The last podcast of the Micro_MUTEK.ES series showcases Argentina’s DILO (aka Franco di Lorenzo), a producer who has released music on European labels such as Hope Central, Lessizmore, Soma, and [a]pendics.shuffle (under his alias Cascabel Gentz). Dilo is also responsible for the label Igloo Records, which has released material from the likes of Pinkler Ismael, From Karaoke To Stardom and himself, this time as another one of his projects, Elephant Pixel.

DILO is one of those artists currently residing in Berlin, but with very little time to play master of the house because of his constant travels to Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia or Russia. His sets are based on a direct, clean and skeletal techno sound, with the shapes and colors that are characteristic of his Latin American roots gaining ground in cold and grey Berlin. This sound has begun to take on new vigour with his debut album, Ethereal.

This podcast showcases some of his exclusive tracks taken from his upcoming album, and offers a taste of what we can expect from his show at Nocturne 2 on February 9^th with Luomo and Venezuela’s DJ Moreon.

RAGUL does not spare the imagination when defining his memories. According to his biography, this young producer, with experience in projects like the Miga record label, Discontinu Records and events such as the Plug Festival, was submitted to a huge surgical operation that turned him into the first bionic man this side of the river Ebro. So now he lives quietly some place in Barcelona, comfortably uninstalled in between the machinery necessary to build his playful music and, much like himself, converges his sensibility in humankind with the mathematical infallibility of old machines. Proof of this is in the third podcast of our Micro_MUTEK.ES series, which is a preview of his live show.

The robot child RAGUL will be let out of its “quarantine” to perform on Saturday, February 11, at the Convent de Sant Agustí, as part of the newly added EXPERIENCE series, accompanied by the visuals of Stefania Sole and Paula Guastella (aka Blowshe).

A pioneer of the Chilean DJ scene that started building on the diverse music emerging from Latin American sound systems in the early 90s, DJ Raff has been a member of some of the most important hip-hop projects to come out of Chile. Along the way, he has helped to sow the seeds of what is now considered one of the biggest and most important hip-hop scenes in Latin America.

Raff´s vast experience and upfront production skills have made him one of the most sought after producers in Chile. His blend of creative sampling, phat beats, keyboard arrangements and scratching have already earned him a place amongst Latin America´s most highly regarded and groundbreaking DJs and music producers.

Dj Raff will perform February 10th for the Pre Nocturne event alongside Catalan mainstay Guillamino at theMusic Hall on Ramba Catalunya, 4.

This set is built around the new releases of electronic artists who are helping shape the electronic scene in Spain.  These artists release on labels such as Disboot, which contributes tracks from such acts as Cauto and Downliners Sekt.  Meanwhile, Nikka has also featured tracks from her first home, Lovethechaos, which released her debut album, Isotopos, five years ago.

For more recent work, Nikka has gone with Discontinu Records, which has just released her new album Pandemia, the record she’ll be presenting at Micro_MUTEK.ES. Pandemia highlights the microscope as instrument; when microorganisms and microscopic elements enter into the microscope’s field of view their movement is converted into sound. Nikka’s goal is to make the audience aware of the invisible, microscopic processes that influence our daily, macroscopic lives.

The Baltimore-based duo of Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt, who have been recording together as Matmos since 1997, are electronic collage artists with a unique sense of humour and artistry. Their recording techniques may hearken back to the musique concrete of Steve Reich and Luc Ferrari, but their playfulness of rhythm and selections of field recordings inject a dose of contemporary real-world dynamism into their music. Conceptualists on par with sample guru Matthew Herbert, Matmos have spent eight albums crafting pop abstractions from sources as unlikely as clipped hair and body fat left over from plastic surgery.

Arguably breaking through at the start of the decade with their memorable MUTEK 2001 performance, the duo returnede to festival stages after a decade’s absence to showcase just how far they’ve come since then. In between, they have toured extensively with Bjork – a longtime fan of the group – and even produced portions of her albums “Vespertine” and “Medúlla”, both of which bear significant signs of the duo’s conceptual influence. Always ones to flip the script, their latest album, 2008’s “Supreme Balloon”, abandons microphones and recorded music altogether and opts for purely electronic tones as its source material.

