Regular readers of tQ might remember that our friends at MUTEK helpfully had someone handy with a tape recorder to capture Factory Floor's comeback set at the 2024 edition of the festival. Well, we're happy to report that they've done done the same again, this time with one of our favourite collaborative duos – James Holden and Wacław Zimpel. The intense, beautiful and burbling set, with modular synths and saxophone dancing in all the bright ecstasy of a winter mountain stream, can be listened to on our Soundcloud below.  " i remember i really enjoyed this one, it was the first show we'd had for a little while and felt quite flowy, a nice connected feeling," reflected James Holden, and his musical partner agrees: "I really loved it," Wacław Zimpel says, "it's always quite amazing to play again after longer break. Breaks gives a room for new ideas to grow spontaneously." They both praise preceding sets by Yu Su and Valentina Magaletti for setting "a great vibe at the venue," as Zimpeł puts it. It came on top of a fine stay in Montreal for the festival. "We immersed ourselves in the local cuisine – poutine – and then climbed the big hill. at the top a guy with a fluorescent cargo bike and a poodle in (also fluorescent) ankle warmers turned up, pumping 90s house out of a Bluetooth speaker. We felt like we'd completed Canada, achievement unlocked."

James Holden & Wacław Zimpel live at MUTEK Montreal 2025

Waclaw Zimpel - alto clarinet
Giridhar Udupa - ghatam
Bharghava Halambi - khanjira
K Raja - thavil
Mysore N. Karthik - violin.

01 Daydream - Saagara 2

02 Sping Feaver - Saagara 2

03 Hoofbeat - Saagara 2

Waclaw Zimpel - alto clarinet
Giridhar Udupa - ghatam
Bharghava Halambi - khanjira
K Raja - thavil
Mysore N. Karthik - violin

04 Uprise - Saagara 2

05 Hot Blooded - Saagara 2

06 Ebb And Flow - Saagara 2

07 Lanes - Saagara 2

08 Morphidia - Saagara 2

Saagara is a confluence of two different musical worlds, uniting five dynamic virtuosos on a single stage. The project has a stellar cast featuring Waclaw Zimpel, Giridhar Udupa, Bhargava Halambi, K Raja, and Mysore N Karthik. It is the meeting of two of the world's oldest systems of music - Indian and European.

08 Morphidia - Saagara 2

Saagara

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