MUTEK

Jon Hopkins

I'm getting a bit old for clubbing. The thought of spending the wee small hours in a cavernous venue, pummelled by techno isn't that appealing these days. But tonight I am coaxed out. I'm glad I went. 
MUTEK bills itself as an International Festival of Digital Creativity. It started in Montreal in 2000 and there have been satellite versions in several Latin American countries. Mexico City's has been going since 2003 and is big. Events have taken place in different venues throughout this week. Tonight's is in what was once a plastics factory, now the Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos. There must be 5-10,000 people crammed into its many gallery spaces on three floors, with three stages, a couple of art installations, cafe and bars run by the sponsors. We helped bring over a few UK electronic acts: Daniel Avery, Andy Stott, Heatsick, Max Cooper, Mille & Andre and - the principle reason I'm here - Jon Hopkins.
I've been playing his Contact Note, Insides and Immunity incessantly over the last year or two. These - and his work with Eno, Coldplay, King Creosote and Random Dance, plus film soundtracks - make him, for me at least, man of the moment. Live, Hopkins treads a fine line between recreating the delicious atmospheres of the above albums and giving the audience the crushing beats that one might expect. I enjoyed it, but missed the detail.