House, techno, club and sound art scenes thrive in disparate hubs across the globe, but there’s one place where it’s possible to experience a huge variety of forward-thinking electronic music: Mutek. The eclectic festival, which originated in Montreal and takes place in cultural capitals like Mexico City and Tokyo, returns for its second San Francisco edition on May 2–5.
The initial lineup, announced today, features some notable locals, including Lara Sarkissian of boundary-pushing Bay Area party and label Club Chai, as well as Nihar, producer and co-founder of San Francisco techno label Left Hand Path (Nihar performs at Mutek with visual artist Subset).
Experimental beatmaker and vocalist Cruel Diagonals, who recently left Oakland for Los Angeles, is also on the bill. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, a North Bay-based synth wizard, performs as well.
The lineup also features influential national and international artists such as Hyperdub label founder Kode9 (in collaboration with Japanese animator Koji Morimoto), Australian ambient composer Lawrence English and Minimal Wave Records founder Veronica Vasicka.
Mutek features late-night parties, evening shows in theaters and galleries and day parties with interactive art installations. The full schedule of programming has not been announced yet, but you can check out the initial lineup below.
