Tops, Turntables, and Neon Instruments Buzz to Life at ELEKTRA 16

Four days of high-quality sound and video explorations lit up last weekend for the 16th edition of the ELEKTRA festival, an annual showcase of creativity in Montreal. Centered around the theme of “post-audio," the event treated an ever-demanding audience of aficionados to a series of cutting-edge audiovisual artworks and performances.

Following the 2014 edition, for which most of the events took place in different venues around the city, the festival was held in the newly-revamped buildings of the Usine C. A/V performances by Carsten Nicolai and Olaf Bender, Julien Bayle, Myriam Bleau and Martin Messier on one hand, and installations by Maxime Damecour, Quayola, Cod.Act and the Art Of Failure Collective on the other were but a small portion of the 30 or so artists and projects that explored the effects of modern sonic perception as well as contemporary to post-contemporary—or, post-digital—acoustic practices.

At the crossroads between electronic music and visual creation, the impressive lineup composed of local and international artists pushed the limits of the sonic medium. “Such a buzz had been created by sound art, amongst Montreal’s community as well as internationally," Alain Thibault, ELEKTRA's artistic director, told The Creators Project, "so it was obvious that we had to let the local public take advantage of it by presenting a large-scale event incorporating the extent and diversity of this artistic practice.”

While the complete program opened a dialogue between the audience and sonic and visual matter, a few of the creations in particular stood out for us. While the giant sonic tripod installation Nyloïd by Cod.Act engaged the audience physically and attacked its vital space, CI, a mindblowing performance by Diamond Version, a collaborative project from minimal label Raster-Noton founders Nicolai and Bender, more than met viewers' expectations—including ours—and may remain the tipping point of this edition. A powerful a/v set, the German duo's performance was brought to the next level by Atshuiro Ito, the special guest for its North American premiere. Thanks to his Optron, a DIY instrument that uses neon as a sound generator, the audience was mesmerized.

Another highlight was Myriam Bleau's performance. For it, the Montreal-based artist offered a one-of-a-kind electrifying sound, light and visual experience that used her LED-powered spinning tops and her “turntabilism” skills to generate abstract and deconstructive, hip-hop-influenced electronic music (Read: Watch Four Glowing Tops Spin Music).

More events will take place through June 26th, framing what is to be the very first International Sound Art Biennial (BIAS), which launched simultaneously with the Festival. In the meantime, check out some of ELEKTRA's highlights in the images below:

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