Surreal pan-canadian duo Yamantaka // Sonic Titan illuminate the Suoni per il Popolo Festival

Ruby Kato Attwood and Alaska B hide behind the many masks that are Yamantaka // Sonic Titan.

One face is that of a conceptual art rock opera meets electronic pop/punk band who are equally at home incorporating etal, prog and Iroquois social songs as well as sweet melodies into their stunning musical chambers.

Another face is that of a visual panorama that encompasses elaborate stage designs, costumes, video, theater, installations, animation, illustration and design. Ultimately though at the heart of what YST create is a drawing on the members’ unique cultural backgrounds and upbringings, an exploration, questioning, reinterpretation and presentation of their Asian-Canadian and First Nations heritages through art and sound.

Formed out of the remnants of quasi-mythical Montreal underground movers and shakers Lesbian Fight Club, Ruby and Alaska conceived their first mini 'noh-wave' opera, YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN I in April 2008.

Operating to this day as a collective, chops were honed and skills were sharpened as more operas were written and performed, while at the same time YST were instrumental in the formation of a network of Asian and Indigenous artists through their various collaborations.

While word-of-mouth fueled their earlier incarnations, 2011 was the year when the general populace woke up and paid attention to the now Montreal-Toronto project, thanks in large part to their self-titled debut record.

One listen in and the listener knows they are onto something special: a hypnotic pot of weighty sonics that delve into past thoughts and future (in)actions.

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
June 20 | Théâtre Plaza
6505, St. Hubert
with Ultrathin and Jef Barbara
ytstlabs.com