MUTEK_10 / Montréal, Canada / May 27-31, 2009



Over the past ten years, MUTEK has become an internationally-recognized electronic music festival and the largest of its kind in Canada. This year, MUTEK_10 exceeded my expectations from previous years, offering unprecedented richness, quality and depth, making it a milestone year on many levels.

For me, this year’s festival was defined in its earliest moments, where audiences were treated to the finest audio-visual A/Visions showcase experiences in recent memory.

A/Visions has always been one of my favourite parts of the festival; the natural silence of the theatre provides an engaging listening experience, free of distraction from the bar. It was in this setting that Wolfgang Voigt premiered GAS, a stunning audio-visual presentation of his critically acclaimed experimental ambient works. For 90 minutes, Voigt stood in darkness to the left of the giant screen, where he worked invisibly to create a haunting dreamscape of ambient drones, delicate washes, and pulsating rhythms. The rich textures of the music were mirrored on the giant screen next to him, where tangled, fibrous images of Germany's Black Forest morphed through colour and space in perfect harmony with the soundtrack. The combination made for an unforgettably visceral experience, and proved to be one of the standout shows of this year's festival.



Next at A/Visions was Herman Kolgan’s world premiere of IN/JECT, a conceptual exploration of a nude human figure submerged in water. The dispassionate, macroscopic images of the figure losing air created a sense of tension and eerie suffocation while suggesting the specimen is being examined scientifically. The imagery juxtaposed with the jarring and unsettling soundtrack of clicks and cuts left a strong emotional impression of displacement, informed by the artist's recent loss of his mother. This work belongs in a gallery space as an installation exhibit, and I will be paying attention to his next work, which he told me will involve tracking devices on snails under water.




The quality and beauty of GAS and IN/JECT not only topped my experiences of A/Visions in previous years, it set the tone and standard for the rest of the festival. It was unbelievable to witness such consistency in quality of the acts that followed.

The Fun Years delivered an effortless fusion of beautiful reverberating acoustic warmth balanced with fuzzy crackling nostalgic ambience, paired with the gorgeously distorted live visuals of Justin Manor, a member of Sosolimited. Legendary Jaki Liebezeit’s trance-inducing rhythms melded with Burnt Friedman’s jazzy-dub to deliver an exciting, spiritually primitive, gleeful set that blew my mind. Sheffield's SND performed a stripped-down minimal techno set full of tight percussive pulses, static clicks and fluid organic tones. Non-Standard Institute's highly-crafted, minimal and dark atmospheric set accompanied videographer Jimmy Lakatos’ abstract shooting-star visuals to create an otherworldly experience.






Raster Noton, one of my favourite labels for their futuristic and disciplined aesthetic, capped off A/Visions with their label showcase:

Minimalist masters Ryoji Ikeda and Carsten Nicolai kicked it off with Cyclo: an erratic set full of glitchy loops and buzzy pops layered in with subtle rhythmic frequencies. Eccentric legend Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom Heart, among other monikers) performed as Atom™. Schmidt stood completely erect and still while his tracks played themselves, becoming more of a self-conscious performance-art piece than a concert. His quirky delivery made me lose focus on the music as I become more fascinated with his unpredictability and cheeky visuals. Internationally-renowned sound artist Carsten Nicolai returned to the stage under his Alva Noto moniker, delivering an intricate minimal set transcended with fuzzy white noise. Olaf Bender (aka Byetone) stole the show with his rock-driven minimal techno set. Byetone’s tightly-pronounced percussive patterns weaved and climaxed to the point of feverish insanity. If you’ve heard his track 'Plastic Star', then imagine a complete set at that level of intensity.




Notable Robert Henke and Christopher Bauder’s prestigious ATOM installation took place at Place des arts. The crowd was slowly escorted through a large dark hall into an exhibit room, illuminated only with the glow of 64 red balloons centered in the middle of the floor. Suppressing the desire to start singing “99 Red Balloons”, to my surprise once the installation started the helium balloons changed from red to white and began moving around like dancing cloud formations, tightly synchronized with the atmospheric ambient techno compositions. Each balloon was attached to a motorized cable that would individually fluctuate in space. The effect was mesmerizing and unique, making the exhibit another creative highlight of this year’s MUTEK.



The better-known artists played the Nocturne showcases, which were mostly held in Metropolis, the largest performance space of the festival. Off to the side the Savoy Room featured experimental or label-focused performances.

One of the highlights for me in the Savoy Room was New York-based, Anticipate label-owner, Ezekiel Honig. I first discovered his music on Percussion Lab in 2006. His unique voice brings a new level of richness to minimal ambient techno. His taste for weaving layers and space combined with household field recordings and deep washes is absolute bliss. After all the eclectic experimental showcases, it was time to dance, and the Cynorsure anniversary showcase delivered some of the finest grooving Latin-infused minimal techno, making the Savoy Room the place to be to hit the floor and celebrate MUTEK’s dynamic range.




The festival was buzzing about the Canadian premiere of Moderat, the newly-formed trio of Modeselektor and Apparat. The Berlin-based techno superstars ripped up a packed Metropolis theatre with an über-hip electro dubstep set, superbly produced with Apparat’s pop expertise and vocals.



