The energy level of Takami Nakamoto and Sebastien Benoits’s “Reflections” performance was on par with being in a sold-out concert with Benoits’s live, hard-hitting drumming on a full acoustic drum set and Nakamoto’s high-energy body movements while programming and manually manipulating the sound effects. I had seen Nakamoto at last year’s EM15, who was performing as NONOTAK with Noemi Schipfer in the A/Visions, and he consistently brings to the stage that full-force energy which greatly adds to the whole set. The music consisted of hard drumming with an industrial/reverb effect, and EDM beats that left the whole audience cheering and dancing. Of course, I cannot go without stating that their lighting set-up with the row of flashing, vertically and spatially placed, fluorescent tubes, alongside heavy, synchronised, white strobe lights placed on either side of Nakamoto and Benoits, was visually the perfect lighting set-up to match their sound.

Lumisokea’s set was an alluring and menacing experience with their heavy, trembling industrial and mechanical sampling and effects and their mainly triangular, green projections that descended from the stage downwards, onto and through the audience. The projection fell in a slim horizontal layer of light, so as it projected downwards onto the crowd, it had the very captivating effect as if the audience was being scanned in mass. These projections, along with the increasingly rhythmic, bass-driven, harsh break beats, were definitely a means to cause the audience to experience their performance in visual entrancement.

At the specially located Théâtre Maisonneuve quipped with its large screen, Maotik and Metametric’s “Omnis” struck the audience with geometric brilliance, taking everyone first on a spatial journey on screen and inside a winding tunnel, then to a space of cubic particles, and finally through a maze of industrial-like rooms of pipes. The opening of “Omnis” started off with one swift hit on a gong and progressed with ambient sounds, which were met with manual effects on a large bass drum in perfect timing to the visuals on screen. The visual transition to the room of long, industrial pipes was the turning point for the sounds to become intensified with loud effects, as though the steel pipes were gliding against each other and another moment where it sounded as if fluorescent tubes of light were shattering and exploding. The visual for me that immediately put me in awe was the large, 3D creature, resembling the merged structure of a butterfly/bird that flew into the room of steel pipes and had the appearance of ominously looking onto the audience as its wings were in motion.

The second performance in the A/Visions 1  was the absolutely magnificent choreography from Hiroaki Umeda. The A/Visions specifically presents artists with audio-visuals that are extremely creative and provide the audience with the means to feel 150% enthralled and in rapture of the artists’ work, and Umeda’s performance could not have fit this description any better. He started off dancing slowly in complete silence, meticulously and fluidly curving his body, but not long after and in increasing tempos, Umeda transforms his body both into a malleable and robotic form, breakdancing into every beat of the mechanical, glitch-based soundtrack. Watching Umeda do this alone with the sound effects would have already been enough to excite the audience, but he furthered and outdoes the visuals by spectacularly projecting stardust, white noise/transmission static, and segmented RBG strobe overlays onto his body, which in sequence of the glitch-based sounds at times differed from the projection on the screen behind him. But it is in the rapidness of his motions to match the high-speed sounds that made his performance unparalleled. Umeda’s choreography tests and breaks the limits our human capacity to move so intensely and strategically, all at inhuman speeds.

The selected performances in this year’s MUTEK have truly been an incredible pleasure to witness by some of the most talented, creative and exceptional audio-visual artists. You are surely missing out on experiencing the astonishing level of creativity and production if you haven’t gone to MUTEK yet!

Images by  Trung Dung Nguyen & Caroline Hayeur for MUTEK

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Of the artists listed, Cabaal and Clément’s – both of whom are Montreal natives – performance held my interest most. Cabaal (Ben Globerman) was the first artist of Nocturne 1 and set the bar with an hour-long, provocative, stellar-influenced performance. The beginning of Cabaal’s set was incredibly enthralling with an atmospheric introduction of deep, bass-filled vibrations coupled with astral, ambient sounds, and red floodlights that shone through a layer of fog. There were no visual projections that accompanied his set, which I greatly appreciated; only Cabaal illuminated by the haze of red from behind him. Visually, this brought his live performance to a more heightened experience. Any sort of projection would otherwise have taken away from experiencing his music.

