Brooklyn’s own Aurora Halal took to the stage on the opening night of MUTEK’s Métropolis series, a program dedicated to the most physical and hypnotic forms of electronic music.
Known for her as a resident DJ at NYC’s Nowadays and a regular at iconic clubs like Berghain and De School, Halal brought her signature shadowy, mysterious sound to Montréal to an extremely receptive audience.
She began with a restrained opening of ambient textures, gradually filling the cavernous room with the steady thump of 808s. Letting tension simmer, she eased the crowd into motion before rising into a feverish flow.
As the dancefloor swayed from side to side, totally immersed in the powerful visuals accompanying her set, Halal locked into her trademark blend of raw, hardware-driven techno laced with a sensual, dreamlike twist. The sub-bass roared at the crowd beneath layers of hi-hats, low pass filters and warped keys escalated the performance into a psychedelic frenzy. The crowd erupted as each layers married themselves to the infective kicks in a non-stop barrage of electrifying sounds.
With beams of light darting across the room and fast-shifting visuals cascading overhead, her music boomed with hypnotic force, each new layer added pulling dancers deeper into a collective trance. By the apex of the set, the floor was in full motion, swept along by a performance that reiterated Aurora Halal’s powerful presence in the global club music scene, after years of paying her dues in the underground.
