Audion^US

This Michigan-raised maestro of electronic reinvention and gifted singer-songwriter is a man of many aliases (Matthew Dear, Jabberjaw, False) and affections. Effortlessly shifting from minimal-but-funky tech producer to experimental pop bandleader, the enigmatic Dear also co-founded Ghostly International in the late 90s and helped establish its techno-centric offshoot, Spectral Sound. Since his much-lauded full-length debut, Leave Luck to Heaven (2003), Dear has comfortably straddled a plethora of rhythmic realms and explored pop’s outer limits, while showcasing qualities one wouldn’t readily associate with the Detroit techno trade: a knack for lyrical depth, undeniable frontman swagger and singular pipes. His command of the stage also bleeds into the recording studio, where he’s been commissioned for remixes from the likes of The XX and Hot Chip. Since its creation in 2005, his Audion moniker has served as Dear’s stomping techno alter ego – his most carnal, explicit and loudest creation. Audion recently collaborated with Tiga on the deliriously sultry banger Fever, and co-produced the local Montréal techno hero’s upcoming album. MUTEK having been an early adopter of the Dear sound in its many incarnations, the festival is happy to welcome him back as Audion for Subverticul, a kaleidoscopic new live show that’s part dazzling LED lights and psychedelic visuals and part terrifyingly freaky techno, all custom designed by Vita Motus (the team behind Amon Tobin’s groundbreaking ISAM show).