The Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition (MEME) is taking over Winnipeg. The new multi-day music and digital artist festival hits indoor and outdoor city venues June 17 and runs to June 20, with electronic music performances, large scale projection, and video installations. MEME (pronounced "meem") also features educational clinics and workshops, digital visual artists, and new media installations. Inspired by festivals like Montreal's MUTEK, and the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF), MEME is the first event of its kind in western Canada.
This year's festival features dozens of artists from four countries, including 27 Manitoba artists. This year's headliners include Mike Monday from the UK, American acts Billy Dalessandro, Pezzner, Mike Gervais, and Voodeux, and Canadians Noah Pred and Dubmatrix. Local acts include electro house trio Lebeato, electronic label Balanced Records co-founder Kasm, acclaimed producer/DJ/composer Joe Silva.
"MEME gives local electronic musicians, such as myself, a chance to showcase their work at an event tailored specifically for that type of music, namely underground dance music. This is something we had to travel out of province, or country, to do before," says Silva, who has just launched a new house EP collaboration with Viva! Recordings label boss, Jon Lemmon. Released on Tango Recordings, the EP features dance track "Them Apples," which is this week's free download in The Loudspeaker.
Beyond music, venues will feature live video installations by local and national VJs. PO-MO Project will be providing video mapping of the stage and installing an interactive dancefloor at the Pyramid Cabaret on June 18. MEME will hit The Exchange District's Market Square for an all-day showcase on June 19. The night closes with a special presentation of Sky Woman featuring local Aboriginal artists, teaming up musician Namowan and animator Floyd Blackhorse with PO-MO Project.
"We think MEME will open a lot of people's eyes to how impressive Manitoba's electronic music scene really is and hopefully will encourage some crossover of fans between the different genres," says Dublum Records' Mark Penner, who also performs with Lebeato and funk fusions veterans Moses Mayes, and as Cyclist. The newly-launched label, founded by Penner and fellow Moses member Nathan Reimer (aka T:CHR), is set to release upcoming work from Cyclist, Lebeato, and Moses Mayes. Click here to listen to Lebeato and Cyclist in the Manitoba Music Radio.
Memetic, the organization behind MEME, is a collective of leaders in the Manitoba electronic music and digital arts community. Members include Balanced Records, PO-MO Project, recording studio and audio production school Precursor Productions, and Symptom Technologies. Memetic hosted the Winnipeg stop of a North American tour by the MUTEK festival from Montreal on earlier this spring. Click here for details on MEME's festival programming.
Manitoba Music
