by RAF KATIGBAK

It's an annual tradition that, around this time of year, I always feel like somebody fried my brain in Olestra. After five days of steady dancing to bleep, bloop and chagga-chagga schla-pow (personal highlights included Isolée, Crackhaus, Herbert and Original Hamster), the MUTEK festival ended last Sunday with a bang. The Mole impressed everyone with his heavy mix of disco loops, live scratch effects and deep techno grooves that got the whole crowd cheering. But while the Mole's open and laid-back presence endeared him to the crowd, it would be U.K. vocal virtuoso and part-time acid casualty Jamie Lidell who would steal the show. Using a multi-track looper (and dressed in a suit made of old 16mm film stock), the hyperactive Lidell layered his own soulful and soaring voice by singing the beats, bass lines, vocals and harmonies on the fly, creating a dense wall of funky, fucked-up dance music while his visuals man Pablo Fiasco provided cut-up images of Lidell's live stage antics and previously shot footage.

Lidell was the perfect balance of showmanship, experimental sound and good, old-fashioned funk - everything that Plastikman wasn't. Perhaps you techno fans may already have heard, but the long-awaited return of Richie Hawtin's Plastikman alter ego didn't live up to the hype. After spending lots of time and what's rumoured to be lots and lots of money (he opened his set with a satellite shot of his hometown of Windsor that slowly zoomed into his childhood house. Rumoured cost: four grand), his Ctrl project was ironically plagued with technical glitches that seemed to throw Hawtin off his game. His Ctrl project was supposed to give him command over the entire event, visuals to music (one friend jokingly mentioned that he could also flush the toilets from his computer). The only problem was that, when things went wrong with the visuals, he had to deal with that and try to rock the crowd. As a result, Hawtin, who is usually an expert at long build-ups and crescendos, kept falling flat in a series of musical coitus interrupti, leaving only his die-hard fans impressed. Luckily, Andrew Weatherall came in with a set of banging club music that satisfied the crowd's wanton techno lust, but it was too late. Hawtin's after-midnight start left the U.K. DJ only 45 minutes to destroy the dancefloor, ultimately leaving one sour note in an otherwise excellent festival.

Okay, quick rundown of things to check out this week: Thursday night, T.O.'s Will Munroe at Kink! Saturday night, Felix da Housecat at Gravity, Roger Sanchez at Stereo, Barbara Brown at Aria (with a special performance by the ladies from Wanda's!), Masters at Work at Club Soda and Onionz at Circus. Whew! This Sunday, check the new chilled-out-yet-funky weekly at Kunta Lounge (2021 St-Denis) with DJs Sarcastic, Galaksy and Axionfigga. And next Wednesday, Jordan Dare, Lexis and Swimming Kool will be at the Kooky monthly at 417 St-Pierre (corner St-Paul) in Old Montreal.

Pay no attention to that man behind the laptop! The Great Oz has spoken! Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

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