Earlier this year, FACT’s John Twells and Bryan McKay headed to Montreal with local FACT contributor Son Raw for MUTEK, and talked to a handful of artists about the nature of live performance.

Aussie-raised, Bristol-based producer Paul Jebanasam has been active on the fringes of experimental electronic music for years now. He was a crucial part of the early Tectonic roster (working as Moving Ninja), and in recent years has slid over to Subtext, releasing dense drones under his own name.

This year’s Continuum is a masterclass in “power ambient”, fusing heaving, distorted drones with fractured melodies and furious white noise. It’s music that isn’t the most obvious contender for live performance, but as we saw at this year’s MUTEK Montreal, it actually makes perfect sense.

For his live show, Jebanasam called on acclaimed Dutch visual artist Tarik Barri. Barri is maybe best known for his work with Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich, but he’s also worked with In Aeternam Vale and Monolake, among others. His work with Jebanasam is particularly engaging – the two developed the Continuum performance as a truly audio-visual experience, and Barri manipulates the visuals live in complete darkness for maximum effectiveness. It’s an overwhelming experience.

Directed by Bryan McKay. Interview by Son Raw. Shot by Bryan McKay and John Twells. Produced by John Twells.