AUDIO: • Thomas Jirku (Rivers oF recordings) - LIVE • Hrdvsion (Wagon Repair, Parlour Shop Electroid Rock) - LIVE • Nordic Soul (Decibel/Broken Disco) - DJ Set • Stephen Beaupré (Musique risquée, Circus Company) - LIVE • James Boatman (Noble House, Renegade Sound) - DJ Set VISUAL: • Kinotropy • Bent Matter • Olo J. Milkman Bios AUDIO: Thomas Jirku Tomas Jirku was discovered in 1999, when he sent out two demos to (then strictly online label) No Type director David Turgeon, who immediately invited him to join the label. Through a limited CD-R edition of his first web album, Immaterial, his music reaches the ears of Alien8 co-director Gary Worsley, who signs him on the spot. Meanwhile, Tomas had started a very special project on No Type, called Variants: regularly, he uploaded, changed, deleted tracks. All in all, nearly sixty tracks were composed this way. The eponymous disc (on Alien8) features 12 of these tracks and obtained great popular and critical success. Hot on the heels of Variants, Tomas Jirku was invited to the first edition of Montreal-based festival Mutek, where he opened for the well known German minimalist Thomas Brinkmann. This show was such a success, Tomas was immediately invited to release a CD on the prestigious German label Force Inc: Sequins. This CD was followed with a “reworked” reissue of Immaterial, on new Alien8 sublabel Substractif. As he became increasingly in demand, Tomas performed in numerous live shows, in Canada and across the world. New music was released on various compilations (Clicks & Cuts 2, The Freest of Radicals, Elektonische Musik Interkontinentale 1 & 2) as well as on many 12” singles. He could also be heard remixing artists such as Process or Electric Company. Finally, he released the Entropy CD for Montreal-based label Intr_version. The following year was dedicated to collaboration, with a GI Joe Killaz album (a silly gangsta hip-hop project featuring the famous cartoon characters), as well as a more serious project with his accomplice Robin Judge, which yielded the CD Plusism on the Onitor label. Today Thomas spends his time fishing and running the Rivers oF recordings label http://www.riversof.com Hrdvsion Living in a musical home, filled with scads of legit instruments, threw Nathan Jonson into the dark disturbing world of Hrdvsion, an alter ego that would, from an early age, feed his insatiable interest in abusing sound Few people appreciated Nathan’s music when he began performing it to “living” audiences … so, feeling discouraged he quit like a baby. Over 2 years and a few computers later, he built up his courage again to a level that would permit him to perform live at his brother’s birthday rave. He thought that … just maybe the world’s musical tastes had caught up to his wizardry after such a long hiatus. Now, even cockier than before, he assaulted the crowd with noisey Drum and Bass and destroyed a Britney Spears track, to everyone’s horror. The blissful rush that overcame him during this experience, he feels, may have been the cement that has kept him so close to his music since that memorable evening. Now 5 years later he has begun fusing Techno with experimental music, creating something now more dance friendly, yet still really strange and kind of disturbing. His music has been released on Itiswhatitis, Subpop, and Plak, Traum, and Wagon Repair to much critical acclaim including being charted and played by dudely dudes such as: Dominik Eulberg, Laurent Garnier, and Mathew Jonson (his, like, brother…). Music is in this boy’s blood and will always be apart of his life. Incidentally … he’s also, on several occasions, cut himself in an overzealous fit of fancy, and gotten blood on his music and down deep in his electronic thingy’s …. so …. there might be something there too. www.myspace.com/hrdvsion www.myspace.com/parlourshopelectroidrock Nordic Soul Nordic Soul is the solo moniker of Decibel Festival brainchild Sean Horton (Db founder, director and curator). More that just a moniker, the name Nordic Soul describes Horton's production aesthetic, which fuses the soulful sounds of Detroit's urban landscape (Horton's upbringing) with the ethereal textures and melodies associated with Northern Europe (Horton's heritage). Nordic Soul's solo releases, remixes and collaborations range from instrumental hip hop (Emergency Breaks on K-Records, 1998) to deep techno and often pay homage to multiple genres within a single track. As a producer, Horton's vast array of influence spawns from almost 20 years as a musician (guitar, bass, and keyboards) and 15 years as a DJ and avid music collector. Since Nordic Soul's inception in 2003 he has shared the stage with a diverse selection of talent including; Trentemoller, Modeselektor, Derrick May, John Tejada, Matthew Dear, Monolake, Funkstroung, Bassnectar, T. Raumschmiere, Boom Bip, Richard Devine, Bruno Pronsato, Outhud, Tipper, Four Tet and Lusine to name a few. Horton also perform laptop percussion with electro pop quartet Synth Club (featuring Reggie Watts on vocals) and the soulful house quintet Loveslap (featuring KJ Sawka on drums). Known as "the busiest man in Seattle techno," Nordic Soul is a key member of the growing U.S. electronic music scene and clearly here to stay. www.myspace.com/nordicsoul www.dbfestival.com Stephen Beaupré More than 10 years of active participation on the Montreal scene has converted Stephen Beaupré into an uncontestable dj/artist in the world of Canadian music. Attracting attention with his Crackhaus project, for which he collaborates with his friend and fellow artist Deadbeat, Steve has managed to gain recognition as a solo artist with his EP Dirty Lipreading on the upstart Montreal label Musique Risquée, launched by Akufen and Vincent Lemieux. 