His set was such that I couldn’t exactly predict where his music would lead to next as there were continuous turns into slightly different musical directions, transitioning from the space-ambient sampling and manual arpeggiations of sounds to quickened hi-hat tempos to more brighter synth beats and then to full-on club percussive beats. However, his overall performance was still cohesive in the end with the recurring bass beats that make your spine shiver. As an audience/listener, cohesiveness in this type of EDM performance is what you really hope to experience. What particularly made his live performance excitable for me was the venue-shaking heavy bass beats that progressed after the ambient segment started to build. The contrast in sound was irrefutably refreshing and enjoyable, and Cabaal’s live performance was definitely a gratifying aural exploration.

Hugues Clément’s new work, Dichotomie, was a much more sophisticated approach and development of his style in juxtaposing dualities. The last time I had seen his live video work was at Igloofest in early 2014, where his video work was evident of contrasted forms between classical and formalism art. In a year and half’s time, it is clear that Clément has really explored more complex and refined graphic manipulations to not only further his visual and conceptual theme of the organic (truth) versus the digital (deception), but to also to comment on these visual manipulations that are heavily reflected in the 21^st century, as seen through media and social acceptance/encouragement of falsified imagery.

The first half of his 30-minute video was the portion that I found visually entrancing with moving natural landscapes and 3D geometric forms that overlay and perpetuate within the scenery – such as the imagery of the pond amid the bleak, dead-winter field and a black, pulsating, 3D form with synchronised, black, spherical dots expanding outwards along to the heavy beats of the background music. The other extremely well done motion graphics was the flashing, geometric, fluorescent tube structure in a darkly-lit, digitally-created forest, the empty, black space with a large, disk of frail, white dust particles flying into the abyss, and the haunting, slow-motion dreamscape of cotton weeds, slowly blossoming with translucent flashes of red/purple hues.

The second half of Clément’s set revealed the explicit commentary of appearance in media, questioning what is beauty through the use of collaged imagery, such as mannequin hands, magazine covers, burgers, and a repeated, large advert of “Are you beach-body ready?” Although the two segments of Dichotomie were perhaps visually on polar ends, the exploration of the natural versus manipulation was made astoundingly clear and it is a pleasure to see the transformation of Clément’s graphic/motion video work.

Images by Trung Dung Nguyen & Kamielle Dalati-Vachon for MUTEK

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Three performances. Second night of EM15. One astonished girl. EM15’s A/VISIONS 1 has been the most creative line-up of performers I have seen thus far. This three-hour event which ran on May 28^th from roughly between 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM at Cinéma Impérial was a sold-out show with Mantra Percussion, Nicolas Bernier/Martin Messier, and Nonotak, and for a good reason. Let’s paint this jaw-dropping, visual and aural experience from the perspective of one who got there early enough to get a front-row seat.

Mantra Percussion, a six-man group from New York, was the first act of the evening, performing “Timber” with their hexagonal instruments comprised of what appeared to be 2 x 4 lumber of different lengths. The wood pieces are the platform of their sound creation and are laid horizontally and propped up from the floor at hip-length. Colourful strobe lights lay at the feet of the stands on each side, matching the tempo of their drumming. If the sound of a construction site with men hammering on wood was what you were expecting, it would not be the case for “Timber.” Instead, the audience gets intrigued by an echoing, rainforest-meets-tribal soundscape.

Using what looked to be bass drum mallets as well as their own hands and sound effect pedals as a means to generate the sound, their set was a manifestation of how human hearing functions: the dynamics of sound being heard from afar versus being heard within close range via the distance and placement of where they were drumming on the wood. The closer to the middle that they drummed the more vibrant and concentrated the sound. Whereas, the farther they drummed towards the ends of the wood, the more panned and distant the sound became (eg. think of your ear drum being at the center of the wood panel and your ears being at the ends).

