Polotechnics: Vladimir Ivkovic and Ensoul

Long time Düsseldorf Salon des Amateurs resident and Offen Music boss Vladimir Ivkovic lands in Toronto to deliver his signature “sludgy and spacious dub sounds” (Resident Advisor) alongside Iranian-born Kourosh Dehghani (aka Ensoul) for an epic edition of Link Music Lab’s Polotechnics at Bambi’s.

Rising up alongside Lena Willikens and Jan Schulte at Salon des Amateurs, known for its experimentalism, Ivkovic demonstrates a grasp for the left-field and eclectic, engendering thought-provoking excursions that move from classical music to EBM and eastern melodies. With decades immersed in the craft, the Belgrade-born and raised DJ applies a curatorial mindset and a deep love of music to his creative exploits. Ivkovic aptly states: “When the entirety of humanity is coming out of the speakers, loud, it’s beautiful.”

In recent years, Ivkovic’s artistic temperament has increasingly found devoted followers all around the globe. A staple of the European club circuit, he has proven to be just as comfortable at celebrated nightspots like De School (Amsterdam), Berghain (Berlin) and Nitsa (Barcelona), to name a few! Even the festival circuit has come calling, inviting Ivkovic and his inventive rhythms to large-scale events like Primavera Sound, Unsound, World Minimal Music, Houghton, Strange Sounds from Beyond, Dekmantel, Flow, TodaysArt, Robot, Waking Life, Terraforma, Dancity, Positive Education, Elevate, Love International, Dimensions, Kala, Sziget, and The Crave.

Exploring the interrelated soundscapes of dub, post-punk, electro, trip-hop, psych, downtempo and the many flavours of dance music, local DJ Ensoul effortlessly conveys his story through sound for feel good rhythms on the dance floor.

Polotechnics shines a light on international and local artists from the Iranian diasporic underground, shifting and broadening perspectives of Persian electronic music. From high-energy dance beats to contemplative sound art, Link Music Lab’s new series invites a range of genres such as EBM, electro, techno, acid and all things synth. Polotechnics is a portmanteau of “Technics”, the Japanese brand name for a line of high-end audio equipment and the Farsi word for rice, also polo, aiming to nourish the soul by expanding perceptions of Iranian electronic music.

Link Music Lab gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage and Canada Council for the Arts.