Band Tunes In on the Top 40 Sound : Music: Sticking with the tops in pops has made Ecstasy a longstanding success as a dance band, but sometimes the musicians become frustrated with the sameness.

In the close-knit musical community, bands that play Top 40 material rank near the bottom--they recycle other artists’ popular tunes. They copy. They don’t create.

Bobby Pickett laughs. As bassist for the Top 40 band, Ecstasy, Pickett has received his share of ridicule from musicians who consider themselves serious, original artists. He takes the ridicule and pays his rent.

“I don’t think we’re compromising,” said Pickett, whose band performs every Friday and Saturday night at the Sasch dance club in Studio City. “Maybe we’ll play something we don’t think is great, but people like it. And we like it. The ones who criticize us, who are too cool to play this, are hurting themselves because they’re not making enough money to buy good equipment for their auditions. We don’t have that worry.”

The Sasch gig has lasted almost nine years, outlasting all the group’s original members. Pickett, 41, of Santa Monica, who joined in 1983, two years after the band formed, is the senior member. The other founders have gone on to pursue other musical aspirations. “Ideologically and musically,” Pickett said, “everybody was going in different directions.”

The current crew says the band’s chemistry has never been better.

At Sasch, the musical direction for Ecstasy is never altered: The band plays familiar upbeat, dance-oriented songs. From 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., it performs four 40-minute sets; during each break the latest, most hip dance video plays on a big screen. Ecstasy, make way for Bobby Brown. The club doesn’t miss a beat.

“That’s what we have to compete with,” said Craig Jones, 33, of North Hollywood, the band’s keyboardist. “There’s nothing worse than playing a song and getting nobody on the dance floor, and the next video starts, and everybody hits the floor.”

Lead vocalist Debra Raye, praising the band for broadening her vocal range, is, nonetheless, occasionally frustrated with the nonstop dance sound. Experienced in jazz and fusion music, Raye would prefer to mix up the repertoire a bit.

“I don’t want to always pound them with dance music,” said Raye, 36, of North Hollywood, who has been with the group for three years. “We can do some other killer tunes, and I don’t think it would hurt the band, like ‘Dancing in the Streets,’ or ‘Piece of My Heart.’ But the owner says they’re not dance-oriented.”

The band follows a weekly routine. On Fridays, about 2 p.m., it meets for its only rehearsal, usually learning one or two new songs. It listens carefully to each week’s latest Top 40 songs, and incorporates into the band’s play list a song it believes is on its way up the charts. Sometimes it miscalculates and learns songs that it must quickly discard. It also disqualifies tunes it doesn’t feel would fit its skills, such as Prince’s “Batdance.”

“There are songs we do that I call ‘Ecstasy songs,’ ” Pickett said. “It’s too hard to describe, but when we hear them, we know they’re for us.”

Band members say there is constant pressure to sound like the original artists, leaving less room for error than afforded their more famous peers.

“The crowd wants to hear the Top 40 songs in the way they’re used to. Our ego’s on the line,” Pickett said. “If we screw up a word, they might notice. But when they go hear their favorite stars, they’re just happy to be there and can accept a sub-par performance.”

Though they might make minor adjustments, band members don’t feel comfortable embarking on drastic changes. “We don’t have that creative license,” said guitarist Gary Edwards, 31, of North Hollywood.

During a recent Friday night performance, the band, with a natural precision, shifted from Janet Jackson to Lou Graham to the B-52s. The crowd, mostly in their 20s, filled the dance floor. Ecstasy members said the transition they make each weekend from one cover to another is smoother than the one between their Top 40 material and their off-stage original compositions. Raye said her solo work has suffered a little.

“A producer has been telling me lately,” Raye said, “that I’m sounding too much like other people. This is the first time I’ve heard that. I’m kind of reacting too much to the types of tunes I’m doing now. I seem to be less willing to do my old jazz stuff, and I need to overcome that.”

Each member, including drummer Doug Madick, 33, of North Hollywood, continues to pursue other musical interests, in bands or as solo performers. So far, none has been signed to recording contracts. But each Friday and Saturday, band members put aside their other work to pay their bills and have some fun. They see no end in sight.

“A lot of bands would kill for this gig,” Pickett said.

Ecstasy plays Friday and Saturday nights at Sasch, 11345 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Cover is $7. For information, phone (818) 769-5555.