Saschienne

After John Tejada's melodic start and the Field's hypnotic immersion techniques, the husband and wife team of Sascha Funke and Julienne Dessagne brought a human element back to the Kompakt showcase at the first night of MUTEK. Probably the lesser known of the four acts on tonight's bill, they immediately had the crowd on their side, as demonstrated when they played the gorgeous title track off their Unknown album of last year before launching into the first real full-on dance set of this year's festival. Backed with a simple visual show — a wall of blue lights — Dessagne's live vocals and keyboards augmented the techno nicely. Live, Saschienne went harder and deeper than the album, building to a surprisingly intense climax.