Nihar and Subset have been constructing A/V performances together in various configurations for the past 7 years. For their performance at MUTEK.SF, Nihar draws from the musical backdrop he has created as a DJ, live performer, and promoter, while considering his experience as a South Asian immigrant—a diaspora wracked with overwhelming inequality. Concerned with global supply lines and the hidden costs of globalized labor, Nihar and Subset have been inspired by Rahul Jainʼs documentary “Machines”, which chronicles the repetitive, back-breaking work that laborers endure in a textile factory in Gujarat, India. Both music and visuals mirror the contradictory nature of the textile factory floor—harsh bodily discipline and uniformity exist along the delicate and colorful clothing products. Together, they create a show that immerses and confronts, flirting with but never wholly converting to the established canon of danceable rhythms.