Murcof & AntiVJ

Salle Pierre-Mercure, Montreal QC June 2

BY Vincent PollardPublished Jun 3, 2011

Fernando Corona (aka Murcof) and Simon Geilfus (member of the visuals collective AntiVJ) were set up on separate tables on either side of the stage, behind a semi-transparent screen that filled the entire space. With the first note of music, a single star-like dot appeared in the centre of the screen, and as the music built up, the dot expanded, almost a re-enactment of the universe forming. At first, the visuals seemed perhaps a touch too cold and robotic for the organic qualities of Murcof's music, but after the first piece, it gave way to a perfect marriage of music and visuals. Stars turned slowly as if seen from an observatory, and as the beats cut through the ambience, huge three-dimensional wireframe boxes dominated the screen, each corner lining up with the constellations behind it. The majority of the music played was from Cosmos, Murcof's album from 2007, but the pieces here had been rearranged and extended to fit with the imagery. The most impressive section of the piece began as small circles, almost like dandelion heads, dissolved into stars or a million fireflies swarming in delicate, organic patterns, in perfect synch with the music. Geilfus and Corona have been collaborating on the piece during the course of several residencies and the hard work has paid off with a stunning audiovisual performance.

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