At the beginning, all members were drumming at same time, but transitionally, they began to use their circular position surrounding their hexagonal instrument by means of playing one after the other repetitively which intensified their sound. With their progressive and varying intensities, speeds and sequences of each member drumming, you can imagine the swirling effect of the sounds panning in and out, as if going through a reverb-filled vortex.

Along the lines of incorporating wood into their performance (but on a completely different level and scope) was the work of Montreal-based Martin Messier and Nicolas Bernier, MACHINE_VARIATION. The ingenuity of their wooden/industrial machine – an incredible structural piece on its own – was personally the most eye-widening and jaw-dropping sculpture put into action I have ever witnessed. The sheer performing aspect of Messier and Bernier as they come onto stage with a determined composure and act as one with their machine was quite the experience. This massive, rotatable structure on stage – designed to perfection and comprised of long, wooden beams fixed together in a criss-cross arrangement, with metal rods, hooks, and vertical wires all operating cohesively – already has the audience captivated. But, when the sounds of feedback and mechanical processing start, so does the mechanical operation of Messier and Bernier.

It truly is a physical performance to undergo for both performers and also gets you to the point of not being able to blink for fear of missing one of their very rigid and addictive movements. Both pull, lift, shake, and slam the moveable, wooden levers fiercely and with such timely precision along with the sequencing of sounds that you really believe the structure they built is an extension of themselves. I definitely commend them as I would assume that with such force and constant grabbing and slamming of the wooden pieces, they would have handfuls of blisters. Their physical performance alone of constantly being in motion and walking towards different areas of their structure was impressive and you can see the sweat building and their bodies becoming slightly overworked – a perfect way to get fit and perform an astonishing work of art.

The final performance, LATE SPECULATION, was nothing short of spectacular. Paris-based, Nonotak, presented audio-synced projections through opposing projectors, while operating techno-glitch music inside triangular-prism-shaped screens. With one of the screens facing frontally for the audience to view and the two other sides receding into the back of the stage, various white geometric patterning, flashing, sliding side-to-side, inwards and outwards, as well as an array of neon green horizontal lines segmenting the screen, created a digital, rave-infused atmosphere. It’s an interesting concept to watch sound designer, Takami Nakamoto, and visual artist, Noemi Schipher, literally inside their own creative zone and dancing to their work (Nakamoto controlling the beats, of course, doing the majority of dancing), while the audience watches them.

Their performance is the type that can be enjoyed and appreciated from both the audience and the performer’s point of view. From the audience viewing, it’s a visual pleasure in our modern age to watch digital projections flashing and syncing to music that will, at the least, make you tap your feet to the beat if not have you dancing in your seat. But surely it’s an energetic and sublime feeling to be the performer in the center of the projected lights that encompass the work space.

The performances in A/VISIONS 1 are exactly the kind of line-up that is expected from MUTEK and ELEKTRA’s festival – the type to blow your mind with the creativity and originality of artists.

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PARA_VISIONS 1: FOG WORKS kicked off the opening night of this year’s EM15 with a sensory explosion. The sole performing artist of this event, Tim Hecker, held the first of two sonic performances in the wonderful space at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal on May 27^th, performing almost back-to-back, hour long sets, at 8:30 and 11pm.

PARA_VISIONS could not have been a better event name as Hecker’s work certainly went far “beyond” regular aural and visual expectation. As the crowd gathers into the room – the space already dark with soft, ambient streams of spotlights, spread variously around from a 30 foot ceiling – the fog grows increasingly thick and the spotlights start to fade less and less as Hecker’s performance starts.

The sounds begin and so does the pure, audio engulfment. The volume of the sounds and the strength of the vibration from which it trembled from the speakers through the floors – and what felt like was shaking and piercing your very existence – was the most astounding feeling the art of sound can ever bring to you.

