Mutek Announces First Wave of Performers for 13th Edition [Event]

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF DIGITAL CREATIVITY AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC
13TH EDITION – MAY 30TH TO JUNE 3RD 2012

The anticipation is over! MUTEK is eager to reveal the first performers confirmed for its 13th edition. For 2012, the five-day festival reprises the spirit of exclusive live collaboration upon which it has built its international reputation. An international gathering, this edition also features the annual ICAS conference of over 30 digital-arts festivals, as well as the presentation of the ambitious CineChamber project. The first wave of performers below attests to the strength of invention and the range of discovery within electronic music today:

APPARAT BAND [DE] / BLONDES [US] / BNJMN [UK] / DANUEL TATE [CA] / FARBEN [DE] / JEFF MILLS [US] / JIMMY EDGAR [US] / KINK [BG] / KODE 9 [UK] / MATT THIBIDEAU [CA] / MINILOGUE vs MATHEW JONSON [SE/CA] / MONOLAKE [DE] / NAUTILUSS [CA] / NICOLAS JAAR [CL] / NOUVEAU PALAIS [CA] / PAUL WHITE [UK] / PIERRE BASTIEN vs ESPEN SOMMER EIDE [FR/NO] / PUBLIC LOVER [US/FR] / ROBIN FOX [AU] / ROLL THE DICE [SE] / ROLY PORTER [UK] / SHACKLETON [UK] / STEPHEN O’MALLEY [US] / TIM HECKER [CA] / URSULA BOGNER [DE]

Though the 2011 edition was built around spectacular statements of individual innovation, such as the world premiere of Amon Tobin’s now legendary ISAM show and the much-anticipated Canadian return of Plastikman to the live stage, at MUTEK 2012 the sum of creative spirit is clearly larger than its individual contributions. Whether it’s the electronic pop art of APPARAT, the analog ambient house of BLONDES, the complex song cycles of NICOLAS JAAR’s trio, or the cryptic retro-futuristic soundtracks of Swedish duo ROLL THE DICE, the collaborative experience and its performative thrills are a centerpiece of this edition’s programming.

To this end, many solo artists invited to MUTEK come to explore unique partnerships. Such is the case with two legends of white bliss and black doom, TIM HECKER and Sunn 0)))’s STEPHEN O’MALLEY, who will connect under the spires of one of Montreal’s most beautiful churches, the St. James United Church. Bringing together elements of electronic music’s past are Jan Jelinek and Andrew Pekler, who will be performing the voice and tape music of mythical Cologne musician URSULA BOGNER. Meanwhile, France’s PIERRE BASTIEN and Norway’s ESPEN SOMMER EIDE (one-half of Rune Grammofon recording artists Alog) explore the “electronic folkways” between organic and mechanical sound.

At the other end of the spectrum, two worlds of minimal techno collide in the North American premiere of a new collaboration between Canadian techno veteran MATHEW JONSON and Swedish duo MINILOGUE. Critical darling Bruno Pronsato presents his more song-oriented leanings in PUBLIC LOVER (featuring French singer Ninca Leece). And Montreal trio NOUVEAU PALAIS features Robert Squire (Prison Garde, Megasoid, Sixtoo) teaming up with young producers Lunice and Ango.

No MUTEK edition is complete without the critical dialogue between generations of digital creativity. MUTEK is pleased to be presenting visionaries such as Detroit’s JEFF MILLS for the very first time. Berlin’s Jan Jelinek will be reprising his micro-house alias, FARBEN, after a prolonged absence. Fellow Berliner MONOLAKE returns this year to present a unique surround-sound conceptual performance of his latest album, Ghosts. A pioneering force in dub experimentation, SHACKLETON will be on hand for a rare North American live performance. And the highly influential KODE 9 touches down for a much-anticipated DJ set.

Emerging discoveries are among the most enticing part of the MUTEK experience. In this vein, BNJMN, KINK, JIMMY EDGAR, ROBIN FOX and ROLY PORTER represent some of the most exciting offerings from a new generation of international electronic producers. And longstanding techno performers such as DANUEL TATE (Cobblestone Jazz, The Modern Deep Left Quartet) and MATT THIBIDEAU are MUTEK alumni who always return with show-stealing surprises.

Always a point of convergence, this year MUTEK highlights its international network by hosting the annual conference of the International Cities for Advanced Sound (ICAS). With more than 30 international festivals in the association, the gathering allows festival heads from across the globe to highlight specific projects.

One such ICAS special project is the CINECHAMBER, an immersive arts facility created by the Recombinant Media Labs. Equal parts performance space and cinematic experience, the chamber surrounds audiences with ten screens, using imagery, lights and sound that can be “played” or manipulated as an instrument. This groundbreaking environment allows artists to push the frontiers of live performance, while functioning doubly as an visceral cinematic space at other times. During MUTEK, it will also host both live events soon to be announces, as well as playback sessions by artists such as RYOICHI KUROKAWA, ARTIFICIEL, Raster Noton’s SIGNAL, HERMAN KOLGEN, ROBERT HENKE & TARIK BARRI, CHRISTIAN FENNESZ & LILLEVAN, and others.

Discount passes for MUTEK 2012 are currently available at www.mutek.org until April 17th, at which point the prices rise. A five-day festival passport costs $195 (+ txs & sc), while a weekend pass costs $110 (+ txs & sc).