may 29 & 30 at MUTEK
so the show continues...
friday evening finally rolled around and i was ready for the many performances taking place starting with a_visions 3. i must say that the avisions series this year have been somewhat difficult to digest in their entirety because of their length. that being said, people are still flocking to these because the work is bold and innovative.
i will note the project SND out of the uk. the duo mastering the act of taking two to three sounds and creating entire compositions out of them. though simple in nature, SND makes the performance a complex endeavor. incorporating very minimal visuals on top of th already minimal sound really drives it home. and although it is minimal, it is hard and agressive which makes them stand out from the rest of the a_visions series.
snd during a_visions 3
in continuing to talk about this particular a_visions session, artificiel is another one of those acts that just takes the audience over the edge. this session was sub-titled high voltage. artificiel takes this concept and makes it literal in their performance entitled power, a piece commissioned by mutek festival. artificiel uses a tesla coil of some sort and mikes it up to use as an audio source. the sounds emitted from this unusual instrument created a sense of danger and high tension on top of the high voltage sounds. in an interview with them during their sound check, they spoke about taking a step back and using technology in what has now become a traditional sense. by bringing in physical hardware and incorporating it with digital media and software, they are redirect the experience mutek experience. this is not to say it is in the wrong direction, i simply believe that the creativity mutek inspires really make these artists develop new ways and approaches to their work and live performances.
after the a_visions we all headed out to the nocturne_3 where the audience bounced all over the globe from performance to performance. my first interesting stop for me was sri lanka. ok maybe it was more like berlin, nonetheless the voice and spirit of london born sasha perera of sri lankan descent took the stage with a bold hit. i had the pleasure of meeting sasha at an after party on saturday morning.
more soon...
Comments (0) 05.31.2009. - 14:09
may 28 at MUTEK
so here i am. had a busy day yesterday. along with the traveling, getting to montreal late and arriving to my first interview late, nontheless i semed to catch up during the avisions_2 session. i must say that during the set by the fun years, during the avisions_2 showcase, was to put it in a single term: mesmerizing! the sounds were nice and smooth but very assertive in tone. these guys came to MUTEK to give the audience a performance they would not forget. the visuals at this performance must have been made with software and hardware hot off the lab. the visuals, at times coming from a closed circuit video signal from a camera on stage, and at times also from pre recorded footage. nontheless these visuals were unlike anything i have seen in my years as a video artist.
the fun years during avisions_2 at monument nacional
later in the evening as i left the monument nacional for metropolis where fun fun fun awaited everybody. the session nocturne_2, sub-titled the bass exponential, included artists appleblim/UK, deadbeat/CA, moderat/DE and mala/UK. once again modeselektor, now collaborating with apparat to perform as moderat. this was hard electrodub and hardcore dubstep at its cleanest and purest form. as one guy in the audience i was talking to put it: its just hard music! this performance blew everybodys mind and spirit away for the rest of the night. after these guys were done i was pretty much done for the night. i stuck around but i must say that nothing else mattered after moderat.
moderat during nocturne_2 at metropolis
tonight i am looking forward to a couple of performances that for sure look to be memorable. one is part of the a_visions session: artificiel. these guys, from canada, are really taking their work and MUTEK to a different level of event. they are going beyond the use of technology in the traditional sense. in their interview they spoke about going back to the root of it all: hardware. by incorporating new media and physical hardware, they are taking steps to redirect the experience of their audiences.
another are the guys from the nortec collective out of tijuana: bostich and fussible. these guys are taking they material and this new media deal into yet another direction and back to the roots as well if you will. by incorporating folk norteno music into their new and techi-edged sounds really redirects the spectator into what one would not expect at a new media festival or happening.
more to come...
Comments (0) 05.29.2009. - 13:48
MUTEK 10th edition underway
finally MUTEK is here. been looking forward to it! this year MUTEK looks to be saturated with delicious culture, and looks like more so than any other year. with added venues, large scale public art, installations, amongst the numerous workshops and music performances by global artists MUTEK is already known for.
will try to make it to most of the performances and also looking forward to a couple of workshops as well.
i will be updating daily and posting some images of the happenings.
visit the MUTEK 10th edition web site here for complete program.
if you would like to tune in every now and then you can go to awdio. they will be streaming live performances.
