Ben Shemie (CA)

WORLD DEBUT Local jazz musician and classical composer Ben Shemie has never been one to stick to the rigid confines of any one musical genre or philosophy. Always eager to explore and evolve, Shemie’s wandering ear discovered electronic music, specifically Squarepusher and the seminal Warp Records. Spurred on by a desire to experiment, he set about reconciling his new fascination with his classical background in a live context. Over the last few years the Westmount native has developed and honed his ambitious project, bringing together a live string orchestra (or improvisers) performing his own compositions over electronic beats in an enticing interaction between seemingly disparate genres, cultures and modes of performance. This year the multi-talented Ben Shemie arrives at MUTEK to present “Middle Clouds: Family A, B, C”.