Earworms
and force fields

>> London dubstepper Kode9 hears
what the future holds

MUSICAL CONTAGIONS: Kode9 & Space Ape

by JACK OATMON

A real diamond in the rough of club production, London resident Kode9 pushes an arresting brand of U.K. dubstep that references his city’s baroque musical history, back through jungle and dancehall to Afro-Caribbean sound system culture, while keeping tabs on what tomorrow holds. Combined with the incessant, guttural interrogation of his sidekick on the mic, the Space Ape, the result is an eerie yet strangely comforting blend of downtempo electronica and dub reggae.

The latter, dub, was a key trope in the early books of Canadian William Gibson, the godfather of the cyberpunk genre of prophetic science fiction. “There are obviously some resonances between that and what we’re doing,” says Kode9. “We’re really interested in the near future, like the cyberpunk world. What we like about cyberpunk that we don’t like about science fiction generally is that it’s near-future, so in a way, it’s more realistic than fantasy science-fiction tends to be. That resonates with what we’re doing.”

What they’re doing is taking cues from the abrasive elements of urban life and combining them with an inquisitive attitude toward the power of sound to create what Kode9 refers to as “a force field” of music that mirrors the musical barrier the forefathers of dub put between themselves and the social ills of their time.

“That’s the way that our music resonates with original dub music, because obviously it relates to the experience of living in London, which has its own dystopian reality. But at the same time, living in London, the electronic music culture is heavily influenced by Afro-Caribbean music culture. So we’re not trying to copy what dub was and it’s not the only influence on what we’re doing, but there’s certainly no stronger influence when it comes to using sub-bass as a force field. It’s a force field that brings people together. The fact that we only came to dub and reggae after going through jungle music is what makes it different for us.”

The powers of sound interest Kode9 in more ways than just his music. He’s currently writing a book on the different ways in which sound is used to influence people in society, which he refers to as “sonic warfare.”

“Sonic warfare is a philosophy about the use of sound as a force. I try to connect the noise research in the military, like sonic weaponry and sonic crowd-control devices, through to artistic responses and this idea of popular music, through to the use of bass in Jamaican sound system culture.”

He also relates the idea to corporate jingles and their power to incite consumption. “That’s the use of sound in the form of muzak and other types of sonic branding. I call that an ‘earworm,’ which is a contagious piece of music. That’s one of the most explicit examples, but I also think there are things that are more imperceptible going on.”

While he insists that the philosophies discussed in his book and his musical projects are separate, the music on his debut album, Memories of the Future, definitely constitutes a sonic force unto itself, and with an upcoming album in production, one safe prophecy of future events is that we’ll be hearing more from Kode9 and the Space Ape.

With Rhythm & Sound (with Paul
St.Hilaire) and Shackleton at
Nocturne 2 at the SAT, Thurs.,
May 31, 9 p.m., $30

The hear and now

>> MUTEK 2007 boasts the best in
contemporary audio experimentation
and progressive electronic music

by JACK OATMON

From May 30 to June 3, the MUTEK festival launches into its eighth round of showcasing the bleeding edge of the bewildering, convoluted worlds of ambient electronic music, minimal techno, experimental house and other such digital animals. With a strong, contemporary visual aesthetic and extremely savvy programming, the festival is wholly unique and, frankly, would make the average Vancouverite or Torontonian feel like they’d been warped into Bizarro World.

However, with over 100 performing artists scheduled to appear in just five days, many of whom are only well-known in specialized circles, the big question is, “What the heck do I go see?” Well, don’t worry—we got your back.

Germany’s Hauschka makes the room come alive with his unique modified piano while France’s Colleen employs antiquated string instruments and classical leanings as well as modern musical themes and experimentation to create bewildering acoustic soundscapes. Promises to be an almost mystical afternoon.

With Mark Templeton & aAron Munson at A/Visions 2 at
Ex-Centris, Thurs., May 31, 8 p.m., $25

A big hand for Matthew Dear’s Big Hands—Texan Dear’s quirky, catchy, synth-heavy pop has a driving quality due to his selection of heavier, staccato drumbeats, but the songs are balanced out by soothing vocals, quirky percussion, jazzy guitar hooks and uplifting techno build-ups. At times it has a real chain-gang quality to it, while at other times it harnesses the brighter side of modern electro to emotive effect. The best part about it is that it’s decidedly unclassifiable. Dear has produced releases under various aliases on M_NUS (Ritchie Hawtin’s label), Ghostly International and other such dispensers of fine house and techno music. Plus, his new album, Asa Breed, is bananas. One listen to the track “Good to be Alive” and you’ll be hooked. You can also see those big hands at work on a set of turntables when he appears in his alter ego Audion at Saturday’s Piknic Électronik along with Claude Von Stroke, purveyor of fun, moody house from San Francisco.

With Bubblyfish, Chika, Clandestine & Les Passagers,
Cobblestone Jazz,Decrepticon, Detalles,glomag, i8u,
Kalabrese and his Rumpelorchestra, MEC,o.blaat,
Sawako and the Moleat Nocturne 3 at Metropolis,
Fri., June 1, 9 p.m., $30

Ah, Switzerland, land of unspoiled Alpine pistes, smooth ricotta cheese and those freaky Ricola fatsos with the big horn who run around hocking throat lozenges. But those hills are alive with more than just the sound of commercial yodelling, because Switzerland is also home to a thriving club scene. Sometimes clinging to sophistications of the tired minimal house formula, while at others venturing into the unlikely territory of homegrown folk, Kalabrese & His Rumpelorchestra could only be from Switzerland. Kalabrese’s new album, Rumpelzirkus, is a wacky mix of groovy minimal, acoustic instrumentation and hyper-clean production. As a bonus, if you can guess his real name, he won’t eat your children.

At Nocturne 3,
see above for info

When Pantha du Prince, Michael Mayer, Matias Aguayo and Gui Boratto roll through, you can get your fill of that rave-y techno with big build-ups and lots of soft, ambient noises that makes Kompakt one of the most influential record labels in Germany. Most of these guys have never been to Canada before, and you can bet that the party-people at large will be coming out of the woodwork to zone out with Lucy in the sky, dance the Watusi and generally get their groove on steady.

With Ambivalent, Jichael Mackson, Lee Curtiss, Miskate, Pheek and Someone Else
at Nocturne 4 at Metroplois on Saturday,
June 2, 9 p.m., $35