Welcome to the first (annual?) MUTEK awards, by your correspondent here at VibeUps.

Best Records with Noodly Sax Solos:  Ricardo Villalobos, with three.

Best Melodica:  Magic Mountain High, who probably won the noodle award with their seven-minute melodica live techno jam.

Best Quote:  “Shout out to the white dude with glasses” – Holly Herdon’s VJ.

Best Awkward Moment:  The dude in blackface trying to explain himself to a (black) security guard, at 0500.

Best Food:  Lola Rosa, mac & cheese.

Best Sunshine:  Piknic, Stage 2, 1500 to 1700.

Best Lasers:  Robert Henke, Lumiere.  Also best visuals and best oh-my-god, for that matter.

Best Interface:  Holly Herdon’s contact-mics-on-laptop magic.

Best Rave:  Lee Bannon’s jungle apocalypse on Saturday night.  Also a winner in the “Best Shouting from the Audience” category

Best Illness:  Andrew Ryce, who’s battle with strep earned him a night in hospital.  That’s dedication, folks.

Worst Gin:  Metropolis.

Best MUTEK:  Mutek.  More seriously, I can’t say enough good things about the festival staff, the nice security, the good sound, the lack of stupidly packed venues (with the small exception of Metropolis on Saturday and the main stage at Piknic…which were still much, much better than Igloofest), the overall “vibe”, if I am allowed to use that word, and so on.  A fantastic event, in all ways.