Laika at the Empty Bottle: At once…

Laika at the Empty Bottle: At once dripping with tropical sensuality and glowing with the cool beauty of outer space, Laika conjured an intoxicating, otherworldly realm during the British quintet’s hourlong performance early Tuesday at the Empty Bottle. American expatriate Margaret Fiedler’s whispery vocals wafted over cascading electronic dance music samples that were enhanced by a tumultuous drummer and conga player. Co-leader Guy Fixsen’s shimmering synthesizer parts, meanwhile, mixed world music melodies and sci-fi drones. The music’s spare, prodding bass lines called to mind Jamaican dub and reggae, particularly on the shifty groove of “Prairie Dog” and when Fiedler added melodica to “If You Miss.” Never deviating from trance-inducing grooves, Laika’s music sometimes called for greater variety, but Fiedler’s outbursts of raw guitar aggression on “Poor Gal” and the irresistible funk of “Bedbugs,” with Fixsen adding glassy guitar riffs, made the most of the band’s admirably original sound.