Magali Babin + I8U^CA

Meet, transfer and mutate. Two young personalities of` the Montreal electronic scene, I8U and Magali Babin, unite their respective organic and synthetic visions in a highly performance-oriented 'noise' duo. Inspired by Studio XX, this collaboration, which resonates with the obvious pleasure the duo derive from playing together, was initiated at the beginning of this year in Berlin, during the Transmediale event.France Jobin (I8U) is an omnipresent figure of the experimental scene in Montreal, as much an artist in a constant state of flux as a curious and dedicated spectator and listener. Throughout her diverse practices, her work is of a rare quality. With a solid grounding as a folk musician, she one day discovered the possibilities of sampling and the borrowing of sounds. Enticed by this, she put her guitar playing on hold and plunged into digital manipulation. If the first few compositions of I8U are delivered from structured and sequential environments, her current interests in the development of audio art and the world of computer-assisted compositions are revealing new avenues for her. Her inexhaustible treatment of everyday sources generates a troubled and enigmatic aesthetic.Magali Babin was initially a guitarist for the female Montreal 'punk-noise' group Nitroglycerines in the 1980s. In 1996, collaboration with Mexican choreographer Rocio Bercceril introduced her to a new musical language and to gestures as sonic actions. Attracted by these textures and subjects, she developed an interest in metal sounds. Her first album on the Montreal label No Type, entitled Chemin de fer, gave her faith. Today, her routine includes performative practice in unison with the developments of technology. On the conceptual side, she explores the rapport between actions, sound, space and the possibilities of digital editing. The musicality of Magali Babin is marked by the radical sonic extremes, from minimalism defined by aggravated high-pitched frequencies to a personal interpretation of volatile 'noise.' Accustomed to improvisation sessions, she has notably worked with Alexandre St-Onge, Eric Letrouneau, Jerome Noetinger, Lionel Marchetti, Martin Tetreault, Christof Migone and more recently, Kaffe Matthews and Leon Lo.