“We identify very good artists who do not sell a ticket until two or three years later,” explains Alberto Nerone, director of the Mutek Barcelona electronic music festival, with a laugh, to define one of the essences of the digital creativity festival that this year celebrates the 15th anniversary of its Barcelona edition, where image and sound will meet with a program designed to grow in its groundbreaking proposals with the presence of high-level artists such as Daito Manabe, Ricardo Villalobos or Autechre, who open with a completely dark concert in the room Apolo, the festival that will fill the city of Barcelona with electronic music from this Tuesday until next Saturday.
What was born in 2010 as an attempt to transfer to Barcelona the spirit of the Montreal main festival, cradle of the most groundbreaking electronic proposals at an international level, has consolidated itself as an author’s competition that, along with names like Mira, occupies the intermediate space between clubbing and the big electronic music festivals. In an edition with fewer shows (in total there will be 29 performances) but of greater significance, Mutek Barcelona will distribute its offer between the Apolo, Paral·lel 62, Antiga Fàbrica Damm and Roca Gallery venues, in addition to the nightly DJ sessions that will take place held on Friday and Saturday at the Nitsa club with the presence of Actress, Pantha du Prince, Hatis Noit, Maher Daniel, Michelle, Sofia Kourtesis, Nick León
“Within digital creativity we are the festival that has exported the most artists, we are talking about more than a hundred who have played not only in the other Mutek, but in a wide network of festivals such as Unsound, TodaysArt or festivals in New York and Los Angeles,” comments Nerone to highlight the festival’s work as a disseminator of new proposals, a trademark of the house since the first edition held in 2010, then as Mini Mutek. The diminutive has become small and over the years it has consolidated itself together with its brothers from Montreal, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Chile and Tokyo to weave a network of collaborations that distances them from the concept of a franchised festival. “We survive because we have a network and we use shared resources, our webmaster is in Montreal, our designer in Mexico, if we put them all together we are more than 25 people who work in a completely linear way.”
The result of this work is the arrival in Barcelona of artists like Autechre, the legendary Manchester duo formed by Sean Booth and Rob Brown known for their minimalist sound that opens fire at the Apolo. The Japanese Daito Manabe, one of the most innovative multimedia artists in the world, will present his new show after projects as risky as the one in which he made the muscles of his face dance, connected by cables to a computer. For his part, Ricardo Villalobos, one of the most reputable DJs and most connected to Mutek, will offer his DJ set in the most fun part of the festival. Joining them will be artists such as designer Ezra Miller, who premieres his latest real-time generative art project in Spain. The also Japanese Hatis Noit will offer a tour of her career where she combines the classic Western ambient atmosphere and Japanese folk. Or the interdisciplinary artist Sian Fan, who combines movement, the female body and technology to explore the human experience in the digital age.
The crossover between the artistic and musical aspects is reflected in proposals such as ‘Impulse’, by Martin Messier, which stars in the ‘Sculpted with Light’ series.
In total, 57 Catalan organizations have registered to participate in the symposia that will be held throughout the festival, and which under the title “Nurturing Networks in Digital Creativity” focuses on the fabric of collaborative networks to develop an ecosystem of digital creativity. solidary. “In the dimension in which we operate, without networks projects like ours will not be viable, everything will be very cannibalized between niche and underground proposals and other very commercial ones,” warns Nerone. In addition, topics such as the inclusion of women will be discussed, as well as the design of more ecological and equitable events.
“We have reached a ceiling where we feel comfortable, if we stay at this scale we can offer more interesting experiences,” explains Nerone about the future of a sustainable festival thanks to collaboration with institutions, which allows them to bet on innovation in medium and small sized spaces. “At an institutional level you find a closer link to our idea of ??providing emerging talent, disruptive proposals and a focus on the experimental.”
