Ryoichi Kurokawa

With an all-star lineup set to take over the Metropolis on Day 3 of MUTEK, the majority of festival attendees converged at the familiar venue. Award-winning Japanese visual artist and festival mainstay Ryoichi Kurokawa received the opening call. A dimly lit booth made way for two giant LCD screens hovering behind him as an anxious crowd awaited one of the most anticipated performances of the night. It was immediately evident that a great deal of care went into Kurokawa's set. Intense, low-end frequencies elicited gasps and cheers from the crowd as the famed Japanese producer proceeded to fill the room with his renowned kind of organized chaos. The audio was meticulously visualized in exquisite detail, panning from left to right in an often suspenseful and provoking manner: eyes would suddenly appear on screen in a flash, hinting at something humane beneath it all. Beats were viciously deconstructed, yet bound with just enough familiarity to allow the audience to follow. The spectacle had pupils frozen in place, as if Kurokawa had just set his phaser to stun. His presentation raised the bar and was a glowing testament to just how far A/V performance has come.