Alicia Hush & Elysha Poirier (CA/QC) @alicia-hush - “Wishing Well”

Nocturne 2

September 12, 2020

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

Ontario-born, Montréal-based producer Alicia Hush creating a propulsive synthesis between image and sound alongside Montréal-based Multimedia artist & designer Elysha Poirier.

Style

Techno, Tech House, Minimal

Labels

@hushlamb, @cynosure-recordings, @drifted-records

Presented by @trax-magazine

Desert Bloom (CA/QC) @desertbloom

World Première

Nocturne 2

September 12, 2020

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

Montréal-based, Victoria-born producer Rachel Nam and Montréal drummer Austin Tufts.

Style

Ambient, Electronic, Minimal, Techno

Labels

@moon-boy-records

Appears as part of AMPLIFY D.A.I

AMPLIFY D.A.I is an initiative of the British Council in partnership with MUTEK Montréal, MUTEK Buenos Aires and Somerset House Studios in the UK. The programme is supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Fundación Williams.

Presented by @trax-magazine

Ben Shemie (CA/QC) @ben-shemie

“A Single Point of Light” - Canadian Première

Play 3

September 9, 2020

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

Montréaler Ben Shemie, who also highlights as the lead vocalist and guitarist of art rock outfit Suuns. Lo-fi psychedelic pop music specializing in corrosive textures and skeletal drum patterns.

Style

Experimental, Pop

Labels

@hitd-3, @lumierenoirerecords

Le désert mauve (FR+CA/QC)

Play 4 World Première

Recorded live during MUTEK Montréal Édition 21

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

The duo of sound artist Gabrielle HB and multidisciplinary artist Charline Dally.

Style

Ambient, Drone, Experimental

Appears as part of AMPLIFY D.A.I

AMPLIFY D.A.I is an initiative of the British Council in partnership with MUTEK Montréal, MUTEK Buenos Aires and Somerset House Studios in the UK. The programme is supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Fundación Williams.

Cy-Ens (IR/QC) @cy-ens — "Lullabyte Portamenti"

Play 3

September 9, 2020

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

Interdisciplinary sound artists and educators Honey Haq Pazhutan and Max Pazhutan, who also collaborate as The Quark Model.

Style

Ambient, Experimental

Appears as part of AMPLIFY D.A.I

AMPLIFY D.A.I is an initiative of the British Council in partnership with MUTEK Montréal, MUTEK Buenos Aires and Somerset House Studios in the UK. The programme is supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Fundación Williams.

Automatisme (CA/QC) @automatisme01

"Alter-" - World Première

Expérience 3

September 11, 2020

Mastered by @pheek (audioservices.studio)

Who

Automatisme is the electronic music project of Quebec-based producer William Jourdain. He has over 30 releases to his name and has performed solo in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Style

Ambient, Drone, Dub techno, Noise

Labels

@constellation-records, @achim-szepanski (Force Inc / mille plateaux), @neologist-productions, @lthrecords, @outlineslabel, @dream-disc, @g89records

EN:

A restless, forward-thinking producer, @boundarysound has been a pillar and world-renowned ambassador of Montréal’s electronic music scene since the early 2000s, spearheading some of the city’s most mythical soirées (Bounce Le Gros, Karnival, Qualité de Luxe). The Juno nominated artist has always stayed a few intuitive half steps ahead of the rhythmic herd, consistently expanding minds with a pitch shifting catalogue. With Boundary, an evocative project of electronic chamber music launched in 2013, Poirier comes full circle back to his early career interests in IDM and minimal techno (think Aphex Twin and Plastikman). With two instrumental albums replete with intricate micro variations and sombre, synthetic soundscapes (2013’s self-titled LP and 2014’s Still Life), Poirier has pushed his sound into more conceptual, cinematic and emotionally resonant realms. After world premiering the project during a hypnotic live performance at MUTEK 2013, Poirier returns to the festival in 2015 with a new, more expansive installment of Boundary, accompanied by drummer Chris Olsen and keyboardist Daniel Thouin. Since the two albums as Boundary, Poirier has released two more albums, 2016's Migration and 2020's Soft Power.

Presented as part of STREAM ON, a project by MUTEK, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

FR:

Producteur prolifique et avant-gardiste, @boundarysound est l’un des piliers et sans doute l’un des plus populaires ambassadeurs de la musique électronique montréalaise depuis le début des années 2000. Concepteur de certaines des soirées les plus mythiques de la ville (Bounce Le Gros, Karnival, Qualité de Luxe), l’intuitif artiste a toujours été un pas en avant du troupeau rythmique, élargissant constamment les horizons. Avec Boundary, un projet évocateur de musique de chambre électronique lancé en 2013, Poirier revient en quelque sorte au son IDM et à la techno minimale qu’il préconisait à ses débuts (pensez Aphex Twin et Plastikman). Sous ce vocable, il a fait paraître deux albums instrumentaux - Boundary en 2013 et Still Life en 2014. L’artiste montréalais s’aventure dans plusieurs sphères sonores conceptuelles, cinématographiques et émotivement suggestives. Après avoir présenté ce nouveau projet en première mondiale lors d'un concert hypnotique à MUTEK 2013, Poirier présente en 2015 au festival un nouveau spectacle de Boundary en compagnie du batteur Chris Olsen et du claviériste Dan Thouin. Depuis les deux albums de Boundary, Poirier a fait paraître deux autres albums, Migration en 2016 et Soft Power en 2020.

Présenté dans le cadre de STREAM ON, un projet de MUTEK, avec le soutien du Conseil des Arts du Canada.

