Unfortunately, none of the CBC Electronic crew can make Montreal's MUTEK festival this year, and as the festival rolls out this weekend the reality of this is like ashes in our mouths. But rather than curse our darkness, we formed a huddle to pick some of the acts performing at this edition of MUTEK who we be checking out should a fairy grant our wish and transport us to Montreal.
Biosphere & Lustmord present TRINITY (France/Norway) Canadian premiere
A/Visions 1, Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8 p.m.
"With Trinity, Biosphere (Geir Jenssen) and Lustmord (Brian Williams) explore the making and detonating of the first nuclear device, as well as the mindset that brought it about and the beauty and the horror of its existence and deployment." ~ Quentin Rogers, CBC Electronic
There are Trinity clips floating around the internet that we could post, but we feel this would do a disservice to the performance, so you're on your own.
Arthur Oskan (Canada)
Roland Pre-Nocture, Wednesday May 30, 9:15 p.m.
"It's been a great year for Arthur Oskan. He has a kick-ass album out, a Juno nomination and his live sets keep on giving. This is a bad show to miss, because he'll soon be playing bigger venues than this." ~ Ian Cauthery, CBC Electronic
Listen to Oskan's Thoughtless podcast:
Apparat Band (Germany) Canadian premiere
Nocturne 1, Wednesday, May 30, 10 p.m.
"Sasha Ring returns to MUTEK for a third time, this time with a full band. He's moved from his signature sound of well crafted, pop-leaning IDM and ambient techno, to a denser, more introspective sound, awash in shoegazing synths and melancholic ballads." ~ Quentin Rogers, CBC Electronic
Watch Apparat perform "Ash Black Veil":
Jeff Mills presents The Messenger/Sleeper Wakes (U.S.A.)
Nocturne 2, Thursday, May 31, 1:00 AM
"He's a pillar in the world of electronic music as a principal member of Detroit's second wave of techno artists, alongside Carl Craig and the Underground Resistance collective he helped found. It's his first time at the MUTEK so expect something special from his time on stage." ~ Ian Cauthery, CBC Electronic
Watch the trailer for The Messenger/Sleeper Wakes:
Kode 9 (U.K.)
Nocturne 3, Friday June 1, 1 a.m.
"The Hyperdub label head honcho always plays an eclectic set, mixing dubstep with house, grime and anything else that strikes his fancy. Some look to his shows as a barometer for the direction that bass music will take in the future." ~ Ian Cauthery, CBC Electronic
Watch Kode 9 perform at DubExMachina in Zürich, Switzerland, from January of this year:
Nautiluss (Canada)
Nocturne 3, June 1, 10 p.m.
"Graham has really made a positive mark in the past few years with his creative endeavours, from CBC Radio 3 favourite Thunderheist, and now to his current project, which varies from raw dance floor sounds, to lush and gorgeous mellower forays. Every track has elements that have me putting Nautiluss on repeat. This one should not be missed." ~ Nicole Goodman, CBC Electronic
Check out "Mixed Numbers" from his recently released album, Alpha:
Jimmy Edgar (U.S.A.)
Nocturne 3, June 1, 10 p.m.
"Signed to Warp Records at the age of 18, Jimmy is a skilled master in the stylings of electro-R&B and Minneapolis-inspired electro-funk. With his new Album Majenta out now on Hotflush, and a recent collaboration with legend Egyptian Lover, his performance will be well worth a listen." ~ Nicole Goodman, CBC Electronic
Watch Jimmy's MUTEK teaser:
Danuel Tate (Canada)
Experience 4, June 2, 2 p.m.
"After blowing away expectations with his first solo performance at last year’s MUTEK, Danuel returns to give us more live vocoder and keyboard jams. A native to Victoria, B.C., Danuel came up with a group of very talented and very productive locals, performing as keyboardist with the famed quartet Cobblestone Jazz. His skills are tough to beat, and he’s a heck of a nice guy, too." ~ Nicole Goodman, CBC Electronic
Minilogue vs Mathew Jonson (Canada/Sweden) North American premiere
Nocturne 4, Wednesday, June 2, 10 p.m.
"Having performed together for some time now, with five-hour long improvisational sets under their belts, Mathew Jonson vs Minilogue should be a deep journey into intricately layered, winding techno." ~ Quentin Rogers, CBC Electronic
Watch Minilogue vs Mathew Jonson shot live in Malmo, Sweden:
The Mole (Canada)
MUTEK // Piknic, Sunday, June 3, 2 p.m.
"Colin de la Plante, a.k.a. the Mole, has a thing for loops, lots of loops and an uncanny ability to use them to whip a crowd into a frenzy. A veteran of both Victoria and Montreal scenes, now living in Berlin, Colin's work with Cobblestone Jazz as the Modern Deep Left Quartet, as well as his solo release As High as the Sky (Wagon Repair), shows a depth of talent and a knack for creating infectious grooves." ~ Quentin Rogers, CBC Electronic
The Mole is an elusive creature, but we did track down this clip where he tells the story of how his pot dealer and Sherlock Holmes helped start his career.