Nicola Cruz took to the stage at the Esplanade Tranquille at 9 p.m. to close the first night of the 26th MUTEK festival, in front of a large crowd who had come to experience his DJ set in person. Dressed in a turtleneck and denim jacket, with an attitude that was both playful and relaxed, he kicked off the evening with a understated yet magnetic presence.
This first DJ performance was part of a program that had already begun with Valentina Magaletti’s percussive and interactive performance, followed by Stephen Beaupré’s immersive live show, which featured synthesizers, drum machines, and Ableton Live.
The Ecuadorian producer’s equipment seemed simple: in front of him were four direct-drive turntables on which he played vinyl records from his collection. This traditional approach to DJing resulted in an eclectic set, blending techno, house, and breakbeat, while incorporating a wide range of musical influences, from the Balkans to Latin America, via the North American underground electro scene and European house.
This performance of electro-futuristic tracks demonstrated his deep attachment to resolutely physical music, which awakened festival-goers in a rhythmic communion, where the kinetic excitement continued to grow throughout the set.
Techno and electro beats resonated in the chest, triggering a visceral reaction: heads nodded, shoulders swayed, legs tapped the floor to the rhythm of the music. The most intense passages mingled with moments of trance accentuated by distortions, experimental beeps, and Latin percussion, all carried by subtle and enveloping rhythmic embellishments. In this space saturated with bass and percussion, the crowd became a single vibrating organism, breathing to the rhythm of a sustained kick. Other moments plunged us into dub techno, minimal techno, and microhouse, offering fluidity and relaxation, and putting festival-goers into an almost meditative state.
Having been granted an extra fifteen minutes, Nicola Cruz ended the evening on a high note, mixing all the genres explored throughout the set in an energetic finale marked by his edit of the Chicago house-influenced track It’s Gonna Be… (A Lovely Day). We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 26th edition of the MUTEK festival.
Nicola Cruz will perform again on Saturday, August 23, as part of Metropolis 2, starting at 11 p.m.
photo: Vivien Gaumand
