by MICHAEL-OLIVER HARDING

To describe Laurence Trille and Charlotte Van Kemmel’s upcoming festival as a trail mix of musical delights not only gives unwarranted props to pre-packaged snack food, it’s also a huge understatement. The Parisian duo’s two-day Souk Machines event offers up art exhibits, live graf, dancers, video installations, DJs and musical acts that swing in more ways than can be counted. Dirty electro, smooth reggae, cutting-edge rap, IDM and ghettotek are all on the bill, which Trille amusingly refers to as “organized disorder.”

“In the Arab world, a souk is a public market bustling with activity and noise,” says Trille. “People from different social classes all converge and you can find anything from jewellery to food and garments. Charlotte and I wanted to recreate this same idea of a market that leaves you feeling surprised and overwhelmed, but through different styles of more underground art and emerging music.”

A year ago, the ladies set off on their quest to unite music lovers of all stripes by holding the first edition of Souk on their home turf. Then, a student exchange program led both Trille and Van Kemmel to temporarily set up house in Montreal. Trille’s rapid immersion in the local scene (namely through stints at Ninja Tune and Mutek) gave her the necessary tools to concretize a Montreal edition of the fest. “One of our biggest concerns was finding the right location,” says Trille. “So the Fractal Centre was definitely cause for celebration: a two-floor venue in an industrial area that we could imbue with the spirit of the event.”

And with the event’s spotlight on the crossbreed of hip hop and electronica, our fair city allowed Trille to throw a more noteworthy affair than Paris, where the fusion scene is somewhat saturated. “I think Ghislain Poirier and a few others have gotten the ball rolling, but the scene here still appears to be young,” says Trille. “When Cuizinier (of TTC) recently dropped by, it was mad here; people seemed really excited. In Europe, it’s already been big for a while.”

A fair share of these fusion acts are being flown in to quench our rhythmic thirst, bestowing an international flair upon the Fractal Centre. Among them are the popular French electro/hip hop duo dDamage, L.A. rapper Subtitle and the Dutch/American Shadow Huntaz crew. Highlights also include praised French beatboxer Tez, whose solo act is said to blend the aural qualities of Prince and El-P, and Hrvatski, a U.S. electroacoustic musician critically lauded for his Aphex Twin-esque IDM creations.

Expect a psychedelic jam session of jazz-oriented and electronic sounds from American saxophone player Steve Mackay (of the Stooges fame) and his Radon Ensemble. Also brace yourself for the aerosol-tinged exuberance of Parnell and Secteur 54, two Montreal-based graffiti collectives.

Eclecticism aside, Trille assures there’s a thread to the line-up. “The music will be smooth; you won’t be listening to a jazz band and then have it suddenly switch into breakcore. It’ll be just intense enough to leave you with something to ponder.”

Souk Machines runs Sept. 8–9, At Fractal Centre (7240 Clark), afternoons are free and open to families, $15. www.soukmachines.org for details