OVERCAST SOUND’s performance at MUTEK was all about timing. The Canadian duo were just finishing a three month stint in Berlin, where they were working on their debut LP Beneath the Grain, when the call came to be part of MUTEK 2010′s bass-driven Nocturne evening with Demdike Stare, King Midas Sound, and Ikonika. A couple flight changes later and members Michael Pettit and Jamie Drouin were massaging the audience with their rolling chords and basslines.

Since 2005, Michael Pettit and Jamie Drouin have been casting an atmospheric haze of deep, minimal techno over their hometown of Victoria, British Columbia. As OVERCAST SOUND, fragments of field recordings mingle with cinematic sweeps and a dub undertow. Pettit combines his background in techno with Drouin’s sound-art practice, creating a signature style that recalls the dub-techno excursions of the Echochord label. Drouin is also no stranger to MUTEK, having presented his experimentalist works a number of times.

OVERCAST SOUND’s MUTEK 2010 performance was a taste of things to come. With their debut full-length album being released on February 21, 2011 by Paris label Entropy Records, their unique twist on dub techno is framed within a conceptual album exploring significant history of Berlin.

More information on OVERCAST SOUND and ordering their debut album is available at http://www.overcastsound.com

Exploring the fertile ground between house and techno styles, the deep, percussive progressions from Montrealer Chris Hreno exude exactly the patience and restraint required to make a minimal groove work for a long time.

Turned on at age 11 by turntables, Hreno moved on to bass guitar in his teens and finally his own studio productions. An early 2001 EP had him co-producing with The Mole and in 2004 he issued a 12” in the “Starchy Roots” series alongside names like Akufen, Mathew Jonson, Deadbeat and Jay Haze.

Before relocating to Europe in 2007, he had already started to move from behind the decks and into the realm of live performance, blending analogue sensibilities and sounds with his own productions, on the fly.

Smirk’s sets are riddled with exuberance and multifarious tastes. Brandon Wolcott grew up in California and later Hong Kong, where he attended his first rave in 1997 (during the historic handover of the city back to China), before settling in Brooklyn. With a background in theatrical sound design, he’s able to traverse techno, house, cheeky edits, vocals, and jazz/classical inflections with impish ease. Smirk has performed in Belgrade, Berlin, Boulder and many places in between. Following releases on Wolf + Lamb, his debut full-length “Even Beauty Gets Old” came out on Pheek’s Archipel imprint.

Montrealers Martin Dumais and Julie Leblanc make up the duo AUN, that scuplts corrosive tones and textures to create amalgams of audio-visual experience that resemble parallel worlds.

Starting with guitar arrangements and found objects, together the pair devises tableaus that are at once dense, luminous, apocalyptic, and charged with pure electricity. Coming off strong recent tours, a grand synergy of improvisational freedom has set over the duo.

Taking place during MUTEK 2010, the audio-visual world premiere of “Black Pyramid” reflects the electronic roots of AUN, which were perhaps less evident in past outings.

Video interview

Aun Mutekmag Featured Article

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, ISMAEL PINKLER started out as an abstract ambient producer in the early 2000s. He has since worked his way through new musical landscapes, developing his own style between instrumental, pop and cosmic pastiche, into what he refers to as “Slow House”.

Building a reputation for baffling beats and dreamy melodies with his releases on Shitkatapult, Meteosound, I’m Single, and Igloo, Ismael is back with “Sopa Fantasma”, a 30-minute mini-album out this week on the Buenos Aires label Spit On BPM, which exclusively releases music on limited-edition cassette tapes.

Featuring 100% unreleased material, his 2010 set in Guanajuato, Mexico, opened the Argentinian showcase that was part of MUTEK’s program at the Festival Internacional Cervantino. Ismael was kind enough to send us a few personal notes about his performance:

“On this podcast you can listen what I call “my ramp”, starting very deep and slow going up to my more danceable productions but always below 120 bpm. The last three tracks are a mix of two collaborative projects: Dissmentado (with Maximoist) and Mezcla (with Gustavo Lamas).”

