Down-tempo,
downtown.

Ten years ago, if you were to say we'd all be digging music made on a simple laptop computer, we (correctly) would have questioned your sanity. Now, as we all know, the laptop revolution is in full swing, as clever musicians and DJs, like Seattle's Plan B, totally reinvent the way music is made.

Plan B, which headlines I-Spy on Thursday (9 p.m.; $6), is a one-man operation, the product of Automaton drummer James Van Leuven. On his debut disc, Like a Ship Sailing (Lucky Horse Industries), Van Leuven does its all -- playing the role of composer, producer, musician, DJ and beat-meister all by pointing and clicking on his laptop. Characterized by down-tempo grooves and illbient textures, Like a Ship Sailing rides a similar wavelength to albums made by other laptop impresarios such as DJ Shadow and Fog or guitarists like Aerial M. And its greatest strength is its musicality -- the album's songs don't rely heavily on samples but on the imagination and musicianship of its creator.

On stage, Plan B is a multimedia experience. Van Leuven, who alternates between laptop and guitar, incorporates live musicians -- typically a bassist and horn player -- into the mix, while animated films are projected on the screen behind them.