Mutek has a cult following among electronic music enthusiasts with a taste for the experimental. The festival, founded in Montreal nearly two decades ago, is also a mainstay in Mexico City, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires, and also recently debuted in Tokyo and Dubai. This May, it’s making its (long overdue) trip stateside May 3-6 in San Francisco — which seems like a natural fit for its eclectic programming at the nexus of art, music, and tech.
San Francisco has had a thriving underground electronic music scene since the rave era of the ’90s, but fans and artists often complain that it doesn’t get the same level of recognition as cities like New York. That could change with the arrival of this internationally acclaimed electronic music platform, the inaugural San Francisco event of which features many local artists alongside big names.
In addition to veteran ambient producer Tim Hecker and Detroit techno pioneer Derrick May, artists to look forward to include Russell E.L. Butler, an Oakland-based producer of vibrant, textural club music; Watkins / Peacock, a new improvisational trance duo featuring Oakland composer Zachary James Watkins of Black Spirituals; and San Francisco producer Christina Chatfield, who works with ambient sounds and a techno backbeat.
Mutek’s program of events includes dance parties, audiovisual performances, workshops, and interactive art experiences across nine Bay Area venues including Bimbo’s, the Midway, Heron Arts, Gray Area and more. More details and tickets can be found here.
