ART, meet the future is the slogan for the inaugural digital media arts festival ...and the future is now as York Mediale 2018 begins its ten-day run today.

This state-of-the-arts event in the first and only UK UNESCO-designated Creative City of Media Arts presents more than 30 events city-wide, with far too many to cram into one preview, so keep reading What's On coverage through the week ahead, including an interview in tomorrow's edition with creative director Tom Higham.

Here, What's On focuses on one strand of York Mediale, and in particular on the involvement of two tireless York promoters of the underground music scene, Ouroboros's Harkirit Boparai and Please Please You's Joe Coates, both so vital to the emergence of The Crescent community venue off Blossom Street.

Together with York house/techno stalwarts Bad Chapel, they have played a key role in shaping the music programme, as festival executive producer Mark Carlin explains.

"I've produced the festival, looking after all the project, but a lot of the music has been down to these guys. Much of the festival has come down to partnerships with other people, as always happens. What's interesting in this case is that you have the term 'media arts', but some of the music is rooted in the oldest forms we know."

Harkirit and Joe were given creative freedom in their choice of acts. "Pearson Sound [Saturday, 9pm] and Joy Orbison [October 6, 9pm] have been experimenting at the foreground of UK electronic underground music for a decade, with a reputation for seamless transitions between genres and styles," says Harkirit.

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"One hundred per cent we expect to attract new audiences to The Crescent at York Mediale," says Please Please You's Joe Coates 

"We're also delighted to be working alongside Just Jam to bring Kamaal Williams and Moses Boyd to York in Exodus Live [York Theatre Royal, tonight, 8pm), as real pioneers of the rejuvenated London jazz movement.

"It's important to say that the jazz in the festival line-up is very contemporary. Kamaal Williams, who's booked in for the opening night, is known as the sound of the London underground, and while they're all accomplished jazz musicians, they take their influences from jungle, hip hop and drum & bass.

"Kamaal's a DJ as well, so it comes out of the club scene, and it's all about young musicians re-interpreting what the jazz genre is."

"It's a long way from smoky jazz club jazz, which is why we can get away with doing it at York Theatre Royal, a theatre space," says Joe, before Mark rejoins: "And the most exciting thing is they're all be in York for the first time"..."although Kamaal did play a house DJ set as Henry Wu eight years ago," points out Harkirit.

Mark was keen that the festival should embrace contrasts. "We wanted the Crescent and the Theatre Royal to be on the same festival programme, where it wouldn't feel out of place for both of them to be involved," he says.

"We're also presenting Beatrice Dillon [experimental producer, DJ and Somerset House artist-in-residence] within the live environment of Alexander Whitley Dance Company's Stranger Stranger installation in the York Guildhall on October 6 and Suzanne Ciani [electronic music pioneer] at the Stained Glass Centre, in St Martin-cum-Gregory Church in Micklegate, the night before at 8pm."

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Beatrice Dillon: experimental producer and DJ, taking part in the first York Mediale. Picture: Anne Tetzlaff

Welcoming The Crescent's involvement in York Mediale, with opening and closing parties with cutting-edge DJs on both Saturdays, as well concerts in the week, Joe says: "When Mark first came to York last November, he spoke to the vast majority of DIY promoters and people doing interesting live music in York, and that's not normally what happens when a producer of a wider event comes from out of town, but that impressed us.

"The Crescent is a labour of love, all about taking a something old [the building dates from 1902] and showing that a dedicated team can reinterpret the space into something new, and that also reflects York Mediale's approach."

Harkirit adds: "We always focus on bringing great music to York, otherwise we wouldn't be here. Partnership with York Mediale has empowered us to go even further with that, because it's rare that a festival of this scale in York really tunes into the underground scene and seeks to work with local promoters to make their event a success. Me and Joe were let loose to programme what we wanted without too much pressure, which was great."

"One hundred per cent we expect to attract new audiences to The Crescent at York Mediale," says Joe. "With the breadth of what we're offering, from psyched-out soul to techno and hip young jazz, it's part of what do, always trying to open people's eyes beyond the familiar genres," says Harkirit. "I often say that if you were to drop The Crescent into any city, it would be the most popular venue instantly," reckons Joe.

"The best result would be that these collaborations carry on blossoming further, so that something would be in place for another festival in 2020," says Mark, who defines York Mediale as being "pretty experimental with no big names".

"What we're interested in is who's doing interesting stuff and who's going to continue doing it. The fact this festival is happening in York has been a draw to artists because it's not one of the usual cities hosting it. They've been enthusiastic to come here, less because they remember coming here as a child, but because they've connected with the city, the history of the buildings, and the chance to connect with that is exciting. That connection between heritage and new ideas is really stimulating, and our challenge is to add another layer to that history."

York Mediale 2018 runs from today until October 6. For the full programme and ticket details, go to yorkmediale.com.