This year’s program sounds pretty exciting. Artists from all over the world, as well as some local talent, will be among the highlights of Akousma 6, and there will be a lot of interesting acts every night. Hailing from Sweden, BJNilsen uses music to play with our notion of space, while Paul Dolden explores the extremes of sonic possibilities in his creation, Who Has the Biggest Sound? Chantal Dumas and Lionel Marchetti work with sounds that form a narrative using voices, screams and whispers sampled from urban landscapes. Finally, eRikm and Érick d’Orion will offer Montreal audiences the chance to experience a true cinematographic night without screens but with music that could easily be the soundtrack to your life. The last day is dedicated to very special choreographies that explore the relationship between sounds, bodies and space. You will be able to catch performances from Lionel Marchetti and Japanese choreographer Yôko Higashi, as well as featured acts from local dancers like Olivier Girouard, Martin Messier and Anne Thériault.

There’s another festival in Montreal dedicated to different types of electronic music. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the ELEKTRA FESTIVAL IS LIKE A SHOCK THERAPY. Akousma and Elektra both share the desire to show how music can be interpreted in a variety of ways. What I find quite distinctive about the electronic music scene in Montreal is that we’re not just into techno — computers are used to redefine all the arts, whether it’s classical music, theatre, dance or video. Montreal has become a new platform for creative people to share their common interests and to continue developing their art in novel forms of expression.