Most of the room (myself included) chose to sit on the carpeted floor where the vibration was at its strongest. Entranced by the thick fog and captivated by the intensity and industrial ambience of Hecker’s audio, it almost seemed as if the audience is part of an A.I. entity being freed from bondage. It’s quite bewildering because as the volume of the sound starts to seep in through your ears and through your body, you could try to look at everyone around you and it would appear as if they were just a sea of blurred bodies, and this fog and whirring, pulsating sound surrounding you is all you really can feel. Hecker’s work becomes this intensely saturated soundscape that will put you, irrevocably, in a zone of heightened meditation.

If machines could talk, Hecker would have provided their resonating voices and rapturous existence – all which could be felt from that night’s PARA_VISIONS performance.

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The band is a reaction against the seriousness with which many bands take themselves and their music. It is also a concept that bleeds into their aesthetic: performing at Vancouver’s Media Club Tuesday night, Marlon Magnée (vocals, keys) wore a bubblegum pink leather jacket, while Clémence Quélennec (vocals, keys) brought out her best Egyptian vogue moves. Without sacrificing that certain je ne sais quois charm, the six members of La Femme played a fun-filled kitsch set.

The opening act, Mesa Luna, affectionately named after the defunct local music hub on West Broadway, was called in last minute as special guests, and it was, as Justice McLellan mused, their first show together as a band. Having formed only six months ago, Mesa Luna is McLellan and Alex Cooper, who are currently signed to Tim Clapp’s DIY label, Kingfisher Bluez. Their first show was an experience similar to watching friends do karaoke in the bedroom, which is to say it was intimate and endearing. Still experimenting with their sound and live line-up, Mesa Luna performed songs off their 7-inch record, where the electro synth number “Shutting Down” made for an enchanting closer.

La Femme began their set shortly after and it became clear, if it wasn’t so before, that the French speakers gathered in the room rivaled the English ones. But, like the set La Femme played, though the words were in French, nothing got lost in the translation.

“Sur la planche 2013”, a song appropriately enough about surfing, got the crowd moving with its steady waves of intensity built upon by Quélennec’s soft vocals. “Packshot” and “Amour dans le motu” were just as high-spirited, but with an added Halloween kick. The theremin, the electronic instrument that gave these tracks their haunting bite, was played by Sacha Got, who toyed a little with telekinetic prowess.

Continuing the spooky thrills, “La femme” rang with ye-ye joy brought to life with Quélennec’s chic and chilly voice. Quélennec was riveting to watch, largely due to her dancing. With the poker face of Margot Tenenbaum, Quélennec executed flawless moves like a young Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.

Magnée, as lead male vocal counterpart, was as magnetic to watch, what with his dyed blonde hair and his jumping into the middle of the crowd midway through the set. Some of La Femme’s catchiest songs involved Magnée and Quélennec sharing a duet of sorts, such as on “Hypsoline” and “Antitaxi”, a powerful anthem about taking the bus.

All things said and considered, La Femme pulled off a show that was as captivatingly eccentric as it was musically eclectic.

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Kicking off the night was an ethereal set by d’Eon. The Montreal-based experimental producer/singer songwriter played a solo live set with his keyboard. He’s noted for his split EP with Grimes, Darkbloom, back in 2011, and is signed to the experimental underground label Hippos In Tanks, whose roster includes Arca, Laurel Halo, and other innovative artists who are pushing the envelope for modern music.

Forest Swords was the next act on the bill. Matthew Barnes (Forest Swords), manned the MPD, keyboard, and, for some songs, guitar, while his friend James Binary worked a Fender Jazz bass. Together, they had the crowd captivated by their mesmerising performance, as they synced each beat of their songs to the beautifully crafted video playing in the back. They didn’t just stick to songs off Barnes’ recent, critically acclaimed Engravings album, but also revisited a lot of his older material. Their penchant for powerful, low bass caused something in the building to vibrate against the wall at each kick.

The vocal samples they used didn’t fade, but rather cut off abruptly, only to be echoed by reverb and delay. The dubby percussion eschewed the conventional drum kit sounds of snares, toms and hi-hats for more organic, almost tribal drums. The effect was mystical and epic, transporting you to lands where war drums beat as stoic warriors clash amidst thick pines and snow. We caught them in the lobby of the venue and kicked it with them. They really liked our shirts, which made the night for my inner fanboy. We chatted with Barnes about his music production and found out he’s also a disciple of YouTube tutorials.