Having performed at MUTEK 2010 with just two singles to their name, German live-electronics trio Brandt Brauer Frick were voted as one of the top 5 acts of the festival.

A trio that recalls the on-stage bureaucratic theatricality of mid-70’s Kraftwerk, Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer, and Paul Frick whip their prepared pianos, vibraphones, live drums, brass and string instruments, bass, and analogue synthesizers into an awesome combo of spontaneous jazz-inflected electronic music.

Don’t forget to check out their debut album – You Make Me Real – out this November 22!

Video interview

SHOT ON SITE DURING MUTEK 2010

On the eve of the release of their debut album – You Make Me Real – German trio Brandt Brauer Frick discuss their artistic inspiration and we’re they’re headed next.

MUTEKMAG Interview: Brandt Brauer Frick from MUTEK on Vimeo.

Deadbeat is Scott Monteith, Ontario native and adopted Montrealer who has since relocated to Berlin to pursue a career as one of the globe’s in-demand producers. He has been releasing his explorations into electronic dub since his debut twelve-inch Cesium Beam (Hautec) in 2000. Whether crafting dub-laden electronica, upfront techno, dubstep flavoured compositions, or – most recently – his distinct brand of hazy dub-techno, Deadbeat continually adjusts and expands his sound palate, reflecting his urge to push the boundaries. In preparation for his upcoming performance as part of MUTEK’s programming at the Festival Internacional Cervantino (FIC) in Mexico, we take you back to one of his earlier performances at MUTEK.

Former Chilean visual artist Andrés Bucci began producing music while living in Berlin. In preparation for his appearance as part of MUTEK’s Chile program at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Mexico, we dig up his appearance at MUTEK 2005.

Wagon Repair recording artist Hrdvsion (aka Nathan Jonson) has been involved in Canada’s west-coast electronic-music community for nearly a decade, carving out heady, IDM-infused soundscapes for labels such as Itiswhatitis and his brother Mathew Jonson’s Wagon Repair. Nathan distinguished himself early on through his interest in experimental rhythmic structures that aligned him closer to the early works of Aphex Twin and the sound of labels like Replex and Planet Mu. Armed with a style that allows him to rework a broad range of musical sounds, Jonson has remixed such acts as Hot Hot Heat, Dominik Eulberg, and Circlesquare. His MUTEK 2010 performance precedes his debut album on Wagon Repair, “Where Did You Just Go?”, which sees him moving his interests away from the experimental fringes and toward the techno mainstream.

Today we revert back to the MUTEKLIVE podcast series, digging up MOSSA’s live set from his MUTEK 2008 appearance. Get a feel for what this artist is all about, and then hear his live performance at the Nocturne 2 showcase on Thursday June 3rd, where MOSSA will be presenting a live set rife with material from his new album, Festine, released in March 2010.

Take a listen through this year’s five NOCTURNE showcases, running Wednesday June 2 through Sunday June 6, to get a taste of the variety this series has to offer.

With his street smart and club savvy mix of syncopated and pumping Latin rhythms, Caribbean bottom end, disco and electro flourishes, Diego Morales embodies much of what has come to define the style of MATHIAS AGUAYO’S Cómeme collective.

Performing as part of the special live band on the festival’s NOCTURNE 1, DIEGORS the DJ, will kick off the festivities with a fat Latin disco set replete with crisp hand claps, sizzling riffs, and serious dancefloor grinders.

MUTEK’s A/VISIONS program is conceived as a showcase of immersive works for artists who explore the essential relationship between image and sound. One of the festival’s longest-running series, the A/VISIONS series regroup some of MUTEK’s most avant-garde and memorable performances to date.

From antique to cutting-edge technologies, richly-textured soundscapes to fiery visual experimentation, this mix gives a sneak peak at what this year’s A/VISIONS series has to offer.

>> READ [THE USER] FEATURE ARTICLE ON MUTEKMAG <<

Boulder Colorado’s Communikey festival and Belgrade, Serbia’s Dis-patch festival have teamed up to produce a unique cultural exchange. Taking off right after the Communikey festival in April, the Viceverse tour visits 14 cities in the US, with MUTEK hosting the grand finale during its Nocturne 4.

