by RAF KATIGBAK

After over a decade of releasing music under his given name, Montreal producer/sound designer David Kristian has announced he's calling it quits. Well, sort of. "I still have a few David Kristian releases coming out, but I will no longer play out or release new David Kristian material," he said in a recent online message chat. Over the past few months, Kristian has been building up two alter egos, Gentle Bakemono (as evidenced by his bananas live set of electro Italo disco at Parking a while back) and a beatless slide-guitar project called Malamutant. "I did all I could in the IDM field, I haven't written any IDM in over a year. All the new releases are older material. All I make now is electro-disco stuff, and when I'm not doing that, I'm doing the weird lap-steel stuff or doing soundtracks. I think IDM is becoming a very limited genre, which is funny because for years it's been the only refuge for those who wished to make techno music that didn't fit a mould."

For Kristian, making the move from what he saw as a stifling environment to a sweaty, hedonistic dancefloor was a no-brainer. "My set at Parking was a real eye-opener: a packed dancefloor and bass so intense I had to hold my machines down on the table because they were sliding off! I'd rather play parties doing electro than play low-key IDM shows."

In the meantime, look out for the final installments of the David Kristian legacy, six more Music From the Mermaid Room CDs on Wikkid, the Mariana Trench CD on Oral, the Ghost Storeys CD/DVD on C0C0S0L1DC1T1 and finally Rhythms for a Rainy Season on Apegenine. And if you're ever at a club and find yourself going apeshit over an insane live cover of Giorgio Moroder's "Midnight Express Theme" or Saga's "Wind Him Up," chances are Kristian will be responsible.

So what happened to Montreal IDM? While a few nights like Flexout have continued to rep the scene, the truth is that most of the bigger-name local artists of the genre have allied themselves with other scenes. From the indie folk-tronica guitar tinklings of Mitch Akiyama's Intr_version label or Tim Hecker's upcoming wizards-'n'-warlocks doom metal tour with Isis, the I in IDM has increasingly become associated with indie rock. For a prime example of where it's at, check out Domino artists Hood at la Sala Rossa on March 14. Fans of labelmate Caribou (previously Manitoba) should get a kick out of the folk-driven song cycle style and proto-electronic structuring. Check it out and hit me back!

THE IDM SCENE IN MONTREAL - BETTER OFF DEAD? DISCUSS. Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

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