EN:

Although their names are familiar, and Amato and Charbonneau have worked together off and on since their earliest days of music-making, Synth Works Vol.1 is actually your first occasion to hear these two together specifically as a duo. This project continues on a path initially forged by early electronic artists like Harmonia, Neu! and Laurie Spiegel, among many others. Synth Works Vol.1 is a slow, pensive experience that unfolds over many listens. Entirely self-produced and thoughtfully rendered, the music was made over long distance while each player was on tour with other bands; Charbonneau developed the modular synth elements, and Amato fleshed out the minimalist arrangements with texture and melody, until ultimately the two reconvened to sculpt, edit and mix these instrumental tracks. The spacious soundscapes, unidentifiable sounds and complex textures offer suggestive nods to some ambient music references, but there remains always a melodic thread that brings the work into focus. Charbonneau and Amato plumb the depths of all of their unique sensibility, talent and shared history to bring you something calming, compelling and entirely new.

Presented as part of STREAM ON, a project by MUTEK, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

FR:

Bien que leurs noms soient familiers et que leur collaboration intermittente remonte à leurs premiers pas en création musicale, Synth Works Vol. 1 est, en fait, votre toute première occasion de les écouter en duo. Ce projet prolonge le chemin initialement tracé par des pionniers de la musique électronique tels que Harmonia, Neu!, Laurie Spiegel et bien d’autres. Synth Works Vol. 1 est une expérience lente et pensive qui se déploie au fil de plusieurs écoutes. Sa musique, entièrement autoproduite et consciencieusement rendue, est le fruit d’une collaboration faite à distance alors que les deux musiciens étaient en tournée avec d’autres groupes ; Charbonneau a conçu les éléments de synthétiseur modulaire et Amato a étoffé les arrangements minimalistes, leur ajoutant texture et mélodie, jusqu’à ce que les retrouvailles des deux musiciens permettent le façonnement, l’édition et le mixage de ces pistes instrumentales. Les paysages sonores spacieux, les sons indiscernables et les textures complexes de Synth Works Vol. 1 offrent quelques clins d’œil à la musique ambiante, mais un fil mélodique parcourant l’œuvre à toutes ses étapes l’en dote d’une ligne directrice. Charbonneau et Amato sondent l’essence de leurs uniques sensibilités, talents et histoire commune pour vous offrir quelque chose d’apaisant, de captivant et d'entièrement nouveau.

Présenté dans le cadre de STREAM ON, un projet de MUTEK, avec le soutien du Conseil des Arts du Canada.

Vancouver studio hound and analog synth aficionado, @esb-trax's most recent 'earth and heaven' EP on Wex records, as well as an appearance on Montreal's 00AM compilation, showcases classic influences of vintage house, Detroit techno, and dub. Perfect for ears that enjoy unique textures and harmonic interplay with a solid dose of snappy percussion.

This recording is an edited down version of 2 different 3-hour live studio recordings. The instrumentation consists mostly of Tr909, SP1200, mpc Live, Roland Jupiter 6, Sequential 440/ 2002, and PPG wave 2.2, through a 14 channel Trident recorded digitally straight to 2 tracks. The tracks are generally constructed with percussion and samples processed with the mpc first, then sequenced synth/ sample layers are added, and everything is mixed live on the board.

Presented as part of STREAM ON, a project by MUTEK, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

EN:

@francejobin is a sound/installation / artist, composer, and curator residing in Montreal, whose audio art, qualified as “sound-sculpture", reveals a minimalist approach to complex sound environments where analog and digital intersect. Her installations incorporate both musical and visual elements inspired by the architecture of physical spaces. Her work can be “experienced” internationally in a variety of unconventional spaces and new technology festivals. While her music often makes use of restraint and limit, she isn't one to shy away from extremes. Her skillful interplay between highs and lows, louds and softs, creates an intricate narrative, which stretches the listener's perception and continually refocuses attention.

Jobin presented the world premiere of Intrication at MUTEK.AR, September 14th 2018, as a live A/V performance with Argentinian visual artists Prifma. Inspired by quantum entanglement, she has attempted to discover the relationship between sound and observing sound and the consequences thereof. All sounds were recorded at various locations in North America, Europe and Japan and at EMS (Stockholm) using the Serge and the Buchla 200 modular synthesizers as well as the Nord Modular, thanks to EMS (Stockholm).

Presented as part of STREAM ON, a project by MUTEK, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

FR:

@francejobin, artiste audio/installative/compositrice et commissaire, réside à Montréal. Son art audio, qualifié de « sculpture sonore », se distingue par une approche minimaliste d’environnements sonores complexes à l’intersection de l’analogue et du numérique. Ses installations empruntent un parcours parallèle, intégrant des éléments musicaux et visuels inspirés par l'architecture des lieux. On peut « vivre l'expérience » de ses installations et concerts live dans une variété d’espaces non conventionnels et des festivals de nouvelles technologies internationaux. Bien que sa musique exprime fréquemment les notions de retenue et de limite, elle ne fuit pas les extrêmes. Son jeu habile entre les hautes et les basses, l’amplitude et les silences, crée un narratif complexe, qui déstabilise la perception de l'auditeur et recentre continuellement son attention.

Jobin a présenté en première mondiale Intrication à MUTEK.AR, le 14 septembre 2018, en tant que performance live A/V avec les artistes visuels argentins Prifma. Inspirée par l'intrication quantique, elle a tenté de découvrir la relation entre le son et l'observation du son et ses conséquences. Tous les sons ont été enregistrés à divers endroits en Amérique du Nord, en Europe et au Japon et à EMS (Stockholm) à l'aide des synthétiseurs modulaires Serge et Buchla 200 ainsi que du Nord Modular, grâce à EMS (Stockholm).

Présenté dans le cadre de STREAM ON, un projet de MUTEK, avec le soutien du Conseil des Arts du Canada.