About to begin its second year, Manitoba’s first electronic music festival is getting ready for four electric days and nights.
Starting tomorrow, June 23 and running until Sunday, the Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition (MEME) features a slew of aural and visual talent. International headliners include Thomas Fehlmann (Berlin, The Orb) and Dandy Jack (Geneva) alongside national and local performers like Hitori Tori (Vancouver) and Winnipeg’s own Venetian Snares and LeBeato. Meanwhile, visual artists Amber Solstice, mrghosty, Rylaan Gimby, and jaymez, among others, will be busy keeping your eyes entranced.
Inspired by Montreal’s legendary Mutek festival, MEME’s free outdoor performances at Old Market Square and club shows are where people have the chance to be exposed to local and international talent they might never hear otherwise. And the festival organizers have injected more international flavour into the festival this year. “A lot of the music is dance music, but a lot of the songs are quite listenable,”says Nathan Zahn, producer and DJ. He’s also excited about the beer gardens and food stalls, which were absent last year. “It’s nice for people to come out on a warm afternoon and enjoy the sun, or in the evening, to come and dance, sit and hang out with their friends.”
The shows at the Zoo, Whiskey Dix and Alive will also be different from your usual club scene. Zahn is enthusiastic about showcasing music that’s not your standard Top 40 and projected visuals which will make for a more immersive experience. International and local VJs promise that MEME will be more than just a music festival. “A lot of them are cutting and pasting from classic TV shows, cartoons. The whole thing about VJing is that it’s not just some people putting on some cool visual show; they’re actually mixing different sources of visuals live, almost improvising,” Zahn explains.
This year’s event also involves two half-day workshops on June 24 and 25 on how to make electronic music, with presentations from performing DJs.
Visit www.memetic.ca to see what you’ll be hearing and where.