Things are booming at Mutek. Montreal\u2019s festival of electronic music and digital arts has long existed on the cutting edge of club culture, but its popularity has soared in recent years. The 27th edition, which runs Aug. 25 to 30, is gearing up to be the biggest yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set an attendance record for our 25th edition in 2024,\u201d said festival director Alain Mongeau. \u201cLast year, we maintained the same level, it didn\u2019t go down. This year, sales are up 30 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n
What more, 68 per cent of festival passes and weekend packages were sold to people who live outside Quebec.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat positions the event as an attraction in North America,\u201d Mongeau said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an impressive feat for a festival that programs boundary-pushing acts that are far from the mainstream DJ fare you\u2019ll find at \u00celeSoniq and Ibiza. Connected to Mutek\u2019s overall growth is the surging popularity of its free outdoor programming, which since 2022 has been presented on the Esplanade Tranquille.<\/p>\n
The entirely renovated square at the corner of Clark and Ste. Catherine Sts., which is also used by the jazz festival and other events, doubles as a skating rink in winter. The venue has become a festive hub for Mutek, attracting over 15,000 people on weekend nights in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince we were able to set up at the Esplanade Tranquille, everything has come together,\u201d Mongeau said. \u201cIt\u2019s so convivial. It has really become a carrefour, where all our crowds mix and where everyone meets up daily as of 5 p.m. Given that we can go until midnight each night, it has become the backbone of our programming. It\u2019s a free entry point to the festival and an invitation to dig into the different dimensions of our indoor programming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the free offerings at the Esplanade Tranquille this year are Berlin-based British artist Barker<\/a>, who brings his ambient techno to the stage Tuesday evening alongside Toronto duo Pick a Piper<\/a>, featuring Caribou touring drummer Brad Webber and singer-songwriter Sophia Alexandra.<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s program is headlined by Barcelona DJ-producer-vocalist Zora Jones<\/a>, formerly of Fractal Fantasy, in her first solo performance. Friday offers a treat as veteran British house producer and activist Matthew Herbert<\/a> closes out the day.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Herbert performs three times during the festival, where he will present material from his forthcoming work theukhasmorefoodbanksthanbranchesofmcdonalds.com. Mongeau names the artist as one of his \u201cpersonal highlights\u201d of this year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s an artist who was super important for Mutek during its first 10 to 15 years. We presented him in many configurations. Then he stopped travelling for ecological reasons. Now, because of the realities of the music industry, he has accepted to travel sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Herbert also plays Wednesday night at the SAT as part of the Nocturne 1 program, which runs from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., and again on Sunday at the SAT, teaming up with Swiss percussionist Julian Sartorius<\/a> as part of the Nocturne 5 program, 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.<\/p>\n True to its electronic music roots, shows run late into the night at Mutek. \u201cIt\u2019s always been like that,\u201d Mongeau said, noting that Montreal\u2019s evolving bylaws regarding opening hours for bars have allowed the festival to go extra late on the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always conceived Mutek to force people to take a vacation during the festival,\u201d he added, noting that the event wraps early compared to European festivals like Berlin\u2019s CTM and Krak\u00f3w\u2019s Onsound, \u201cwhich go until 8 a.m. every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The biggest name in this year\u2019s edition is Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills<\/a>, who performs Friday night at MTelus as part of the dance floor-oriented M\u00e9tropolis 1 series, which goes from 10 p.m. to 4:45 a.m.<\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum, for the first time in over a decade, Mutek takes over the Maison symphonique this year with three nights of programming that will take listeners on a sonic journey.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are performances that will benefit from the auditory qualities of the Maison symphonique,\u201d Mongeau said, naming an evening with Montreal\u2019s Kara-Lis Coverdale<\/a> and Colorado-born, Stockholm-based composer and musician Kali Malone<\/a>, who will both be playing the Maison symphonique\u2019s Grand Orgue Pierre-B\u00e9ique as part of the X\/Visions 1 program on Thursday from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.<\/p>\n