After taking a break to recharge, the Viceverse tour will start anew in the fall of 2010, focusing heavily on Eastern Europe.

Taking time out of the hectic touring schedule, Viceverse tour artist Piece of Shh has prepared an exclusive mix to give you a taste of what the Boulder-Belgrade collaboration is all about.

>> READ ALL ABOUT THE COMMUNIKEY FESTIVAL ON MUTEKMAG <<

Montrealer GUILLAUME COUTU DUMONT returns to his native city from Berlin this June, to deliver a worldwide exclusive at MUTEK’s Nocturne 4, the premiere of the live band that worked on his exceptional new album “Breaking The Fourth Wall.” Comprising fellow Montrealers NICOLAS BOUCHER (keys), SÉBASTIEN ARCAND-TOURIGNY (sax), and MARC-ANDRÉ CHARBONNEAU (guitars), the band known for this performance as The Side Effects will also feature San Francisco’s DAVE AJU on vocals.

This latest podcast lets you explore Guillaume’s past and present projects, including collaborations EGG (with JULIEN ROY), CHIC MINIATURE (with ERNESTO FERREYRA), and LUCI (with DAVID FAFARD).

A trained architect and a musician, respectively, Thomas Macintosh and Emmanuel Madan have been operating as [The User] since 1997. Based in Montreal, they have assembled a body of work that includes musical composition, audio-visual performance and sound installation.

For the first time in many years, [The User] will be presenting and performing their Symphony for Dot Matrix Printers #2, at MUTEK 2010 (A/Visions 1). Networking more than a dozen of these now obsolete machines together and running a ‘score’ of ASCII text files, the printing action produces a remarkably harmonious screech of different frequencies, pitches, and melodies.

Mauricio REBOLLEDO started DJing in 2002 and quickly developed his unique style that mixes old and new dance tracks, driven by a persistent disco groove. Playing alongside MATIAS AGUAYO at several Santanera parties at Mexico’s Playa del Carmen, the two developed a friendship that eventually saw REBOLLEDO become one of the fundamental members of AGUAYO’s Cómeme collective and label, on which he also debuted as a producer. REBOLLEDO and the Cómeme collective will be opening MUTEK’s Nocturne series on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 with their no-holds-barred bumbumbox of deep sweat and acrobatic movement, loud music and even more vocal slogannering… ¡Fiesta espontanea!

Crackhaus is an early ’00s project joining impulsive producer Stephen Beaupré with electronic dub master Scott Monteith (Deadbeat). The duo’s 2004 performance took place at MUTEK’s first ever all-night event, where the duo delivered a cheeky, redneck-inflected tech house set.

Murcof is the latest musical project by Tijuana’s Fernando Corona. Influenced by classical and electronic minimalism, Murcof works primarily with orchestral samples, processing the sound sources into new textures and fusing them with microscopic sounds and rhythms. This performance marks Murcof’s debut at MUTEK, a wonderful start to what became regular presentations of his distinct deep, introspective sound at various MUTEK events around the globe.

This marks Vancouver-based Loscil’s first MUTEK appearance. Working in ultra-minimalistic electronic dub, his ambient creations have been presented through numerous releases on Chicago’s Kranky label, as well as on compilations on labels such as Idol Tryouts and Ghostly International. With his gentle, low-key downtempo, Loscil’s 2004 performance marked the beginning of the closing night at MUTEK in 2004.

Mauricio Barembuem (aka Barem) is one of the new emerging talents of Latin American techno. Barem’s productions are based on a characteristic groove made up of synthetic samples, analogue elements and hypnotic basslines, although like most Latin American artists he never misses the chance to integrate rhythmic flourishes. This MUTEK 2008 performance marked the Canadian debut for Barem.

Highly sought-after for his productions, remixes, and performances, Sutekh is an artist that constantly pushes the limits of his sound. While not his first appearance at MUTEK, Sutekh’s 2007 performance at the MUTEK@Piknic event was a very memorable one. Sit back and enjoy his excellent performance and sense of humour, a good break from all the holiday medleys out there right now.

