Minus unveils The Cube at 10-year anniversary Contakt events

Minus unveils The Cube at 10-year anniversary Contakt events

6 May, 2008 | 9.52PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog
• Written by: lizwarner

After a 10-week hiatus celebrating 10 years of Minus, the collective has unveiled a new concept in community.

Beginning with a date in Detroit during Movement 08, fans of Minus will have the chance to interact with the The Cube — a method of registering their live presence within the Minus environment — and will then have access to exclusive tracks, will be able to upload demos and will have the chance to win some quality gear, including Native Instruments’ Traktor Scratch System.

According to a conversation with Richie Hawtin, founder of the label, The Cube explores “how technology allows us as artists — and the audience — to make further human contact than would have been possible in the past.”

So what exactly is The Cube? 

According to the press release, “What is apparent is that the Cube is a highly advanced communications device that responds positively to the presence of humans and interacts accordingly.”

Put into terms that most earth beings can understand, it’s a concept that’s both virtual and physical.

Visitors to the website www.contakt-events.com are able to activate a Contakt membership, and thereby able to take part in forums, receive a Minus pin, a 10% discount on m-nus.com orders, take part in a guest list service, have access to a Contakt contest and sweepstakes and other special benefits outlined on the website.

Members who are then able to attend one of 10 special Contakt events throughout the world through the end of 2008 are acknowledged with their physical presence, which opens up the door for more activity, such as interactive on-the-spot downloads of unreleased Minus material and a demo drop-box opportunity.

Although Richie Hawtin hasn’t specified exactly how, The Cube will not be difficult to locate at the 10 special events.

The performance aspect — which includes the usual suspects of Magda, Troy Pierce, Heartthrob, Marc Houle, Gaiser and special guests including Loco Dice, JPLS, Tractile, Ambivalent, Barem and Niederflur — seems to be on the increase as well.

“The décor, the structure, the lighting and the technology we’re using for playing — and the way we’re playing — are all helping us to grow into a more collaborative and spontaneous arrangement than before.”

Hawtin then goes on to describe a circumstance in which artists engage one another on a more continual basis, rather than the usual one-set-after-the-other formula.

“It’s much more fluid, and more about the overall sound and experience.

“We all have a very good idea of what we can do individually.

“Now we’ll see what we can do collaboratively and hope that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

“We feel we’re at a good point to build on an experiment that will continue to grow throughout the duration.”

Whether The Cube exists in physical form could be irrelevant.

The point, after all, seems to be the experiment itself and the new pathways it creates.

But, from the looks of things, if you happen to be able to stop at one of the select events where The Cube will be on display, it will most likely feel like you’ve stepped into the future.

Make Contakt with The Cube at these events:

May 24th Detroit, USA @ St. Andrews Hall
Jun 20th Barcelona, Spain @ Sónar
Jul 22nd Gent, Belgium @ 10 Days Off
Aug 29th Montreal, Canada @ TBA
Oct 11th Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Halle
Oct 18th London, UK @ Seone
Oct 25th Amsterdam, Holland @ The Sands
Oct 31st Rome, Italy @ Palazzo dei Congressi
Dec 6th Tokyo, Japan @ Club Phazon
Dec 13th Buenos Aires, Argentina @ TBA

These 10 special Contakt events are presented by Minus and Traktor Scratch.

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