Priori x Shoeg^CA/QC+ES/CAT

© Manuel Pastrana (Shoeg)

As Priori, Montréal’s own Francis Latreille has released several essential albums skillfully blending elements of Dub Techno, Drum and bass, IDM and Tech house. His debut album, On A Nimbus (2019), constitutes a haunting exploration of technological utopia, while the more recent Pareidolia (2023) draws from the human tendency to perceive shapes and patterns in seemingly random objects, a recurring theme expertly woven in Priori’s music. In addition to his artistic career, Priori is also an accomplished sound engineer who shapes the underground electronic music scene in Canada and abroad through labels NAFF and Garmo, managed in collaboration with Adam Feingold, as well as Jump Source, a project/studio he co-founded with his accomplice Patrick Holland.

In his work, Barcelona sound and visual artist Carlos Martorell showcases his observations of the relationship between humans and technology, using his skills in programming and assorted technologies to experiment with image, sound and their interactions. He creates his own instruments, using motion sensors and unconventional MIDI hardware to confer a physical dimension to his performances. His visual work blends various media languages, game engines, 3D techniques – notably photogrammetry and digitization – and more recently AI. Shoeg, his principal project, aims to explore the correlation between sound and movement. Having presented live shows and released studio albums on labels such as Orange Milk and 901 Editions, Martorell also collaborated with Artur M Puga on AV performances and explored immersive installations through his recent work with Ana Drucker. He has showcased works at prominent festivals such as Sónar+D, MIRA, SONICA Glasgow, Eufònic and Keroxen, among others, and also worked with dance companies as a music composer and live performer, having recently collaborated with the likes of Laia Santanach, Miquel Barcelona, La Taimada and Nuria Guiu.

Backed by surreal 3D renderings created in real-time by Shoeg, Priori’s introspective music draws inspiration from peculiar fairy tales and imagined worlds in order to craft a telluric and organic atmosphere steeped in mystery and intrigue. Shoeg’s visual output, influenced by his experiments in text-image fusion, video game aesthetics and human-technology-nature interactions, propel the audience through a 3D speleological exploration. As a novel performance driven by motion sensors, reactive and colorful environments will highlight Priori’s complex sound ecosystems and illustrate the contrasts between organic and synthetic, convoluted and effortless, tangible and hypothetical.