Welcome to the 24th edition of MUTEK Montreal! This year, we have prepared a playlist that showcases local and international artists from the electronic and digital scene, and we hope you will enjoy the diversity of the artists and musical styles it presents. Get ready to immerse yourself in a unique sonic experience as you await the live performances from August 22nd to 27th at the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal.

MUTEK Édition 24

10 Sounds of Life Scince

Animistic Beliefs - MERDEKA

With their profound take on electronic music, Animistic Beliefs have steadily solidified their spot in the global underground. Influenced by cultural concepts such as ancestry, animism and mythology, as well as the languages of political techno, punk, bubbling and IDM, Linh Luu and Marvin Lalihatu consistently translate their visions into sensitive productions as well as high-octane live performances. On their new record, MERDEKA, the artists explore and embrace their cultural heritage in all of its pride, pain and complexity. MERDEKA symbolizes Animistic Beliefs’ breaking free, coming to terms with their changing selves and letting go of external expectations. The record rethinks childhood memories, confronts the generational trauma left by (post-)colonialism, and re-connects Linh and Marvin – respectively of Vietnamese-Chinese and Dutch-Moluccan descent – with their formative cultures. 

MERDEKA marks their first step in an overall departure from western club music. For its layered sound, Animistic Beliefs once again draw from the past, present and future of global club music, creating a sonic space where fast techno, warped breakbeats and ambient soundscapes make way for the augmented influence of (Southeast Asian) tribal music. 
The record incorporates Indonesian scales and recordings of 
the Tahuri (a wind instrument made out of a conch shell), Totobuang (Gamelan-like gongs) and Tifa drums, known as ‘the Moluccan heartbeat’. 
There is no audible distinction between old and new, between organic and digital, between instrumentation and voice. 
It is through words that the artists further touch on their experience; To Dream About Water opens with a stirring spoken word fragment by Marvin, marking the first time his voice is recognizably featured, whereas Khi Minh Gap Lai (‘Until We Meet Again’) centres on a Vietnamese poem by Linh, in which she beseeches her ancestors and finds a safe haven for unanswered questions. 

In true Animistic Beliefs fashion, MERDEKA will set fire to sweltering clubs and (sleepless) dreams. Yet, for the artists, it is essential to amplify the stories that spark that flame and keep it burning. 
The release of MERDEKA follows CACHE/SPIRIT, their ongoing collaboration with visual artist Jeisson Drenth, which extensively explores the artists’ intersectional identities. As such, the latest album is the next step within a bigger, introspective investigation. More unapologetic than ever, MERDEKA embodies a turning point on Animistic Beliefs’ ongoing journey towards self-acceptance – fuelled by the sound of urgency. 
credits
released August 26, 2022 

Written and produced by: Marvin Lalihatu and Linh Luu 
Artwork by: Don Elektro 
Mastered by: Rashad Becker

Poetry In Earthly Whispers

Fresh off the back of her recent DJ Kicks compilation release and an EP for Shall Not Fade in 2021, Cinthie returns to Will Saul’s Aus imprint for her first EP release of 2022, once again delivering her raw, energetic House sound to the world. Title-cut ‘Light A Fire’ leads the way and lays down organic drums, hypnotic vocal lines and choppy stab sequences alongside bumpy bass tones, intricately unfolding synth swells, resonant bleeps, and dynamic delays, resulting in a big sun-drenched anthem to perfectly set the tone. ‘Keeping Strong’ follows next and employs classic House tropes via gritty string stabs, plucked bass notes and dubbed out vocal cuts, running atop skippy, swinging drums for six and a half minutes. ‘Everything’ then rounds out the release, diving deeper this time as Cinthie employs dubbed out chords, weighty subs, crunchy percussion, and cinematic, elongated strings swells, concluding the release with a smooth, emotive feel.
BUY:
https://www.decks.de/track/cinthie-light_a_fire/ck3-sd
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/cinthie-light-a-fire/896635-01/
https://www.phonicarecords.com/product/view/182704

PREMIERE: Cinthie - Keeping Strong [Aus Music]

Taken from: .VRIL - Animist - Delsin Records - 152dsr

pre-order
vinyl: https://www.delsinrecords.com/release/7286/vril/animist
digital: https://vrilofficial.bandcamp.com/album/animist

Channelling his own explorations in search of the soul inside the machine, VRIL draws from the deep well of his live performances to present his third LP for Delsin, Animist. Inside lie 12 pieces which seem to probe at the unknowable distance between tangible consciousness and the astral plane, imbuing even the most seemingly synthetic of materials with a living essence. Given his illustrious back catalogue, it’s no surprise to hear VRIL conjure explicitly electronic music with such loaded emotional impact and seemingly organic animus, but in the process he also toys with the idea of how far the technology’s spiritual potential can reach.

