MUTEK 2010, Day Zero

Cold opening. I'm back at MUTEK (and in Montreal) for the first time in seven years. It's amazing to think about how long ago that was, and yet in many ways it feels like it just happened yesterday. Maybe it's because that festival was so important in defining my musical tastes for much of the past decade. Maybe it's because Montreal seemingly hasn't changed at all in seven years (it's scary!).

Each year I attended, writing up the happenings at MUTEK from 2001-2003 became more exhausting. It's something that I can't imagine doing ever again. I don't write the same way any more, I'm too fussy and perfectionist these days, I no longer have the willpower to write two thousand off-the-cuff words for each day of the festival, taking notes sometimes during the gigs, writing up my thoughts between sets, running to the computer at the end of the day to while memories are fresh. That's not happening this time, I'd procrastinate and never finish.

This time it will be different. I always regretted that I never took any pictures during any of the three MUTEK's I attended. In 2003 in particular, I struggled to describe the visual elements of each performance, my vocabulary barely managing to keep up with the rapid evolution of ideas for accompanying electronic music. At these gigs, the eyes had become equally important as the ears, both senses were absolutely necessary for experiencing what the festival had to offer.

MUTEK banner on St. Laurent, flanked by Montreal's wonderfully seedy institutions. I love this city.

So this time, I'm going to present a photo essay of MUTEK. I'll do my best to provide no more than fifty words of commentary for any one photo. I don't want the pressure of writing about the festival this year, instead, I'm going to take on the possibly equal pressure (or greater pressure, considering that I'm a complete amateur) of telling my story through photographs.

This could fail miserably. But I'm going to give it a try.