v. 23 – Day Two – September 10th 2021

Presented in collaboration with Prairie Wires

Day two transforms a downtown parking lot into an open-air cathedral of light and sound. Winnipeg-based sound artist Memorypond uses field recordings of urban and domestic environments to resynthesize experience as a meditative drone. The duo of amiskwaciy (Edmonton)-based musician and sound designer Matthew Cardinal and Saskatoon-based media artist Stephanie Kuse spans shimmering modular soundscapes and vividly evolving textures of digital abstraction for a towering sensory experience. In contrast to their careful recorded output, B.C.-based collaborators City & i.o are a live force to be reckoned with; a voluminous column of sound, matching industrial electronics and rapid-fire drumming. 

Presented in collaboration with Prairie Wires

City & i.o is a live band and recording project from B.C. Their debut record Spirit Volume came out in June, 2019, on New York-based label PTP. It was Bandcamp’s Album of the Day, and received further coverage in AQNB, BBC Radio 3, FACT Magazine, Red Bull Radio, Tiny Mix Tapes, VICE, The Wire, and more. Although Spirit Volume was lauded for its “sober, thoughtful, and downright meticulous” compositions (TMT), their live sets are the total opposite: a full-bore celebration of space, exertion, and volume that leave both performers exhausted and drenched in sweat. Their performances are high-energy and dynamic spectacles, wreathed in smoke and strobe lights, that test every available frequency of the sound system. The combination of City’s industrial electronics and frantic live guitar with i.o’s unbelievably kinetic drumming often invites comparisons to the extremity of black metal or emotive trance progressions, and has been called “staggeringly intense … a living, breathing ecosystem of textural sound” (SBVRSV). City & i.o’s next full-length record will arrive in late 2021 on Éditions Appærent.

i.o is a band consisting of Maxwell Patterson; drummer, guitarist, producer, and visual artist. Maxwell lives and works in Victoria, BC. i.o has currently released over 200 records; including the 104-hour-long album Injecting Logic. i.o’s drumming has been described as “mind-numbing,” “masterful,” “elastic-limbed,” and the overwhelming volume of his discography is only matched by his relentless live sets and DIY touring pace.

City is the alias of Vancouver-based producer and musician Will Ballantyne. His music has been described as “massive, like it’s going to swallow you whole” by VICE; “furious with texture, but guided by an inner slowness” by The Wire; and “epic, soaring electronica” by Resident Advisor. He is a founding member of the label Éditions Appærent, and co-ran the s.M.i.L.e. event series in Vancouver. He has released records on Halcyon Veil, Ascetic House, and PTP.

Matthew Cardinal (he/him) is an amiskwaciy (Edmonton, AB) based musician, composer, and sound designer known for his work with Polaris Short List nominee group nêhiyawak. Cardinal’s solo full-length album Asterisms was released in October 2020 on Arts & Crafts label. Cardinal’s music moves from delicate, minimalist pieces to vast drones and sparkling modular synthesizer beats. He has been performing music across the country for the last 9 years in various groups, as well as doing soundtrack work in film and sound for museum installations.

Stephanie Kuse (she/her) is a media artist living on Treaty 6 Territory (Saskatoon, SK). Utilizing 3D rendering and digitally manipulated video footage, Kuse works alongside musicians and audio artists to create impactful audio/visual installations, live performances and visualizers. She is inspired by sparse landscapes, contrasting natural textures and the everchanging prairie light. She works to capture small natural details and through various mediums reinterprets them in an often surreal, gentle yet distorted manner. 

Memorypond (Sarah Borbridge) is a sound artist based in Treaty 1 territory/Winnipeg, MB. She is interested in investigating the depths of the sonic world that encompasses her lived experience. Using field recordings of the urban and domestic environments and synthetic sounds that she manipulates and distorts, Memorypond aims to create droney soundscapes that induce a meditative response from the listener. Memorypond has played at several venues in Winnipeg and has been an invited guest at Drone Day and space)doxa events.