Artwork by Daniel M. Diaz.

Buy @ Delsin Shop

.VRIL - Zūkunftsstrāße (taken from 152DSR)

She looked underneath her bed. Her parents were snoring from across the hall. From beneath her bed, two iridescent eyeballs peered back at her. The monster was awake. She reached into her nightgown pocket and pulled out a packet of BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF: SENSATIONAL STRAWBERRY BUBBLEGUM and slid it across the floorboards.

The monster seized the packet, and emptied the entire packet of gum into his cave-like mouth. The flavours erupted on his taste buds, his eyes widened and his fur stood static. Taking a deep inhale of breath, he blew a bubble bigger than his head. The girl reached out, popping it with her finger. The gum ruptured, showering the monster’s fur with a blanket of pink.

Based in the Netherlands, Carmen Jaci is a French-Canadian producer exploring the fragmented nature of memories from the frivolous days of childhood. On her newest album ‘Happy Child’, Jaci continues to surprise and provoke with her nostalgic loop-based sonic elements. Out this spring on Noumenal Loom, the LP reflects on childlike wonder and welcomes listeners into a surreal universe through Jaci’s eccentrically layered synthesizers and vocal recordings.

PREMIERE: Carmen Jaci - oh ah eh ih ah oh [Noumenal Loom]

Composed by no.9
Played Guitar by Tomoya Ito & no.9

staff credit:
creative direction and project management: artless Inc.
planning, art direction, curation, interview : shun kawakami, artless
web design and programming: logram Inc.
video: GLMV
client: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.,ltd.
web: www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/10_sounds/artist/no_9/

time and days - for 10 SOUNDS OF LIFE SCIENCE Ver by no.9

Composed by Jemapur

staff credit:
creative direction and project management: artless Inc.
planning, art direction, curation, interview : shun kawakami, artless
web design and programming: logram Inc.
video: GLMV
client: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.,ltd.
web: www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/10_sounds/artist/jemapur/

Microprocess  - for 10 SOUNDS OF LIFE SCIENCE Ver by Jemapur

Composed by blanc.

staff credit:
creative direction and project management: artless Inc.
planning, art direction, curation, interview : shun kawakami, artless
web design and programming: logram Inc.
video: GLMV
client: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.,ltd.
web: www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/10_sounds/artist/blanc/

ElectronicAlternativeExperimental


Closer - for 10 SOUNDS OF LIFE SCIENCE Ver by blanc.

Composed by Open Reel Ensemble

staff credit:
creative direction and project management: artless Inc.
planning, art direction, curation, interview : shun kawakami, artless
web design and programming: logram Inc.
video: GLMV
client: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.,ltd.
web: www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/10_sounds/artist/open_reel_ensemble/

Otemachi Recording Ensemble - for 10 SOUNDS OF LIFE SCIENCE Ver by Open Reel Ensemble

Composed by 高木正勝

staff credit:
creative direction and project management: artless Inc.
planning, art direction, curation, interview : shun kawakami, artless
web design and programming: logram Inc.
video: GLMV
client: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.,ltd.
web: www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/10_sounds/artist/masakatsu_takagi/

Cosmos Piano - for 10 SOUNDS OF LIFE SCIENCE Ver by 高木正勝

Pre-order the album here: https://smarturl.it/volumemassimo

Amore Amaro is taken from the forthcoming studio album VOLUME MASSIMO. 
Released on Mute 27 September 2019.

Volume Massimo Live-AV tour includes:

30 August - Atonal, Berlin
8 September - Up to Date Festival, Białystok
14 September - Draaimolen, Tilburg
22 September - TBA, Japan
28 September - Sonica, Ljubljana
19 October - Barbican, London
20 October -  LEV Matadero, Madrid
21 October - St Paul`s Sessions, Athens
25 October - Semibreve, Braga
6 November - Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm
8 November - Mira Digital Arts Festival, Barcelona
30 November - KoncertKirken, Copenhagen
6 December - Monk, Rome
7 December - Argo 16, Venice
11 December - Bozar Electronic Series, Brussels
11 April -  Concertgebouw, Bruges

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