Guillaume Coutu-Dumont^CA/QC

Guillaume Coutu-Dumont's prolific career spans multiple musical groups, influences and countries. Originally a student of electroacoustics and Latin and classical percussion, Coutu-Dumont entered the Montréal techno and microhouse scene with groups such as EGG and Chic Miniature, before heading to Paris and Berlin. The years spent abroad saw him play as Guillaume & The Coutu Dumont, a musical project filled with Latin, jazz and house influences that he has been pursuing since his return to Montréal after a decade spent abroad. Since his return, Coutu-Dumont has alternated between various live projects, notably as part of the Auflassen trio (which premiered at MUTEK in 2020) and the Flabbergast duo, in collaboration with Vincent Lemieux.

In a way, Coutu-Dumont has become an essential part of the MUTEK Montreal experience. After more than a dozen performances, he debuts now at MUTEK Barcelona with ‘Les Empires’, a performance firmly rooted in mythology, memories of childhood cartoons and film soundtracks. Inspired by Krautrock veterans Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze, he composes retro-futuristic pieces full of warmth and imperfections, typical of the ambient synthetic sounds of another era. Soft percussion and repetitive melodies create a hypnotic and nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of an era that may never have existed.

He is part of the delegation of Québec artists that #MUTEKES13 presents as part of the celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of the Treaty of Cooperation between Catalonia and Québec.

Photo credit: Jean François Brière