Ah, Mutek. Where else can so many disaffected people find community?

Mutek's Thursday night’s Nocturne performances focussed on international dubstep artists, bringing out enough deep bass to shake the crack dens right out of lower St-Laurent, and knock street signs sideways like loose teeth.

Dubstep, for the uninitiated, is a relatively newish sub-genre of electronic music, taking inspiration from reggae dub, UK 2-Step and Garage music. Dubstep is typically mid-tempo (read: more head-nodding than glowstick-waving), and combines minimalist arrangements and syncopated percussion over phenomenally deep bass tones that seem to pull all the air from the room. It is a very physical sound, and if the crowd at the SAT is any indication, greatly enjoyed by its enthusiasts.

And I mean greatly enjoyed...

I arrived when Shackleton was on stage. Playing albums on the double decks (seemingly with an effects unit adding even more reverb and delay on shots), Shackleton’s set was deep and wide. He played throbbing numbers that combined hundreds of cicadas playing ping-pong in the high-frequencies, and a thousand helicopters taking off in the sub bass range. Again, it was a very physical experience.

Next up were dubstep pioneers Kode 9 and The Spaceape. Kode 9 manned the turntables and the laptop while Spaceape patrolled the front of the stage, speak-singing reverb-heavy lines into the mic. With all the lights off and the claustrophobic bass sounds expanding into all open space, the SAT became one enormous subwoofer. Kode 9 and Spaceape’s pieces are like the soundtrack to an oncoming, very funky, apocalypse – dark, syncopated, and heeeeaaaaavy. The bass, at times, was so intense I could feel my nose-ring shaking loose. Whoa. This set was the highlight of the night, and was met with enthusiastic cheering from the very sweaty crowd.

Last on Thursday’s Nocturne bill were dub DJs Rhythm & Sound, with Paul St-Hilaire handling the mic duties. Their set was more traditional electronic dub – slower, thicker, and more clearly influenced by the reggae sound than the previous acts. They churned out reverberating, minimal electro stuff, driven forward by the sheer heft of the bass thrum. The crowd thinned somewhat during Rhythm & Sound’s set, which allowed for more free-swinging limbs for those who remained.

After getting a slow groove-on for a while, I finally took my leave of the SAT and wandered into the misty night air, stepping around overturned cars and sidewalks buckled from so much bass. A great night, and I would guess, a great introduction to the dubstep sound for many in attendance.

(Photo courtesy of Tristan Dacunha's Flickr Stuffs).