Coming back again Saturday’s PIKNIC 1 at MUTEK_10, we come to New York-based Brendon Moeller’s stellar and very memorable mix. Another highlight for the team this year, Moeller artfully blended influences such as dub, techno, jazz, and, of course, baaaass in a set that really got the crowd moving.

Brendon was kind enough to provide us with a few words about his set at MUTEK, complete with a tracklisting for those that want to dig deeper:

“I put together this live show to coincide with the release of my album ‘jazz junk safari’ on third ear records. However, there is also a fair representation of me as a whole. There’s the trademark dub and groove the is evident in all I do. :)

The set also includes reworkings of all the originals as well as some surprise mash ups. Enjoy!”

- Brendon Moeller

Taking a little break from minimal, we dip into the world of disco, with Parisian re-edit master Pilooski. As the final act of MUTEK_10′s Wednesday night Nocturne, Pilooski was the perfect foil for the playful atmosphere there – audience in coloured jumpers, making blue paper airplanes, playing 4-way table tennis all in yellow, or stepping into the red-room with projected moving targets taunting players sporting suction cup guns. Sounds confusing? Well, Pilooski held it all together with his old disco gems redone with a smooth electro sheen.

One of the main faces of Argentina’s rising techno scene of promising young artists is Pablo Denegri, from Buenos Aires. Having created in 2004 the audiovisual collective “Tekhne” alongside Vj Milena Pafundi and Qik, his career as a visual artist has been an active one, working for many important techno and electronic art festivals and events (Mutek, Creamfields…)

Throughout the years Pablo has also developed a distinguishable style in minimal techno-house, presenting his live sets and sharing booths with artists such as Seph, Dario Zenker, Jeremy Caulfield, Dewalta, Dilo, etc. His first performance was in Mutek Buenos Aires in 2007 and since then his name has been seen in releases of the labels Igloo-rec (Arg), Dumb Unit (Ger), Esperanza (Spain), between others.

Having gained a considerable amount of respect after two releases with Seph, his latest dub duet with Mekaz, and his position as host and resident of the underground techno hideout Aula Magna in Buenos Aires, Pablo will be presenting his live set for the first time in europe.

After a much-needed break following the intense celebration that was MUTEK_10, we’re proud to announce the return of our MUTEKLIVE podcast series! To kick off the fall we’re bringing out Thomas Fehlmann’s live daytime set from the MUTEK@Piknic event on Saturday, May 30, 2009. One of the team’s personal highlights, Fehlmann brought his very special kind of dub-techno to an enthusiastic crowd during one of the few sunny days of the MUTEK_10 festival week.

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/1055/MUTEK026_Kode_9___The_Space_Ape_Live_In_Montreal_2008_192KBPS.mp3

May 31, 2008 // Live in Montreal

www.myspace.com/kode9

Source : Mutek

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0705/MUTEK025_Deadbeat_Live_In_Montreal_2006_192kbps.mp3

June 4, 2006 // Live in Montreal

www.myspace.com/deadbeatcomputermusic
www.discogs.com/artist/Deadbeat

Source : Mutek

http://www.xlr8r.com/listen/18055/mp3/Podcast_Mix_2009_05_21.mp3

www.myspace.com/bleuchut
www.musique-risquee.com

Source : XLR8R

01 UNKLE – Trouble in Paradise Variation on a Theme (Car Craig C2 Remix)
02 Moderat – Rusty Nails
03 Jahcoozi – BLN
04 Modern Deep Left Quartet – Straight Whiskey
05 Beat Pharmacy – Club Dread Feat. Mikey Dread
06 Sideshow – If Alone Feat. Paul St.-Hilaire
07 Digital Mystikz – Neverland
08 Deadbeat – Roots and Wires
09 Thomas Fehlmann – Bienenkonigin
10 Mathew Jonson – Folding Spaces
11 John Shananigan – Bounce the Blue Feat. Skat Man Doo
12 G and The CD – They Only Come Out at Night (Horror Inc Remix)
13 Trus’ Me – Tony Does What Tony Wants
14 The Mole – Again the B
15 Gas – Gas 1
16 NSI. – 4
17 The Fun Years – Auto Show Day of the Dead

