Boundary

It wasn't local musician Ghislain Poirier's first time playing MUTEK, but it was his first time appearing as Boundary, and the world premiere of the Boundary live show. Poirier appeared onstage with Chris Olsen behind the drums, and with his black clothing and beanie, looked like he was getting ready for a bank heist. The set began tentatively, with Poirier looking a little nervous, but the charismatic Montrealer soon settled in and the positive crowd response brought out a broad smile. The dancehall grooves were more prominent live than on the record, and the pieces definitely came alive in a live performance context, the two of them getting into an awesome balance of restraint and groove. Poirier's bilingual inter-song banter was fitting, and the set, although perhaps needing a bit of work to sew it together as a danceable set, was musically great.