5 Mutek Shows to Watch in 2015 (as picked by Mutek Artists)

We were considering putting together our suggestions for the 16th edition of the Montreal Mutek Festival (May 27th to 31st). As usual picking through the stacked line-up of interesting music, talks and visual projects is quite a challenge.

A few names that come to mind are Andy Stott, Anthony Naples, Débruit, Kode 9, Millie & Andrea (Andy Stott’s project with Miles Whitaker of Demdike Stare) and lots more.

Instead, we thought of switching it up: We picked our 5 favorite Montreal artists on the Mutek 2015 lineup to pick the one show they would highly recommend

BOWLY presents OJBP

@ShareyBowly: “It’s a tough one finding THE show I’m most excited about since there are tons of highlights in this program that has me salivating. So I’ll go for the most bang for your buck of REAL live action (which is the concept at MUTEK) with Nocturne 5 Deap Ease (Nocturne 4 being an extremely close contender). Main reason being that Session Victim’s live in a league of its own as far as music, liveness and (almost too much) energy is concerned; Cobblestone Jazz has Matthew Jonson’s in it (enough said) and the homie Réservoir has been owning his skills for live sets for a while and knows how to deliver.”

BOUNDARY

@PoirierSound: My choice would have to be Andy Stott. I saw him play the last time he was at Mutek and I just can’t miss this one. I love his rapport to textures, with ambient music and his general approach to all shades of electronic music. Having grown up listening to all of releases on Warp, I feel he’s carrying the torch of the 90’s sound and spirit while adding his own flavour to it. I’m also very curious to see his other side project Millie & Andrea, also on the Mutek lineup this year! (P.S: Shoot out to Pheek who is also performing. I love his “White Raven” record)

PROJECT PABLO

@Project_Pablo: I’m really looking forward to PLAY 1 :: DADA SALON on Friday night after my set. More specifically I’m excited to see sets by Ramzi and Kara-Lis Cloverdale. I’ve been really enjoying Kara’s tape on Sacred Phrases, and I’ve heard Ramzi’s set is very immersive and unique. I haven’t had a chance to see either, and it’s a treat to hear both on a great system!

BASSILUS C

Bassilus C: MUTEK is a source of great discoveries every year, so I might just have to answer the same question after the festival! Other than the Umeda projects presented during the A/Vision 1, the performance i’m definitely not missing is the duo known as Kiasmos. I discovered Olafur Arnalds from his collaborations with Nils Frahm, during a period where I listened to tons of classical piano. At the time he was releasing only a few bits under the Kiasmos project. I really appreciated the very melodious compositions that somehow keep a dancefloor mentality. The Kiasmos record is on heavy rotation in my headphones since last year so i’m very curious to see what the live show will be like.

P. TRAFFORD

P.Trafford: My pick would have to be Fumiya Tanaka (DJ Set) – Tanaka developed a unique tribal techno style in the late 90s, which was quite inspiring for me. his more recent work opened my ears to the depth of groove possible with minimal elements. for me, he’s one of the most inspiring artists. Looking fwd to hearing him grace the decks at metropolis on saturday night.

Mutek 2015 Website