Article content As Montreal comes down from the dance music rave-up that was ÎleSoniq, our city’s more cerebral electronic music festival prepares celebrate a quarter century. Mutek marks 25 years of digital creativity and electronic music with a panoply of live performances by cutting-edge DJs, producers and audiovisual artists, Aug. 20-25.
Those looking for a way into the challenging programming should drop by the Esplanade Tranquille, the cosy free outdoor stage tucked at the corner of Clark St. and Ste-Catherine St. W.
, where Mutek has lined up stellar talent that would usually be playing big indoor ticketed shows, each evening from 5 to 11 p.m. as part of its Expérience series.
“For years we had outdoor stages here and there,” said Mutek founder Alain Mongeau. “We had no fixed address. But the Esplanade Tranquille was a perfect place to land.
As soon as we got there, the magic began to happen. It’s as if the heart of the festival found its home. The rest of Mutek radiates from there.
” Starting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday’s opening night lineup features a set by west-coast Canadian jazz-house guru Mathew Jonson , who will also be performing indoors with his live band Cobblestone Jazz , Friday at the SAT as part of the Nocturne 4 program.
“He could have done MTelus during prime time,” Mongeau said. “But we decided to put him there as a gift to people.” Montreal electronic music star Marie Davidson performs for free on the Esplanade Tranquille on Thursda.