Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer, Bugge Wesseltoft & Henrik Schwarz, Atom™& Tobias, Reagenz and Rrose headline a star studded program dedicated to exceptional live performances
An exhilarating list of master electronic artists lead the first wave of names for MUTEK.ES taking place March 1- 5 2016, in Barcelona.
Several prestigious duo projects are the soul of a program that emphasizes collaboration and chemistry, improvisation and musicianship. Once again, premieres and debuts figure heavily in this year’s curation, bringing to Barcelona audiences unique and exclusive performances from established artists in the immaculate and considered context that MUTEK provides every year.
AFLOAT (ES) / ATOM™ & TOBIAS (DE) / BUGGE WESSELTOFT & HENRIK SCHWARZ (NO/DE) / GERD JANSON (DE) /HENRIK SCHWARZ (DE) / REAGENZ (DE /US) / RROSE (US) / SHIGETO (US) / VAGHE STELLE (IT) / VALENTIN STIP (CA) / VILOD (RICARDO VILLALOBOS & MAX LODERBAUER) (DE)
Ricardo Villalobos looms large as a figurehead of contemporary techno but his singularity and ingenuity as a producer and experimentalist also runs through his six year old project with seasoned electronics savant Max Loderbauer. MUTEK is thrilled top resent Vilod’s premiere in Barcelona, with a modular based performance, described as a “ zero-gravity playground where rhythms roam free.”
The worlds of Norwegian jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoftand German electronic monarch Henrik Schwarz meld in their first appearance in the city together. Their club meets concert hall, “ soft-spoken fusion of jazz, classical and electronica” unfolds as a conversation between the two, and promises tobe a major highlight of this year’s festival. Two wizards of precision machine music, Atom™and Tobias bring their acclaimed live set to MUTEK.ES after stunning recent renditions at MUTEK Montréal and Mexico City —it’s anunmissable illustration of big room masters at work. The cosmic disco inflected duo of Move Dand Jonah Sharpeas Reagenz, also makes its first appearance in Barcelona.
A project with roots going back more than 20 years, their set promises a largely improvised and epic workout of celestial rhythm and mood. Other outstanding performers in this first wave include the enigmatic, gender bending Rrose, whose psychoacoustic frequencies and tension-laden set will entrance and transport; the shimmering downtempo, future hiphop ofShigeto who premieres with sounds derived from his latest album on Ghostly; a rare solo live performance for Barcelona from Innervisions luminary Henrik Schwarz; and a DJ set from the veteran Gerd Janson, a resident of Robert Johnson and Panorama Bar whose eclectic mixes are legendary.
As always, MUTEK Barcelona remains committed to cultivating connections to the local scene, and this year the festival welcomes back one of Catalunya’s key audiovisual artists —nev.era, premiering with Afloat. Sitting somewhere between neoclassical and electroacoustic tendencies, Afloat is a duo project revolving around piano and electronics which willcomplement perfectly the program starring Wesseltoft and Schwarz.
Italian producer Vaghe Stelle also makes a triumphant return with a live performance showcasing his new release on Nicolas Jaar’s Other People label. Linking back to MUTEK Montréal this year, is a new live set from Valentin Stip, another protégée of Jaar’s, whose textural, melodic, spatial sounds first landed in Barcelona as part of a Québec – Catalunya exchange three years ago. Again this year, the splendid setting of the Factory Estrella Damm will host major performances and activities, with programming split over three spaces.
Exceptionally, the main performance room willbe outfitted with special sound rigging and technology by Intorno Lab who are providing a system for 3D audio that will enhance a program already teeming with opportunities tobe moved by live electronic music. In the coming weeks more artists names willbe released along with details about venues, special programming and free events.
