RYC Podcast 027 | The Automatic Message (Vancouver) Vancouver-based Trevor Jacobson (b. 1977) and Tanya Goehring (b. 1980) are The Automatic Message. Partners in work and in life, they have built a strong portfolio of abstract, dark and tension-building audiovisuals together. Since forming The Automatic Message in 2006, Trevor and Tanya have been producing avant-guard, off-kilter techno and supporting it with their own visual interpretations, which, in line with their music, creates a tremendous sense of unease and tension. Their music ranges from gritty, glitchy experimental to hard, dark techno with slices of jazz-influenced percussion. They have worked closely with various labels, most notably From 0-1 (Seattle), Kalimari (Montreal), Monsieur Musique (Montreal), and UNOIKI (Berlin). The Automatic Message’s intriguing videography and dark style of editing has caught the eye of some of the biggest names in the techno world. CLR label boss Chris Liebing brought them onboard to create, produce and direct two videos for the label’s release schedule with Black Asteroid’s “Engine 1” and Tommy Four Seven’s “G”. The video they created for Tommy Four Seven was selected for screening at the Antimatter Festival in Victoria, BC in 2011. The music videos they create – whether for their own music or for other artists – explore themes of isolation and impending emotional and global collapse amidst surreal, dream-like psychological landscapes. They investigate these themes through peculiar and disconcerting character portraits. Blending these two art forms, The Automatic Message melds their auditory and visual works to create unique live performances. They juxtapose the different characters that appear in their videos to tell new narratives. Their live performances are often described as cinematic, emotional, dark and thought provoking. The Automatic Message debuted live at the 2008 New Forms Festival in Vancouver, BC, and has since performed across North America at various events and festivals in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and most recently in Montreal. The Automatic Message is committed to curating events that further their local community’s interests in audiovisual performances and video art. They were honoured to receive a Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Small Grants Project grant in both 2011 and 2012 to curate an event showcasing local audiovisual acts and a short film festival called IN MEDIAS RES. soundcloud.com/the-automatic-message residentadvisor.net/dj/theautomaticmessage www.theautomaticmessage.com twitter.com/theautomessage discogs.com/artist/automatic+message,+the facebook.com/pages/The-Automatic-Messa
