Movies

‘Under the Electric Sky’ is so-so techno

In its infancy, live techno — or, as it’s been rebranded, electronic dance music — was an elusive creature, tracked down through flyers and phone lines.

Like most of the counterculture, it’s been commodified and mainstreamed; today, an annual gathering celebrating EDM is North America’s biggest music festival.

The 3-D documentary “Under the Electric Sky” follows six interwoven plot lines at the three-day Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, a neon extravaganza with an all-star DJ lineup.

The most touching story is that of Sadie, a quirky Texas teen who’s found her niche in this community of costumed, blissed-out misfits — a sort of Comic-Con with a heavy bass line.

Less endearing is an RV full of beer-pounding bros from Cape Cod, toting their dead friend’s tank top so he can join them on the dance floor.

There’s also a pair of long-distance lovers who reunite in Vegas; middle-aged parents who fell in love in the scene’s early days; an “EDM family” aiming to get group-married during the fest; and a wheelchair-bound fan who finds solace in the pounding beat and good-vibes crowd.

About those good vibes, though: EDC has made headlines with fatal overdoses, so you’d think directors Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz would examine the role Molly and related drugs play here.

But the topic is mentioned only fleetingly.

Concert sequences are engaging, though I was disappointed not to see any animated flourishes.

But, as someone who fondly recalls MTV’s late-night electronica show “Amp,” perhaps I’m just — as the middle-aged couple calls themselves — “old candy.”