Abdul Lateef & The Distraction Machine^CA/QC

© Benoit Vermette

Abdul Lateef aka The Distractor is a multidisciplinary artist based in Montréal. Throughout the years, he has created various bike-based 'cyclepunk' works around a zombie apocalypse-plagued universe called Z’Isle. This started with the eponymous comic book series, followed by Abdul Lateef and the Distraction Machine: A Celebration of Life, a live musical theatre performance exploring the mythology and history of Z’Isle, Distraction Machine, a music-based video game set in the world of Z'Isle- launching this summer, and now Music For The Apocalypse, his latest creation.
In 2020, Abdul Lateef took part in the CTM Festival, an experimental music and art festival in Berlin, Germany. In their MusicMakers Hacklab, he participated in Shapeshifters, an international collaborative project involving 23 artists, presenting works based on exploring a week’s worth of sonic sculpture, coded movement and hypnotic visuals. The next iteration of Z'Isle's sprawling universe is a new production which will include an interactive art installation of Distraction Machine and a new musical theatre performance, inviting the audience to join in, with over 200 cyclepunk instruments.

Set in Island City, where the undead feast on the living, Music For The Apocalypse is a cyclepunk odyssey in which survivors have turned to discarded bicycles for weapons, vehicles, even for instruments! Combining beatboxing, the use of Distraction Machine as a sequencer, and live music played on upcycled objects, Abdul Lateef's performance is a wild ride.

Van Luong (VJ Van) is a Graphic and Motion Designer, VJ and has been a pioneer of visual designs in the Montréal underground and mainstream electronic scene for two decades, including the mythical Sona and Aria after hours as well as legendary raves such as Cream, Swirl and Bal en Blanc and the many unmissable Neon parties.