The inaugural Art - Innovation - Movement (AIM) Festival at Carillon Park had everything one could hope for from a first-time festival, except for a strong turnout. The historic park where New France colonist Dollard des Ormeaux met his end was a picturesque provincial locale for a three-day electronic music shindig. The sound and lighting were top notch, as was the lineup of international acts.
For the few who did manage to make the trek to Saint-André-d'Argenteuil along the Ottawa River on night one of the nascent festival, they were treated to an unexpectedly intimate headlining set under the stars from UK producer Four Tet.
Earlier in the week, the producer otherwise known as Kieran Hebden released the pensive electro-raga album Morning/Evening, and he bookended his AIM set with the Indian vocal samples and calm electronic waves that figure so prominently in his new material.
During the uneven middle section of his hour-long set, Hebden went a little heavier with his beats, to the delight of an audience looking for something more aggressive to dance to. He also dipped into his usual bag of twinkly, fluttering glitches during a few interesting, near beat-less breakdowns.
The buildups were maybe a bit too gradual for the set, but compared to his Osheaga set last year, where he was sandwiched between more aggressive acts, Friday's AIM kick-off was an opportunity for Four Tet to get a small but receptive crowd on his current wavelength and introduce them to his latest album.
For the few who did manage to make the trek to Saint-André-d'Argenteuil along the Ottawa River on night one of the nascent festival, they were treated to an unexpectedly intimate headlining set under the stars from UK producer Four Tet.
Earlier in the week, the producer otherwise known as Kieran Hebden released the pensive electro-raga album Morning/Evening, and he bookended his AIM set with the Indian vocal samples and calm electronic waves that figure so prominently in his new material.
During the uneven middle section of his hour-long set, Hebden went a little heavier with his beats, to the delight of an audience looking for something more aggressive to dance to. He also dipped into his usual bag of twinkly, fluttering glitches during a few interesting, near beat-less breakdowns.
The buildups were maybe a bit too gradual for the set, but compared to his Osheaga set last year, where he was sandwiched between more aggressive acts, Friday's AIM kick-off was an opportunity for Four Tet to get a small but receptive crowd on his current wavelength and introduce them to his latest album.