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Uptown Magazine - Winnipeg's Online Source for Arts, Entertainment & News						July 1, 2004


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Welcome to the Machine
Canada Day weekend features a host of electronic music events
Anthony Augustine

Swarm

While this past winter may have been a slow time for electronic music lovers, the summer will be busy with tours, multi-genre parties and new club nights on the horizon.

The first wave of events starts on July 1 with three unique tours making stops in Winnipeg and a number of other electronic music events taking place.

Soundz Canadian — July 1, 9 p.m., Bull and Bear Tavern

Also on Canada Day, UMFM’s DJ Hunnicutt and DJ Co-op are back with another instalment of their popular dance party series. For the first time, they will be spinning alongside JFK and the Conspirators member and part-time ska, reggae and mod deejay The Invisible Man.

“It should be interesting. We are excited as hell to have The Invisible Man playing with us because he plays some really dope stuff” says DJ Co-op over the phone.

“We are probably going to be more all over the board than normal. I am going to try and broaden my style based on The Invisible Man’s style. I am going to bring out some ’60s and ’70s rock and roll in addition to a steady diet of funk and hip hop. We will see if people can hang with the added level of diversity.”

You can expect to hear anything from classic party-rocking jams such as Maestro Fresh Wes’ Let Your Backbone Slide to Beatles B-sides mashed up with ’70s disco and rock — Co-op and Hunnicutt are all about a diverse selection of music to fuel the dancefloor.

“We enjoy playing all kinds of music” says Co-op. “We just wanted to have some fun and I guess give an alternative to people who want to dance but aren’t into straight-ahead electronic music.”

America Invades Canada — July 2, 10 p.m., Collective Cabaret

In the heaviest lineup of the weekend, L.A.-based turntablist Baseck and Zod Records owner Destro will be in town for the first — and probably only — Canadian stop of their international tour.

Performing on four turntables, the duo should bring a barrage of broken beats, fuzzed-out IDM, noisy techno and turntable tricks to the Collective. The event will also be the official release party for local producer Fanny’s new album, Strange Planes Spray Cancers On Winnipeg‚ on the recently launched Sublight Records label. Fanny will be performing live alongside Venetian Snares, jaymez, Aaron Rintoul and local hardcore band The Blasphenaut.

Pre-party for Where The Wild Things Are — July 2, Empire Cabaret O2 Lounge, 9 p.m.

Local tech-house producers Jason Khan and Joe Silva have been busy in their home studios preparing for a rare appearance as Tonepushers. Although Khan has played out for a number of years as Subculture, Multidimensional, Negativ Nein and, recently, Ali Khan, Silva has been focusing on his studio output and his deejaying over the past five years. The pair’s hybrid laptop/deejay setup as Tonepushers will feature unreleased tracks they have been shopping around to labels, along with their first single, Flying to Rio, which was released on Toronto’s new imprint, Slush Recordings. Already in its second pressing, Flying to Rio has been a good calling card for the duo and is easily one of the best Canadian tech-house records of the year. The Tonepushers performance at the pre-party for the first large-scale event of the summer, Where the Wild Things Are, will only be the second live local appearance by the duo in the last two years. Also appearing on the bill are live hard techno outfit Negativ Nein along with local deejays Dubbz, Demention and O2 residents Oxide and Audio Angel.

Swarm — July 3, 9 p.m., Millenium Centre, 389 Main
Over the years there have been a number of attempts by local electronic music artists to bring together elements of performance art, music, live instruments and visuals. None has been as ambitious as the upcoming Winnipeg debut of Vancouver-based percussion troupe Swarm with local electronic outfit FLFK.

Using highly unusual, one-of-a-find instruments made from recycled or found materials, Swarm’s highly choreographed show, complete with full visuals, is part performance art, part extreme percussion routine — and one of the most unique shows you will see or hear.

Swarm will perform a one-hour set at the Millenium Centre before jamming with FLFK to finish the night.

“It is different than what we have done in the past with musicians” suggests FLFK’s Andrew Yankiwski over the phone after a long night working in the studio.

“Swarm performs on custom-made instruments. Bill Wallace, their director, creates all the instruments in his studio. He is very interested in polyrhythms or deriving rhythms from other cultures that are a complicated syncopation of percussion with music. This performance represents something we have really wanted to do for a long time.”

After a brief hiatus following the end of the monthly club night Havana, FLFK is back in action. For their debut performance with Swarm, the duo, which includes Chris Wiebe, Yankiwski’s partner in Precursor Productions, will be playing material that spans six years of development and has undergone a number of changes over the years.

“What people will hear are older tracks that have been updated but they will also hear newer tracks that are more representative of some of our new directions,” explains Yankiwski. “For instance, there is definitely a vocal R&B and hip hop influence in a few of the new tracks Chris has written.”

Also on the bill are local deejays Plain Jane, Sweetleaf and Dystopiate.

The Art of the Vinylslut Summer Tour — July 3, Pyramid Cabaret, 9 p.m.

Hailing from the home of the Flames, transplanted Halifax-born deejay Tyler C and partner Guy Smiley (not the defunct Winnipeg band) will bring their ragtag summer tour to Winnipeg for the first time.

Part of Calgary’s Vinylslut Collective, the duo will be spinning retro hip hop, breaks and house on four turntables, also adding their own beats and loops from some analog drum machines, samplers and keyboards. Their eclectic and genre-mashing performances instantly set them apart from other acts in Calgary’s busy electronic music scene and should be a real treat for anyone who is interested in seeing something that isn’t your standard deejay set.

Where The Wild Things Are — July 3, River/Osborne Community Centre, 9 p.m.-6 a.m.

Few Canadian electronic acts have enjoyed the longevity of Montreal’s live trance act Nuclear Ramjet. Blending hard, driving rhythms with hypnotic, psychedelic elements, the duo of Max Chapados and Felix-Antoine Richer has been a staple on the outdoor festival circuit and had a steady output of well-received singles on Iboga, Perfecto, and recently on their own label, Aeon Records. This will be the first Winnipeg performance with their full setup as Nuclear Ramjet.

Also performing at the all-ages event will be Toronto progressive deejay Cluster, and locals which include Nyce Radio host Ryan G, Dizz, Demention, Zeo, Dubbz, Khemlab, Rayne, Blizzard Boys, Hades, Lomax, Audio Angel, freaky_alien, Devious Lifeform (Live PA), Lil Phil, Phaze M, J Narcotic, NDeep and newcomer Brad J.

For more info see our What’s Up entertainment listings.