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...

05.31.2009. - 14:09

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