As we went back to the stage, How to Dress Well, born Tom Krell, was just getting started. Judging by the sound of his records, Love Remains and Total Loss, I went into the show expecting an introverted, quiet dude on keyboards, but what I got, I did not at all expect. The first song was a slow number, and he wooed the crowd with minimal backing from a full band he had brought on, consisting of a keyboardist/backup vocalist, a midi controller/violinist, and Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene on drums. But before the next song, he told the sound tech to turn it up.

The full band dove into it, aggressive and hard-hitting, with Peroff really going at it on the drums, driving the rhythm section. The rest of the concert followed in those footsteps, with Krell charismatically giving instructions to the sound and stage techs through his microphone, “Let’s make this one real moody.” At one point, a girl in the crowd yelled, “Take off your shirt!” to which he politely declined. However, given the contrast between his albums and his live set, I was half expecting him to indulge.

He played a lot of new material, both from his upcoming album and not, introducing each with a short little story about it. Compared to the lo-fi, bedroom producer sound of his albums, his stage presence exuded confidence, but without any loss to the sense of vulnerability that made his albums so emotionally devastating. The driving rhythm section gave the songs a sense of urgency, while the backing vocals – manipulated and distorted –  created a nightmarish atmosphere on many of the songs.

After the set, an encore was soon in motion, and Krell came back onstage alone. Professing that he was drunk, he talked about his love of babies and his plans of having one soon, before launching into a lullaby. Closing the show, he had the audience decide on a song, and sang “Say My Name Or Say Whatever.”

Sadly, their tour has two more tour dates left, ending this weekend. It was an experience catching these acts live, and I was spellbound by the music for the entire show. How to Dress Well is a must-see live, as you will not find him sounding like this on any album that he has released thus far. SAT’s bookings are on point yet again.

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The festival brings together the aural-visual experience in the most body-bumping way possible – sometimes even bumping into others on the floor.  Both stages have DJs spinning simultaneously while VJs have their video work displayed on elaborate installation screens.  I’ve had the pleasure of watching the video work of both Hugues Clément at the Vidéotron stage and Bobby Digital at the Sapporo stage.

The Vidéotron stage is enclosed by beautifully lit 3-foot-high ice-blue cube structures that illuminate the area.  As it’s structured as such, being inside the area and watching Hugues Clément’s video work feels that much more intimate.  Clément’s work merges both formalism and classicism elements, and because his theme creates this visual juxtaposition, the imagery moving to the beats makes the experience more provocative.

Over at the Sapporo stage, Bobby Digital presents his work using very clean and stimulating graphics of geometric forms in a colourful, repeated manner.  Both house and techno beats spun by DJs Tazz and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs work well with Bobby Digital’s work and create a warming invitation to dance away the cold, which I certainly didn’t miss my chance to accept!  Because the Sapporo stage is situated in the largest open space and has the largest video projection installation of the two stages, the crowd easily forms faster and so does the warmth.

Igloofest is the perfect way to break out of the winter blues and immerse in a wonderful time with spectacular visuals, music, and company.  Just don’t forget to dance it out on the floor!

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Lightburn has spent over a decade being a Montreal music darling, thanks to his work fronting The Dears: an indie success that never really broke through into the mainstream, for better or worse. That never stopped them from being a cult sensation, though, and the main reason behind their indie street cred was always the stage presence of their lead singer. His presence comes through loud and clear on Mass:Light, where he makes otherwise inconsequential beats on tracks like “A Thousand Light Years” seem larger than life.

There are plenty of albums this year that are better than Lightburn’s, but none that have been more properly titled. This is a major departure from the depth and darkness of The Dears, and the synthy dance beats on the album will take some getting used to. With that being said, if you have a chance to catch his live show at Sala Rossa on November 20 for the M for Montreal festival, the mass of Lightburn’s voice will alleviate any concerns about this new direction. In such an intimate venue, the “mass-to-light ratio” will be greater than ever, and that is a good thing.

