Another year, another MUTEK wrapped – and somehow, after 27 editions, the festival is still finding new ways to inspire, surprise, and make our jaws drop.

That sense of wonder is perhaps what makes MUTEK so special. In a festival landscape where the next drop can sometimes feel like the main event, MUTEK continues to put experimentation, imagination, and artistic risk-taking front and centre. The night can (and often does) jump from hypnotic techno to a Japanese collective making instruments out of discarded electronics, to an outdoor dancefloor or audiovisual experience that begs you to stare at the ceiling.

Of course, it’s impossible to experience everything across five days and multiple venues (though I did my best), but here are a few moments that made a mark. 

Electricity, drum solos, and getting completely lost in the Dome

Thursday at SAT delivered one of the weekend’s most unexpected surprises with ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS!, the Japanese experimental project led by artist and musician Ei Wada. Turning discarded technology – CRT televisions, electric fans, barcode scanners, and other electronic relics – into playable instruments, the project feels like someone opened the door to a parallel universe where your grandparents’ electronics suddenly formed a band.

And somehow, it works.

The performance was playful, strange, and completely unlike anything else on the programme, which is exactly the kind of left turn MUTEK does so well. Later, Jump Source brought things into much sleeker territory. Fresh off their latest remix on Correspondant, Montréal duo Patrick Holland and Francis Latreille (Priori) effortlessly hypnotized the crowd. 

Sunday’s closing at SAT was equally unpredictable. Matthew Herbert and Julian Sartorius delivered a live drum-and-guitar performance where the drums seemed to dictate the direction of the entire set, before Dana Ruh and the MUTEK Soundsystem brought things back down to earth. And, as always, the Dome visuals were something else entirely. Paired with often ambient sound, they have a way of making you forget that you’re standing in a room at all – sometimes the best thing to do is simply look up and get lost.

Jeff Mills, in full control

Over at MTELUS, getting a ticket to Jeff Mills’ sold-out performance felt like winning a small lottery. The Detroit techno legend debuted his new Stargate live show, and there really isn’t much to say beyond: the man knows exactly what he’s doing.

The room was packed to the point where you could feel just how focused everyone was. There was very little spectacle in the traditional sense – Mills himself was often reduced to a silhouette, with only the outline of his head and headphones visible – which somehow made the entire room even more attentive to every movement and every sound.

The visuals took centre stage, with enormous three-dimensional boxes moving through the space and reflecting shifting colours, creating a constantly changing geometric landscape around the music.

Before Mills took over, Polygonia and JakoJako set the tone with hypnotic, experimental techno that felt like a perfect introduction to the night. Together, the three acts made for one of those MUTEK lineups where the progression feels intentional rather than simply stacked.

Esplanade Tranquille gets the party started

One of the biggest surprises this year was just how dancefloor-friendly the free programming at Esplanade Tranquille felt. Compared with last year, the atmosphere seemed noticeably more focused on movement – and judging by the packed crowds every night, Montreal was very happy about it.

Matthew Herbert, A Guy Called Gerald, Barker, Polygonia, and plenty of others had the crowd completely locked in.

It also highlighted one of MUTEK’s biggest strengths: artists can show different sides of themselves across the festival. An artist might bring a more accessible, dancefloor-oriented set to Esplanade Tranquille, then head to SAT or MTELUS with a more experimental live project. Seeing those different sides of an artist within the same festival is a reminder that electronic music doesn’t have to fit neatly into one box.

And then there’s A Guy Called Gerald, who needs little introduction. From his roots in Manchester’s underground soundsystem, soul, funk and jazz scenes to the acid house classic Voodoo Ray, his work with 808 State, and his pioneering contributions to jungle, his presence at MUTEK was a perfect example of the festival’s ability to connect generations. There were artists on this year’s programme who have been shaping electronic music for decades, alongside emerging names, Montréal locals, and artists exploring entirely new territory.

And that’s really the point

What sticks with me most after another MUTEK isn’t one particular set or even one particular venue. It’s the sheer confidence of the artists involved.

There’s something refreshing about watching musicians take risks without worrying too much about whether everything needs to resolve into an obvious payoff. Sometimes there’s no drop. Sometimes there isn’t even a recognisable instrument. Sometimes the “instrument” is an old television. Sometimes you spend ten minutes staring at a giant 3D box while a Detroit techno pioneer controls the room from the shadows.

And somehow, it all makes sense.

But that spirit doesn’t stop with the artists. One of the things that continues to impress year after year is just how much goes into creating the MUTEK experience. The VJs and audiovisual artists are a huge part of that – transforming rooms, stages, domes and outdoor spaces into completely different worlds and proving that the visual side of electronic music can be just as experimental as the sound.

And then there’s the crew behind it all: curators, producers, technicians, stage crews, volunteers, venue teams, and everyone working behind the scenes – it genuinely takes a village to make this village happen. And somehow, after 27 editions, that village keeps getting better at building something that feels both enormous and deeply considered.

The best part is that MUTEK never seems particularly interested in standing still. The programme continues to bring together artists who have been shaping electronic music for decades with Montreal locals, emerging names, and artists working somewhere completely outside the expected parameters. There’s always something familiar, something new, and something that makes you wonder what the hell you’re watching – usually in the best possible way.

After 27 years, MUTEK is still weird. Still curious. Still willing to take chances.

Happy 27th anniversary, MUTEK – here’s to many more years of weird and wonderfully unpredictable music.

P.S. MUTEK 2027 is already on the horizon! The next edition has been announced and full festival passes are officially available here. See you there! 

Photo credit: MUTEK