Detroit-based techno pioneer Carl Craig took the stage at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, delivering a legendary and masterful set. His stoic godfather type persona rocked the floor with creeping, subtle mixes that swung gently back and forth between soulful house and trance-inducing techno. His level of control and craftsmanship created an epic set full of prolific Detroit classics.



Piknic Electronik’s are always held on the weekends of festival at Parc Jean Drapeau under Alexander Calder's, Expo ‘67 statue "Man." The first hands-down performance was Thomas Fehlmann’s schaffel infused dubby techno set that had dancers gleefully shaking it to his solid 4/4 structures and fluid capabilities under the glorious warm sun. The second day the weather was a bit more up and down. Protecting themselves from the rain, people danced under blankets to esteemed Ricardo Villalobos and Perlon cofounder Zip’s tag team 7 hour marathon set delivering some of the finest minimal dancefloor rhythms, making MUTEK history.




Given MUTEK's stated purpose of developing a space where contemporary experimental electronic music and art meet, MUTEK_10 proved to be its most successful accomplishment to date. Although for many festival goers the boisterous Nocturne and Piknic events will remain the highlight of MUTEK, this year's A/Visions were for me the strongest and most memorable exhibits. Wherever one’s personal tastes might fall, the sampling of so many multi-faceted, spectacular, and talented performers is the richest treasure MUTEK has to offer, and I hope it continues to pay homage to the diversity and depth of the genre in years to come.

This article was originally published in Musicworks Magazine issue 105.
Decibel festival review will be coming out in issue 106.

Puppe

stefny / in the shadows of berlin / percussion lab
download

jen lusker / exclusive mix / percussion lab
download


Milkrun hosts Martinez this Saturday!

martinez / live @ electric pickle, miami / 06/11/09
download

marek hemmann / in between / freude am tanzen
preview

Sarah Wilson

mika vainio / vandal ep / raster noton
boomkat
preview

va / 8bit reasons part 2 mixed by gorge / 8bit records
preview

raz ohara + the odd orchestra / ii / get physical
preview


Hugh Kretschmer

magda / festa accademia, tenax club, firenze / 07/11/09
preview

Alex Diamond

dixon / temporary secretary / innervisions
ra review
preview

azuni / city look / sthlmaudio
preview


Adam Makarenko

fever ray / ra.178 / resident advisor
download


Check out Modyfier's Process Series. Amazing catalogue of quality sets.

Collin van der Sluijs

northerner / 1976 / hibernate
preview


Fred Lebain

elm / nemcatacoa / digitalis
boomkat
preview

MUTEK 2010 - Call for Submissions

Yochai Matos

black to the comm / alphabet 1968 / type
boomkat
preview

small color / in light / 12k
boomkat
preview

ólöf arnalds / vid og vid / one little indian
preview


Clare Strand

ben frost / by the throat / bedroom community
boomkat
preview

Florian Hildebrandt

peter wright / an angel fell where the kestrel hover / spekk
boomkat
preview

va / 5 years dirt crew recordings / dirt crew recordings
preview


Susan Lee-Chun

stl / silent state ep / smallville
boomkat
preview

martin eyerer + benno blome / hayat ep / sender
preview

Felice Varini

ian hawgood / before i let the sunshine rot / phantom channel
preview

hauschka / small pieces / secret furry hole
preview

mapstation / the africa chamber / ~scape
preview


Taiyo Onorato + Nico Krebs

va / 10 years of sender / sender
preview

va / 10 years of bpitch control / bpitch
preview

all files on this site are publicly hosted on the net. basic_sounds only indexes the links found from other sources. if you would like a link removed, please e-mail me and i will be happy to remove it for you.

Doug Aitken

va / and suddenly its morning / smallville
preview

redshape / the dance paradox / delsin
boomkat
preview

mem1 / +1 / interval
boomkat
preview


Joshua Hoffine

solomun / dance baby / diynamic
preview

va / trapez 100 (mix by roland m.dill) / trapez
preview


Break And Enter hosts Daniel Bell, October 31st!!!

daniel bell / bunker podcast / 23/04/08
download

check out Astor Bell for free net releases and mixes!

Rafaël Rozendaal / blog

va / get physical 7th anniversary (mixed by m.a.n.d.y) / get physical
preview

newworldaquarium / the dead bears / nwaq
preview


Enrique Radigales

va / panorama bar 02 mixed by tama sumo / ostgut
preview

fuckpony / feel the love / bpitch
preview

Henrike Stahl

va / katapult vol.2 - a karat mix by krikor / karat
preview

va / simple devotion (cassy in the mix) / cocoon
preview

daniel meteo / working class / shitkatapult
part 1
part 2


Gelitin

discover some new talent at paraísos electónicos

basic_sounds welcomes submissions from musicians, djs, artists, photographers, and other talented people from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of digital and electronic media. Please e-mail all work to basic_sounds@yahoo.ca Regrettably, not all work will be posted or responded to, but your contributions are valued immensely.

