetian Snares, Fanny, Hansel, Phallus Uber Ales, and CPUWar just to name a few, and he's currently working on finishing up the next volume of his Noise CD series on Dimetrodon Records.

"I'm working on Noise 7. I'll have that one available at the show. Plus I'd like to mention that I'm doing a one-off gig in Toronto on May 22 at the Hard Luck Bar during D-Trash Fest 2010 with Schizoid, Realicide, No Brigade, Hansel from Boston, NWODTLEM, and Phallus Uber Alles from Detroit."

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