2006 brought the release of his first solo album, the masterful Foe Destroyer, released on both Musique Risquée and MUTEK_REC. His particular approach to music manifests itself in decomposed and syncopated rhythms, which he develops with an incredible spontaneity. Animated ambiances based upon abstract and organic textures abound in his productions, where an equal measure of house and techno interplay with elements of funk, guided by a strong artistic sensitivity. Diverse vocals and instrumentation, reworked with humor, intermingle with intense beats, delivering both a relaxed and agitated tone to his pieces. Cutting his teeth as an adolescent promoter for electronic music events in Ottawa,Stephen became quickly seduced by the more substantial rhythms and textures of house and techno that was striving to be deeper, funkier and more engaging. He began djing at 18, always with a mind for the dancefloor, always trying to stay close to the crowd. With a love for gritty punchy music, at once technological and organic, Stephen skillfully mixes dancefloor rocking tracks always trying to create an atmosphere of humor, excitement and malaise. Over the past few years Stephen has toured in four continents both solo and with Crackhaus performing in such cities as Tokyo, Berlin, Beijing, Detroit, Valparaiso, Mexico City, Paris and New York to name a few. He has played along side such luminaries as Matthew Herbert, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Pole, Isolée, Dimbiman and many other like-minded artists. http://www.myspace.com/stephenbeaupre DISCOGRAPHY 2007 Stephen Beaupré, “Fish Fry EP”, Circus Company 2006 Ditch, Sleepee (Stephen Beaupré remix), U Messy U ep, Kalimari 2006 Stephen Beaupré, Foe Destroyer CD/2LP, Musique Risquée 2006 Stephen Beaupré, Macro house ep, ~Scape 2004 Crackhaus, "Birthday bangers and mash" But then again (compilation), ~Scape 2004 Crackhaus, ...Spells Disaster, CD/2LP Mutek Rec 2004 Stephen Beaupré, Dirty Lipreading (ep), Musique Risquée 2004 Crackhaus, Blame Canada (ep), Musique Risquée 2003 Deadbeat vs Stephen Beaupré, It's a Crackhaus Thing, CD/2LP Onitor 2002 Crackhaus "40oz Funk", Montreal Smoked Meat (compilation), Force Inc 2002 Stephen Beaupré “Multipass”, Montreal Smoked Meat (compilation), Force Inc James Boatman Fresh out of Sound Design School and working in Post Production and Sound Engineering James Boatman truly understands music and sound more than ever before. The New Forms festival is a prefect platform for James's innovative style. Recently back from living in Spain he soaked up the sounds being influenced by Mathew Jonson, Luciano, Ritchie Hawtin & Troy Pierce. A favorite at Soundwave, his epic morning sets on the Renegade stage are legendary. For over a decade James has played with some of the biggest names in the industry but has always enjoyed being more a part of the underground music movement. He is sure to have you excited about the future of electronic music's revolution. www.myspace.com/2633746 VISUAL: Bent Matter Vancouver’s Ben Reeder, a core member of Bentmatter, looks to challenge the conception of video projection. By incorporating live mixing from a variety of sources; live feed, video feedback, loops and custom content, Bent Matter has looked to a variety of combinations and sources throughout their work. One of the main focuses of Ben Reeder’s filmmaking has been on the organic world around us, and how this can be distorted and manipulated in a technological setting. Film and visuals have included New Forms Festival, Shambhala, Soundwave, Mutek, and a European Tour. http://www.bentmatter.com/ Olo J. Milkman Like most people's, olo J. Milkman is a constructed identity. It has been in use for almost 20 years with varied mutuations during that time. Though many people mistake it for a given name, "olo" is a title, similar to "Mr.", or "Swammi", which is bestowed on people who follow a particular path in Dobbsian Erisian Gravitational Calorism. Mr. Milkman has also been known as T. Woahtan, W. Goober, J. Ross, and W. Spackle at varied times and locations. He was a founding member of Product Of Neglect Art Collective Ltd., helming a mixing board In 1988 for RAD.I.A89.9fm, on the program "Chuck's Haüs Of Waffles". This program aired the first noise barrage / "symfunnies" by the group which would shortly thereafter become Olo T. Schickelleghroughverre and the Happy Philanthropist Orchestra, whose first recording sewed the seed for Product Of Neglect Recording Company, and the subsequent collective. As public spokesperson for the collective he also delivered the last public statement of the collective's disbanding, which took place May 5th, 2007, at 5.23am. olo J. Milkman participated in many of the collective's musical projects ("Willy Nilly", "Vic Velour and the Velvetones", and "Olo T. Schickelleghroughverre and the Happy Philanthropist Orchestra" to name a few) acting as Misconductor for The Orchestra's projects, as well as a session musician for others. However, his focus has primarily been visual work, and his musical work tends to be done under pseudonyms. The artist is currently based out of vancouver, Canada, and has also spent time living in Banff, Toronto, and Montréal. He draws freehand. http://www.doctorplasmatron.com/olojmilkman/ Kinotropy Over the past couple of years VJ KINOTROPY (key-no-trope-ee) has been re-mixing video with live, audio-synchronized effects in concert with all types of musical performances. Any video feed is just another input and every blank surface is sexy. By striving to use his tools to their fullest capabilities, he aims to bring you the finest of ocular experiences. http://www.kinotropy.com/