Melanie Bonajo

pleq / the fallen love / vu-us
preview

kenneth kirschner / filaments + voids / 12k
boomkat
preview

pattern repeat / gauge tension ep / echocord
boomkat
preview


Tova Mozard

pezzner / live at kontrol / 03/10/09
download

richie hawtin / tsugi podcast 100 / 10/09
download

Nienke Klunder

thomas fehlmann / one to three / r&s records
boomkat
preview

va / berlin afterhour / knm special marketing
preview

phil kieran / shh / cocoon
preview


Julia Fullerton-Batten

va / balance 015 (mixed and compiled by will saul) / eq
part 1
part 2

Liesbet Bussche

joerg mueller / mjiu / shoreless
preview

niederflur / lumen ep / archipel
boomkat
preview


Oscar Santillan

wighnomy brothers / danube rave linz, austria / 10/10/09
download

thomas fehlmann / mutek live 026 / 30/05/09
download

Susan Anderson

va / trapez part 2 / trapez
preview

fairmont / react 026: octobers nightmare on mcast / 10/09
download



milton jackson / october 2009 mix
download

all files on this site are publicly hosted on the net. basic_sounds only indexes the links found from other sources. if you would like a link removed, please e-mail me and i will be happy to remove it for you.

Lucy McRae

aoki takamasa / rn rhythm-variations / raster noton
boomkat
preview

teruyuki nobuchika / morceau / schole
preview


Royal de Luxe - Boston photos

fjordne / the setting sun / kitchen
preview

Ernesto Ferreyra, Noah Pred + more / Milkrun, 11 Carlaw / 11/10/09

In the dark, but not clueless. The venue may have been darkly lit but the music was bang-on. Milkrun hosted a superb line-up of local talent followed by returning Montréaler, now Berlin based Ernesto Ferreyra. Noah Pred delivered a solid grooving tech-house set that drew everyone to the dancefloor with his seamless mixes and energy. Half of Chic Miniature, Ernesto Ferreyra delivered a minimal tech-infused latin set that ended with straight-up party tracks. It's amazing how late I can stay out when the music is too good to leave.


ernesto ferreyra

noah pred

gabriel le mar / wize dubs (remix ep) / thinner
preview

the gentleman losers / dustland / city centre offices
boomkat
preview


Kilian Rüthemann

steven r smith / cities / immune
boomkat
preview

simon scott / navigare / miasmah
boomkat
preview

OX

stl / dub techno explorations / something
preview

quantec / cauldron subsidence / echocord
boomkat
preview



shackleton / three eps / perlon
boomkat
preview

Edvard Scott

lets go outside / conversations with my invisible friends / soma
preview

a dancing beggar / what we left behind / grand independent
preview


Join me this Sunday night at Milkrun for Ernesto Ferreyra!

ernesto ferreyra / siluetas / cadenza
preview

Decibel / Seattle / September 24-27, 2009


Check out Sam Campbell's amazing Decibel photos.
XLR8R review

I'd like to thank Jeremy and Kim for being such gracious amazing hosts and the Communikey crew for making a good time even better.

more to come...


Amy Stein

claro intelecto / chadderton ep / modern love
boomkat
preview

derek plaslaiko / the bunker / 04/09/09
download

Shin Murayama

reagenz / reagenz / source records
preview

va / 5: five years of hyperdub / hyperdub
boomkat
part 1
part 2

mathias kaden / @ dance under the blue moon / 03/10/09
download


Vincent Olinet

christian naujoks / untitled / dial
boomkat
preview

chihei hatakeyama / the river / hibernate
preview

milieu / new drugs for nuclear families of the seventies / milieu music
preview

Theo Mercier

dinky / tsugi podcast 088 / 09/09
download

brendon moeller / dj mix / 09/09
download

martin schulte / proton radio: atmosphere / 07/09
download


Decibel

tiefschwarz feat seth troxler / trust (remixes) ep / souvenir
preview

oliver deutschmann / lisboa ep / vidab
boomkat
preview

Hi Everyone! I'm on vacation. Join me at Decibel in Seattle, September 24-27. Posts will return early October.

Héctor Sos

adrian klumpes + shoeb ahmad / in bed we trust / hellosquare
preview

pleq / the metamorphosis / u-cover
preview

demdike stare / symbiosis / modern love
preview


Frédéric Fontenoy

luciano / tribute to the sun / cadenza
preview

alex smoke / of infinite affliction ep / hum and haw
preview

Keeta Dean Dixon

celer / tropical / mystery sea
preview

danny norbury / light in august / lacies records
boomkat
preview

fabio orsi & seaworthy / near and faraway / low point
boomkat
preview


Nacho Gil

variant / the setting sun / echospace
boomkat
preview

the notwist / music for ”storm” / ost
preview

all files on this site are publicly hosted on the net. basic_sounds only indexes the links found from other sources. if you would like a link removed, please e-mail me and i will be happy to remove it for you.

Lucy MrRae

lawrence / until then goodbye / mule
preview

port-royal / dying in time / n5md
preview


Cassandra C. Jones

the fauns / the fauns / laser ghost
preview