Another treasure from 2008 makes up MUTEKMIX004, in this case a fantastic daytime DJ mix by dubstep-techno fusionist Martyn , who was then still a little-known mover getting ready to take off. This set catches him just as he’s about to make the leap to dubsteps forefront.

http://www.mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0704/MUTEKMIX003_Jeremy_P._Caulfield_Live_In_Montreal_2007_192kbps.mp3

May 30, 2008 // Live Mix in Montreal

Another gem from the 2008 Savoy Room, where many of the scene’s more underground figures turn in potent antitodes to the Metropolis main room’s more accessible fare. This time out, we listen in on Canadian expat and Dumb-Unit head honcho Jeremy P. Caulfield as he lays down a blistering DJ mix of minimal techno’s most refined tracks.

www.myspace.com/jpcaulfield

Source : Mutek

http://beta.mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0698/MUTEK023_Dave_Aju_Live_In_Montreal_2007_192kbps.mp3

With only six more podcasts to go until the launch of MUTEK_10, we skip back to last year’s festival and the appearance of San Francisco’s Dave Aju, who rocked the Savoy Room on the Friday night, setting the tone for a memorable evening to follow.

www.myspace.com/daveaju

Source : Mutek

For the twenty-first installment of the podcast, we look back to the contemporary history of Canadian electronic music and find ourselves back at MUTEK 2006′s Nocturne 3 with Montrealer Stephen Beaupré, who was just then releasing his debut album on MUTEK_Rec, Foe Destroyer.

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0499/MUTEK021_Stephen_Beaupr%C3%A9_Live_In_Montreal_2006_192kbps.mp3

Source : Mutek

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0697/MUTEK022_Ric_Y_Martin_Live_In_Montreal_2001_.mp3

May 31, 2001 // Mix in Montreal

With just over two weeks left to go till MUTEK_10, we break out the big guns with an ultra-rare gem from the early years: a 2001 live mix by none other than Ricardo Villalobos and Dandy Jack!

Source : Mutek

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0467/MUTEK019_Henrik_Schwarz_Live_In_MOntreal_192kbps.mp3

Mike Shannon vs Jay Hunsberger
MUTEKLIVE017
January 10, 2004 // Live in Valparaiso, Chile

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0465/MUTEK017_Mike_Shannon_And_Jay_Hunsberger_Live_In_Chile_2004_192kbps.mp3

Alex Under
MUTEKLIVE016
June 2, 2006 // Live in Montreal

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0463/MUTEK016_Alex_Under_Live_in_Montreal_192kbps.mp3

Pan/Tone
MUTEKLIVE015
June 3, 2005 // Live in Montreal

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0430/Tone_Live_In_Montreal_2005_192kbps.mp3

Mathew Jonson
MUTEKLIVE014
June 4, 2005 // Live in Montreal

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0394/MUTEK014_Mathew_Jonson_Live_In_Montreal_2005_192kbps.mp3

Vladislav Delay
MUTEKLIVE 013
June 9, 2000 // Live in Montreal

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0287/MUTEK013_Vladislav_Delay_Live_In_Montreal_2000_192kbps.mp3

(From Mutek)

http://mutek.org/system/audio/0003/0483/MUTEK020_Byetone_Live_In_Montreal_2000_192kbps.mp3

For the twentieth installment of MUTEKLIVE, we preview the A\VISIONS 4 appearance by Raster-Noton’s Byetone by looking back ten years to this haunting live performance at the first-ever MUTEK.

An alumni of MUTEK’s first and fifth editions, as well as our numerous excursions into Latin America, Bender perhaps best embodies MUTEK’s twin ambitions to find music that naturally appeals to adventurous ears while at the same time providing the instinctual kick that is at the core of rhythm.

Byetone will be performing along with Ryoji Ikeda + Carsten Nicolai – cyclo., Atom TM, and Alva Noto on Saturday, May 30th, at the Society for Arts and Technology. Tickets are $25 CDN, and the show starts at 8pm.

www.myspace.com/benderbyetone

(From Mutek)