During the first half of this decade, Akufen was one of the biggest names in contemporary house music. A native Montrealer who had spent the 80s and 90s engaged in the fervent experimental music community of this city, Marc Leclair began to gain notoriety during the first edition of the MUTEK Festival in 2000 when one of his singles found its way into the hands of Germany’s Thomas Brinkmann. Brinkmann noticed correctly that Leclair’s style had evolved into something utterly distinct, a cut-up, micro-sampled approach to house music that recalled the work of Matthew Herbert as it did the abstraction of Leclair’s homegrown influence, the painter Jean-Paul Riopelle.

After a successful run of singles on labels such as Background, Trapez, and Perlon, in 2002 Leclair released My Way, the Akufen debut album, which became one of the most critically acclaimed records of that year. After two years of non-stop touring and promotion, Leclair stepped out of the limelight, issuing only the experimental album Musique Pour 3 Femmes Enceintes (MUTEK_REC ) in 2005. Since then, he has released only a few remixes.

For the last edition of the MUTEK Festival, Akufen returned to the stage for the first time in five years to present his first new material in just as long. He's now touring presenting his new live set yet to be released.