by JACK OATMON

I’m a bit of a sucker for minimal electronic music. It’s partly the percussionist in me that relates to the grinding bleeps and clicks scattered across the songs. It’s also my love of dystopia. You can just zone out to it and be like, “Whoa, it’s so post-millennial. My wristwatch has the Internet and global warming’s gonna kill us all.” Party like it’s 1999, ya know?

So, perhaps you’re asking, “What’s minimal?” That’s a tough one. The moody, often chaotic blitz of sounds you get from a good, modern minimal act is tough to put into words, so you might just want to hop onto a computer and look up Jackson and his Computer Band at www.myspace.com/sufferbiscuits. Then you can put on some really big, red sunglasses and knee-high soccer socks, drink half a bottle of Jägermeister and go see him live at the SAT for the first night of the MUTEK festival, on Wednesday, May 31, while doing that chin-to-shoulder catwalk dance from those old FashionTelevision commercials. Or at least, that’s what I’m gonna do.

While you’re at it, you might want to peep the workshops going on at Monument National during the day. This is especially pertinent if you’re an aspiring or burgeoning maker-of-fucked-up-parties. As Montreal is terminally rife with progressive, artistic collaborations, the MUTEK workshops aren’t your only chance to get your feet wet this week. ShareMontreal’s first anniversary, this Sunday, May 28, will feature a throng of audiovisual artists and is open to all those with a creative vision who want to add to the madness. That’s at Centre Fractal (how ’bout last Saturday, eh? Ridiculous!).

For the moment, I’d say Tony Ezzy’s CD launch at Green Room tonight, Thursday, May 25, should be a solid good time. Also, Women on Wax has a night coming up on Wednesday at Academy which promises to be a great time. Alice and the Serial Numbers are a real treat for the noise-o-philes amongst us. They’re about as loud and subtle as tectonics.

Keep those Audiolunches at Place des Arts in mind—they’re running until this Friday, May 26, then Monday to Thursday next week at noon. Who wouldn’t want to see Ghislain Poirier, on Tuesday, blasting out beats and rhymes while families and businesspeople stroll by? For more outdoor grooves, Piknic Electronik has some interesting guests lined up for Sunday, notably Krikor from France, whose complicated mish-mash of beats plays like a bag of marbles and basketballs poured down a staircase made of synthesizers.

LIVE FAST, DIE DRUNK. jack.oatmon@gmail.com

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