Photo : Vivien Gaumand
Mutek Montréal, the international festival of electronic music and digital creativity, returns with its 24th edition, taking place from August 22nd to 27th, 2023.
Throughout six enriching days, attendees from across the globe will convene in Montréal, embarking on a voyage of discoveries within immersive auditory and visual landscapes, engaging in artistic odysseys in the realms of sound and music.
In its entirety, close to 120 artists will unite to share their expertise and fervor for the realms of electronic music and digital arts. Within this article, you’ll uncover the premier picks curated by our team.
Opening night with Tim Hecker & Vincent de Belleval
> Tuesday, August 22, 2023 9:00 pm – 11:20 pm
Photos: Joost Van Hoey
Presenting his latest album “No Highs” in its North American debut, Tim Hecker will be joined by Japanese shō player Fumiya Otonashi, while artist Vincent de Belleval enhances the experience with a unique light installation. Incorporating tailor-made LED lights synchronized with Hecker’s music, the performance delves into novel realms of connection among light, sound, hues, disparities, and textures. Expect an immersive utilization of mist, impactful sonic landscapes, and understated illumination.
dBridge and µ-Ziq & ID:Mora at Nocturne 4
> Saturday, August 26, 2023 10:00 pm_3:00 am
dBridge
Darren White, the British producer and DJ renowned as the Drum & Bass trailblazer dBridge, persistently ventures into uncharted musical domains, all while retaining his prominent status within the subterranean music realm.
µ-Ziq & ID:Mora
Through this performance, Mike Paradinas, also known as µ-Ziq, embarks on a fearless and poignant expedition into the realm of jungle music, coupled with the poignant and melancholic aspects inherent to his IDM creations. Accompanied by videographer and visual artist ID:Mora, the duo forms an impeccable alliance for this endeavor, crafting an immersive audiovisual escapade that is both lightheartedly amusing and euphorically surreal. Their inaugural collaboration at the Lunchmeat Festival in Prague remains etched as one of the festival’s most astonishing moments, awaiting your participation at this year’s MUTEK edition.
Ambient Performance at Play 2 w/ URA and Nadia Struiwigh
> Friday, August 25, 2023 2:30 pm_4:30 pm
Play series is introducing an intimate ambiance and an opportunity to immerse ourself into a live performance.
Catch Eris Drew at Experience 4 (free) and Métropolis 2
> Experience 4 (free): Friday, August 25, 2023 5:00 pm_11:00 pm
> Métropolis 2: Saturday, August 26, 2023 11:00 pm_6:00 am
Teaming up with her b2b partner Octo Octa, Eris Drew helms the T4T LUV RNG recording label. Drawing from her experiences as both a musician and dancer, she recognizes the potent influence of rave culture as a catalyst for personal and communal transformation. Drew’s global presentations delve into the interconnections between dance music culture and various ecstatic traditions. Beyond this, she passionately advocates for the rights of trans, non-binary, and queer individuals, while also guiding aspiring DJs and electronic artists.
Eris Drew stands as a poignant reminder that ritualistic dance music predates recorded history, a timeless force. She underlines the innate potential within each of us, surpassing the confines of societal programming, and emphasizes music’s role as a tool to liberate our physical selves, dissolve barriers and norms, and ultimately connect us in profound ways.
Image & Sound A/Visions 1 w/ Kyoka & Shohei Fujimoto
> Friday, August 25, 2023 Performs at 7:00 pm_7:45 pm
The core essence of the two A/Visions programs lies in expansive, sensorial audiovisual creations that seamlessly fuse imagery, sound, and technology.
Initiating their collaborative journey in 2020 through the project “density compression,” sound artist and producer Kyoka joined forces once again with media artist Shohei Fujimoto, delivering a mesmerizing live set.
In March 2023, Shohei Fujimoto introduced the captivating multisensory exhibition titled “Invisible Forms” at Artechouse in Washington, D.C. This immersive installation, grounded in mathematical codes, pushes the boundaries of the viewer’s perceptual consciousness.
Cerebral dreamy dance music w/ Emissive at Expérience 6
> Sunday, August 27, 2023 5:00 pm_11:00 pm
Emissive is a conceptual project by Toronto electronic music DJ, producer and dance music promoter Evan Jamal Vincent. Emissive’s set will explore the profound heritage of black music legacies and how it shapes his present artistic path. Sonically, his voyage will traverse experimental ambient to referential and forward thinking club themes.
Cloture night w/ Priori x Shoeg at Nocturne 5
> Sunday, August 27, 2023 10:00 pm_4:00 am
Enhanced by surreal real-time 3D created in real-time by Shoeg, Priori’s introspective music draws inspiration from enigmatic fairy tales and imagined realms, resulting in an earthy and natural ambiance infused with enigma and fascination. Shoeg’s visual creations, influenced by his experiments in melding text and imagery, video game aesthetics, and the interplay between humanity, technology, and nature, propel the audience into a three-dimensional spelunking journey. This innovative performance, steered by motion sensors, will illuminate Priori’s intricate sonic landscapes through reactive and vibrant settings, illustrating the interplay between organic and synthetic, intricate and effortless, tangible and hypothetical.
Through Francis Latreille’s RED project, a notably more somber, tumultuous, and rugged sonic landscape is unveiled. Building upon the launch of “Nigh” in 2022, Latreille engaged producers and DJs Buttechno and Triš to craft remixes, with the altruistic goal of contributing all earnings to Livyj Bereh. This Kiev-rooted volunteer collective is dedicated to amassing resources for procuring equipment and reconstructing dwellings in regions ravaged by conflict.
