MUTEK.AE will be a gathering unlike anything audiences in the Middle East have previously experienced. Concentrated on elevating the art of live contemporary electronic music and cutting-edge visual works, MUTEK in Dubai will bring together artists crossing and combining disciplines to create a unique and compelling event. Assembled by a group already intimately engaged with underground electronic music and familiar with scenes in the Middle East, Europe and North America, Director Mehdi Ansari, co-founder of the renowned Analog Room sees Dubai as ripe for developing such a project. “We’re bringing MUTEK to Dubai because we see the deep potential and interest from people in enriching the city’s music, art and digital culture, which is still in its early stages.” Ansari adds “We’d also like to shift the emphasis away from clubbing and partying in Dubai and offer a new perspective on the way electronic music and audiovisual practices can be profound, inspiring and revelatory. MUTEK’s format and curatorial philosophy, with its commitments to local artistic communities in every city it exists, intersects perfectly with this mission. It is going to challenge and inspire them to join this global community with a statement.”

This first MUTEK.AE event underlines the organization’s focus on live performance and emphasis on the art of electronic and digital artistry. Headlined by international heavy-hitters Jeff Mills and Dasha Rush, it will also feature local and regional artists, giving them a rare opportunity to showcase their talent. Augmented with the presence of Québec-based artists, VJs and scenographers, organizers can not wait to debut MUTEK’s format and ethos in Dubai.

Dasha Rush (RU) / Jeff Mills (US) / Hugues Clément (CA) / Nasrawi (AE) / Shadi Megalla & Karim Sultan ― Magnetic Fossils (AE)

Jeff Mills is one of the most influential American names in techno. Lauded for his relentless pursuit of futurism, while advancing electronic music as conceptual art, Mills has defined a unique signature in his musical productions. In recent years he has composed new soundtracks for classic films, created installation works and dialogued with art star Ólafur Elíasson. Previously presented at MUTEK in Montréal, his debut appearance in Dubai will astound audiences and leave a lasting impression.

Dasha Rush began her apprenticeship in electronic music at Moscow raves when she was a teenager. She started DJing at 14, dabbled in piano, and left for France when she was 16. An ambitious experimentalist, and fiercely independent, she continued to teach herself machine music, worked in fashion and sought out multidisciplinary collisions with theatre, dance and installation. With Stanislav Glasov she has developed an audiovisual practice that has produced two mesmerizing works: Antarctic Takt and the latest Dark Hearts of Space a double-screen, mesmerizing investigation of the metaphor and mystery of the phenomena of black holes. Her additional solo live performance also promises a master class in real-time, immersive, transportive techno.

MUTEK.AE will also host discussions, workshops and networking opportunities that will be of immense benefit to anyone interested in digital creativity and electronic music in the region.

For more information you can contact them by email.

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