Monsieurmadam
Google Monsieurmadam and you’ll likely land on Roger Hargreaves’ legendary children’s book series (Monsieur Madame), originally known as Mr. Men and Little Miss. But the music of Montréal multidisciplinary artist Monsieurmadam is anything but children’s fare. Through club and experimental music, it celebrates a multifaceted identity that is both non-binary and diasporic.
Evoking both rave and ballroom culture, their MUTEK performance took on the feel of a celebration, especially when they slipped into the crowd to show off a few dance moves—and a little voguing.
Photo by Nina Gibelin Souchon / MUTEK
Pick a Piper
Brad Weber is an exceptional drummer—the one Dan Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou) personally chose to join him on tour. Sophia Alexandra, meanwhile, weaves her ethereal vocals into the mixes and bass and garage tracks the pair create together.
The Toronto duo delivered an energetic, contrast-rich performance at Esplanade Tranquille. Their set was defined by Sophia Alexandra’s soft yet assured vocals, alongside her bandmate’s vigorous, almost athletic drumming. The result is a transcendent sound that feels entirely their own.
Photo by Vivien Gaumand / MUTEK
MUTEK Forum
MUTEK also has a professional component: the MUTEK Forum. This year, SOCAN presented a timely discussion on an issue that is both top of mind and a source of concern for its members: artificial intelligence. The panel focused specifically on the questions of transparency and ethics surrounding generative AI technologies.
The panel brought together Sean Power (Musical AI), Margaret McGuffin (Music Publishers Canada), Jesse McKee (221A), Paul McCabe (Roland Corporation), and music journalist Melissa Vincent, a PhD candidate in Data, Networks, and Society at the London School of Economics.
Photo by Felix Bonnevie / MUTEK
Alan Harman
Close your eyes and imagine being transported to another dimension, travelling through time and space to the Eastern Bloc at the height of the Cold War. Entirely analog and deliberately anachronistic, Alan Harman’s cold wave is gloriously retrofuturist, driven by his cavernous baritone and lyrics that are every bit as dark.
In other words: his compositions sound like a Soviet nightmare—in the best possible way.
Photo by Alan Harman / MUTEK
//Suggested Read: Six Acts to Discover During MUTEK