Future mythologies is a partnership between Chapel Sound and Notebook to give audiences a
unique sound art experience. The show was an adventure in sound and sights across both acts,
with the first act encouraging the use of the free earplugs at the entrance. As a recurring part of
Indiefest’s lineup, it has earned a reputation as an impressive and creative exploration, with this
year living up to expectations.

The show was split into two acts. The first featured a collaborative showcase from two Chinese
women, blending their own takes on art forms that are often considered outside of the
mainstream high art world. MIIIA/N3ZHA brought her take on electronic music and techno to
the stage in a thunderous and pummelling DJ set. Backing her were visuals by Melt, whose take
on visual storytelling served as a guide for the audience on the journey. Together, the two created
a stimulating and intriguing experience like no other.

Sonically, the set started with chopped and rearranged samples from older Chinese movies.
Visually, the audience is transported to a woodland and a video game-inspired motif. As the
visuals warped from Kung-Fu movies to a kaleidoscope, an angelic figure made of digital angles
appears on the screen. Under this, MIIIA stands alone clad in the same Maison Margiela mask
that Kanye West has sported over the years. Though the mask provides a disguise for her, her
figure crouched over her Ableton controller draws our attention away from the screen above.
From this controller, we get an intense stream of electronic music with pounding basslines and
sparse and frenetic drumlines.

On screen, digital shapes invoke the name of the show as they swirl and slide around the screen.
These images are met with a mechatronic soundtrack over tribal drums. The visuals and the
soundtrack together take pieces from the world we know and add elements from a future we have
yet to experience. As the act progresses, we see a return to the images and scenes from the older
Kung-Fu movies that started the show. The images then yield to barely perceptible faces and
geometric shapes, while MIIIA’s music churns underneath with pumping baselines as the first
act comes to a close.

After a brief intermission, 8ulentina and Embaci enter as the lights fade to black. Their show
starts with the sound and visuals of a thunderstorm taking place over the sea before the visuals
shift to a hill overlooking a valley. With 8ulentina on one side operating half of the sound rig, the
spotlight settles first on him as a digital chime rings out a near spiritual note. Embaci steps from
behind her half of the rig and adds her ghostly and wordless vocals to the sound. Between the
idyllic views of a motorbike driving along a valley road, it becomes clear that this act will be
much calmer than the first.

Embaci moves from behind her half of the rig as reverb-drenched vocals add to the overall
atmosphere that the performers craft. As Embaci moves back behind the sound rig, the stormy
visuals that had returned to the screen above the performers fade again. As I listened to the
performance, the first artist that came to mind was Burial. Both share a similar atmospheric and
hypnotic feeling over calm yet otherworldly beats. Throughout the performance, Embaci
emerges from behind her portion of the rig to shine a light across the audience while singing. The
performance works to invoke both calm and thoughtfulness in the audience, an intriguing change
from the first act. As the music switches to an insistent low drone, Embaci sings motifs that get
distorted and pitch-adjusted. A sound like sleigh bells fades in and out of the soundscape before
Embaci’s lone vocals end the act and the show.