My Scarlet Life is not your ordinary trip-hop/electronica band.

It doesn’t use extensive samples of other artists’ work and doesn’t subscribe to the usual conventions predominant in the rave scene.

My Scarlet Life’s second release, “Trypnotica,” shows that the group has developed a new technique to making music.

“I rarely do the kind of sampling that involves lifting something from a record,” keyboardist and mix-master Preston Klik said. “I grab sounds and textures. Every sound that exists has an emotional context to it. Certain sounds appeal to me and some don’t.

“All sounds imply something in a certain direction,” Klik continued. “They have certain directions. Every sound has a place, and it is my job to find its place.”

Klik has used his knowledge of sound and texture to create “one of the most interesting CDs” to hit store shelves in years. But unlike his electronica peers, whom Klik doesn’t feel connected to whatsoever, he uses one of the oldest samplers around.

“I’m not a tech head or a gear head,” Klik explains. “To me, it’s about the music. If the equipment gets me there, then I’m happy.”

The name “My Scarlet Life” stems from the members’ feeling that they are outcasts, similar to Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” The band came to life last year after Klik left a band called Big Hat.

Klik ran a few advertisements in a local magazine looking for new musicians to play with. Vocalist Julie Schreiber was one of the people who answered the ad. She had moved from Florida to Atlanta to Chicago trying to get work in the music field.

Another vocalist, Christy Cameron Smith, met Klik when he was in Big Hat. She had always wanted to play with him and jumped at the opportunity to do so.

Eventually, the group added Amy Spina and Paul Fini, who are both guitarists and percussionists.

“It is really magical working with these people,” Klik said. “We all have a very spiritual base. We have a lot of common views of the world.

“There is just something about being in this band together,” he continued, “especially since we all had been unsatisfied previously. Now, the musical expression is really surprising for all of us. It is completely free and creative.”

Schreiber agrees that Klik’s assessment is an accurate one. She had never had the freedom to explore the emotions and rhythm that comprise her singing and lyrics before she came to My Scarlet Life.

“I learned how to sing through emotion,” she said. “I’ve found that music is a healing source for me. I want to give that back as a singer and a writer. That’s what I want to deliver in a performance.

“My lyrics all stem from emotion,” Schreiber added. “I try to go with what comes out naturally. I write from my life experiences and from my own personal healing processes and spiritual experiences.

“It is a flow of energy trying to write from those sides of myself,” she explained. “I’m really picky because that’s where I want to write from. There’s not enough of it in music or the world in general. We, as people, don’t talk about it enough.”

Both Klik and Schreiber have mixed feelings about the direction music is taking, especially when it comes to techno and electronica.

Strangely enough, neither one of them particularly like techno or electronica, especially when their group belongs in that category.

“I’ve made it one of my goals to flow with the changes in music,” Klik said. “Sometimes it is hard to understand where music is going. Techno seemed to be an underground thing; now it is surfacing. But that’s good because I was getting sick of the alternative bands who all sounded alike and all seemed to have white male singers.

“I am glad to see that replaced by female singers,” Klik continued “The change excites me because I wanted more variety. I’m even excited about things that I hate, like the Spice Girls, because it opens doors to other things.”

Schreiber is more elaborate about how her musical styles have changed over time. At first, she hated electronica as a musical forum. But she has grown to accept it.

“Years ago, I used to have the idea that music had to be organic,” she said, “That it had to be more live-playing type of stuff. As I’ve evolved, I’ve begun to find other types of music acceptable.

“I’m not really big into the whole electronic movement,” she added. “I don’t like the way it has been commercialized and pressed as a selling point because it is popular. I just enjoy the sounds that our group can create.”

Schreiber believes there are different kinds of music, and she only likes those within her own specifications.

Fortunately, she joined a group that feels the same way and has the same perspective towards music.

“I like music that is emotionally and electronically charged,” she said. “They have to have a good rhythm and want to make you move. Some songs possess beat and rhythm and some have emotion. Our music contains all of these elements.”

“There is something about our music that connects with the audience on a broad spectrum,” Klik added. “We are trying to reach a broad audience and not be exclusive or elitist. Hopefully, our music will reach their hearts and their bodies.”

My Scarlet Life will be playing an all-ages show at the M-Shop tonight at 9 p.m.

Tickets are only $3 and are available in advance through TicketMaster. Kristeen Young will be opening for the group.