POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Snap!’s Rave-Like Production Falls Flat

S nap!, crackle, flop.

That’s what happened when dance-club favorite Snap! brought its mixture of techno beats, rap and soulful vocals to the nearly empty Hollywood Palladium on Saturday.

The small turnout was surprising considering that the group has a Top 10 single (“Rhythm Is a Dancer”), a new album (“The Madman’s Return”) and a reputation for producing innovative music (Snap!’s 1990 hit “The Power” helped pave the way for such acts as C+C Music Factory).

But very little of the duo’s power was on display during a truncated, 20-minute set, which was the centerpiece of a rave-like production that included lasers, psychedelic projections and caged go-go dancers.

Rapper Turbo B and singer Thea Austin sang to recorded music that echoed dully through the cavernous ballroom and at times threatened to drown the pair out. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, Austin performed admirably, dancing around the stage and whipping up loyal fans’ enthusiasm. But even she couldn’t hide Turbo B’s limitations as a rapper--his delivery was so muddy as to make him nearly unintelligible.

Even so, the fans seemed happy when the group played its current hit. Of course it might have sounded a lot better if they had just played the record instead.