This text is part of the MUTEK special edition
Twenty-five years after its creation in 2000, MUTEK still occupies a unique place in the world, thanks to an artistic community as effervescent as it is unifying, from Montreal to Tokyo, via Buenos Aires and Mexico.
The festival of digital creativity and electronic music, which will take place from August 20 to 25 in Montreal, is indeed reaching far beyond its home city, with its network now expanding across North and South America, Asia and Europe. Mexico City, Barcelona, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Dubai and Santiago are all now vibrating to the rhythm of their own MUTEK.
MUTEK.MX, ES, JP, AR, AE and CL, which respectively highlight their 20e15e9e7e3e and 2e editions this year, are orchestrated by independent teams who spread the MUTEK spirit by promoting local artists.
These global ramifications of the festival are today the cornerstone of its influence beyond Quebec’s borders.
And MUTEK, which cultivates relationships with other events celebrating digital creation (Transart, in Italy; Sonica, in the United Kingdom; and Hellerau, in Germany), continues to develop its international network, notably by welcoming more than a hundred programmers to each Montreal edition.
Organic growth
This global growth was not premeditated by MUTEK founder Alain Mongeau, who is also its artistic and general director. “We were never in the business of expanding and exporting,” he says in an interview. Instead, the festival grew very organically. “People were so affected by it that they wanted to take a graft from the festival and transplant it to their homes,” he explains.
Cadie Desbiens-Desmeules, who has performed within the MUTEK network for a decade, corroborates the words of the man who has become a friend over time.
“It’s such an experience fun and contagious that people just wanted to do it somewhere else,” says the artist, who has an unwavering love for MUTEK, to the point of wanting to bring it to Lisbon, Portugal, his adopted city. “I want the Portuguese to show their work in Tokyo, Buenos Aires… That’s what’s coolthese are really exchanges.”
MUTEK has managed to remain faithful to its original mission, which was to explore the possibilities of the junction between festive music and research music.
A community
Guillaume Coutu Dumont, a musician and composer playing with Auflassen and Flabbergast, found a community in the festival’s early days, “before Internet 2.0,” he recalls. “MUTEK allowed Montreal artists to interact with artists from elsewhere and create connections. It also helped us export ourselves.”
The MUTEK network, rich in decisive encounters, had a colossal impact on Cadie Desbiens-Desmeules’ career. “I met a lot of people: artists, curators.”
“A lot of institutions are interested in MUTEK too,” she notes. “It’s a very artistic festival. Yes, there are DJ setsbut there are also exhibitions, forums. The projects push technology, visuals or sound in order to develop digital creativity as much as possible. All of this creates a really strong experience.
Far from being aimed solely at night owls who love the dance floor, MUTEK, which is a non-profit organization, has established itself as the essential showcase for the most avant-garde projects.
“All the money goes to the productions,” the multimedia artist emphasizes. “We have the best sound systems, the best video projections. It’s rare, a festival like MUTEK that allows you to show your work in the best possible conditions. MUTEK is known as the best of the best.”
“MUTEK has managed to stay true to its original mission, which was to explore the possibilities of the junction between festive music and research music,” adds Guillaume Coutu Dumont. In his opinion, artists evolving at this intersection would not be able to enjoy such visibility otherwise.
Ambassadors
If MUTEK today reflects the cultural effervescence on a global scale, Alain Mongeau is delighted that it also promotes local artists, an integral part of its DNA. “They are ambassadors of the festival,” says the founder, struck by another plant metaphor. “They are a bit like the fertilizer of the festival.”
“The cross-pollination of influences, through MUTEK’s antennas and connections, has created a wealth over time,” he continues. “It helped put Montreal on the map and to develop the local creative community. And it is of international caliber.”
“I don’t think I would be in Europe right now without MUTEK,” concludes Cadie Desbiens-Desmeules. “My gratitude is immense.”
A reflection of Montreal’s vitality
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.