2010
30
Jan
Modern Deep Left Quartet jams the network – Cultural Olympiad Features : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics
Using the power of the Internet, techno-music powerhouse Modern Deep Left Quartet will make Canadian music history when they combine two music scenes into one in a landmark cross-country jam session. When the four electronic musicians, each acclaimed in their own right, take the stage in Vancouver on February 13, they will be accompanied, digitally, by a Montreal performance by dubstep/trip-hop five-piece Jedi Electro.
“It’s something none of us have done before,” says Modern Deep Left member Mathew Jonson. “With delays in internet connections, we’re forced to play music that isn’t focused on timing. Even a couple of milliseconds delay will change the feeling of the music. It will be performance art.”
Like most of the group’s live performances and recorded tracks, this trans-Canadian event will be improvised. As all the members of Modern Deep are heavily influenced by jazz, improvisation is integral to the formally trained quartet. Jonson says this is essential in the interaction between the audience and the performer.
“Improvising comes naturally to us,” said Jonson. “The music we make is always new for us and new for the crowd. The energy between the crowd and the artist has quite a big influence on what we’re playing. It’s a lot more interactive.”
Jonson, Colin “The Mole” de la Plante, Tyger Dhula and Danuel Tate formed their quartet 10 years ago in Victoria, BC. Already established as solo artists, the four friends created their own unique sound, fusing jazz and dance music with computers and instruments.
“What an honour to go home and play at the Olympic [Winter Games],” says de la Plante, who has been living and performing out of Berlin for the past two years. “There’s nothing better than playing for friends and family at home.”
The evening, which takes place at Great Northern Way Campus, near the Olympic Village Vancouver as part of CODE Live Night Life, will be a celebration of innovation and electronic music. The show will also feature techno artist Deadbeat, and in Montreal, the show will be broadcast using the Society for Arts and Technology’s PropulseART videoconferencing technology.
Musician Mike Shannon, founder of Cynosure Recordings, will be in on the fun. Shannon says he has been enthralled by the techno scene from a young age. “I love its futuristic perspective,” he says. “For me, techno was a gateway into another place, to things I hadn’t heard before.”
Shannon says his performance will also be largely improvised.
“It’s fun to do things spontaneously,” he says. “It’s amazing when you can express yourself and the people really enjoy the creations you’ve made. Magic is created.”
“Jamming the Networks: Modern Deep Left Quartet, Mike Shannon and more” is February 13 at 10:00 pm, Great Northern Way Campus, 577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver. Tickets are $20.