Three innovators with diverse histories in music merged creative forces in 2005, forming a brand new concept in electronic music, Toronto’s Coup Digital. Constantly driven to new expressions of the digital imagination, the Coup’s pulse of possibility is truly progressive. The collective builds, invents, or creates technology to continually expand their creative freedom.

All three members had been heavily involved in multidisciplinary facets of music production and visual arts before coming together. Amir has been deejaying since the early ‘80s, collecting Rare Groove or Northern Soul records before the first waves of house rose from the underground. Way ahead of the trends, he was spinning soul, jazz, funk, and more into his mixes right from the start, a driving force behind the soulful, groovy beats during the first waves of house. Amir launched the Babylon Martini and Musique Boutique, and brought in DJs like Montreal’s legendary Star 80, whose decks were sold to Simón Rojas and kick started his deejaying career.

In the early ‘80s Simón immigrated to Canada from Chile bringing a wealth of influence and the poetic passion from his revolutionary motherland. Years of studying classical music and various visual arts lead him into Toronto’s theatre and dance scene where he came to love house music through its fusion of new world beats with old school rhythms. For the past decade, he has focused on the visual realm as an art director and graphic artist throughout Toronto, Chile, and Spain, while deejaying and doing music production for film and television.

DJ Shine has spent 15 years in all aspects of music production, blurring the lines between production and performance as a DJ and performance artist. He’s been playing raves and clubs all over North America, Germany, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. He has released multiple albums, toured with the Nelly Furtado band, and worked on mixes and other projects with top international DJs and producers.

Coup Digital recently unveiled its prototype interactive control surface. The group was inspired by technology advances of the Music Technology Group in Barcelona, and by an interface used in Bjork’s recent live shows. They began to explore alternate uses of the concept along with new ways of interacting with and controlling the way they make and perform music and visuals. With some reverse engineering and endless tinkering, the collective has adapted the basic software from the Reactable, and created their own audio-visual interface.

This new technology means the act is taking their live shows to the next level. By placing blocks on glass surfaces, the producers can manipulate interaction and control of their music and visual programs. The results pump out through a sound system, LCD projectors, and LED or Plasma screens.

The Coup Digital is among very few bands in the world performing with these technologies. With the fiercest pumping beats, fearless technology innovation, and captivating visuals, their act is an essential and unique experience, bridging today’s sound with the future.