The post Massive and light, Murray A. Lightburn album review appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The music of Misteur Valaire may lack instrumental mastery (although it was impressive to see the two separate horn players on stage to go with the dual drummers), but it brings energy in spades. These guys are going to eventually have to come on stage dressed for hot yoga the way they move around on stage. Rarely stopping for breath, they powered through the album launch with energy unbecoming a band playing their own instruments.

The experience of an English rap song transitioning into a pure “joual” (Québec slang) thank-you session is something to behold. It is clear Misteur Valaire has their sights set on stages bigger than those found in their native Eastern Townships. Good for them, because they have the catchy tunes and infectious charisma to back it up.

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Divided between Moog and Guru stages, Piknicers were never too far from a local DJ tearing the roof off from 2 pm till midnight. The day got off to a good start with DJs Turtilian and Ryan Orphan playing back to back on the main stage. With roughly a decade and a half on the turntables, the first hour was in good hands. Ryan Orphan is a regular guest at Montreal’s hotspot Le Belmont, making him a name locals are well familiar with. The dance floor packed in with pumped-up fans right off the ba,t and the party never stopped.

On the other side of the ground, Guru Stage kicked off with veteran turntablist DJ Endless, who has been releasing albums and dropping basslines since the mid-’90s. Staying true to his name, he had no problem filling up his two hours with sick beats and ready-made dance tracks, one after another.

The mood was set for the rest of the day and the beats kept on coming. By the time Mat the Alien arrived for this headlining set the attendees were on their toes ready to bring the house down. Even those who abstained from the dance floor up until now joined the hot and sweaty dancing to Mat the Alien’s futuristic remixes.

This coming weekend, Piknic Electronic is bringing out Aaron Santos, My Favorite Robot, and live sets by Magnanime and Fairmont – if you needed a good way to waste a Sunday away, this one is definitely worthy a think.

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The festival is dedicated to promoting and connecting electronic music with digital art. It is one of the leading events in North America and has sprung up in other countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. In simple terms, however, this is an EDM festival that absorbs you inside out through sounds and incredible visual installations.

Within the allotted five days each sub-category of the main event offered an average of five shows. Daytime shows, Experience 1-5 and Play 1-4, offered more of a cocktail vibe, allowing you to grab a drink, tune in, and hash out that intellectual conversation you otherwise could not express in any ordinary concert environment. Once the conversation dried up, you were free to join whatever deep and dark performance you liked.

The city’s favourite performance venue Société des Arts Technologiques was transformed into the home to DROMOS, a special project showing a variety of artwork throughout the day and night that allowed the viewers to interact with the created data built by Montreal’s own Moment Factory. With viewers reclined, drinks in hand, DROMOS became a highlight of the festival with streams of colour and waves of sound–a real-time immersive performance.

As each day’s performance filtered into the night, we were met with A/Visions 1-5 and Nocturnes 1-5.  While A/Visions presented itself with more of a lounge vibe, Nocturnes started at around 10 pm and went on to pretty much sunrise. Ninja Tune and Red Bull Music Academy took the reins on the music selection, bringing forth live performances by the likes of Jesse Bru, Lukid, Emika, Onra, Nosaj Thing, and Britain’s Letherette.

The technical foundation of the festival allowed for incredible, in-tune, curated A/V displays. Jon Hopkins shared with the world his new visually stunning technical backdrop. Martyn inflated his heart for everyone to see as a projection foundation while Âme’s Frank Wiedemann re-imagined the space with some serious stadium-range psychedelic lasers. Having that much to look at certainly takes away from people’s desire to dance, but that didn’t stop the crowd from fist-pumping and dropping a move or two.

The last Nocturne wrapped up MUTEK with a bang as Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, who created an intense interactive atmosphere with technically complex and mesmerising notes. This proved to be nearly everyone’s favourite show, audience members chiming in with great applause.

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