← MIRA Digital Arts Festival 2026

Tortoise rotate through drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, vibraphone and studio electronics, locking clipped patterns into lopsided grooves before opening them into dub space or jazz abstraction. Current sets draw on Touch alongside the interwoven percussion and mallet lines of TNT and Millions Now Living Will Never Die, with arrangements rebuilt collectively onstage.

More about Tortoise

Formed in Chicago in 1990, Tortoise became a central band in the city's 1990s instrumental underground, connecting indie rock with dub production, minimalism, jazz and electronic composition. The five members also link the group to Chicago institutions and projects including Sea and Cake, Isotope 217, Chicago Underground and Soma Electronic Music Studios.

A story

After making earlier records through long sessions in a shared Chicago loft, the members recorded Touch across Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago because the five-piece now lives in three cities.

Playing

• 2026-11-06 2026-11-06T22:15:00 · Tortoise · Fira Montjuïc
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Labels

Start here

• Touch (2025) · International Anthem / Nonesuch Records
  Their current chapter: muscular Krautrock, hand-built techno and widescreen instrumental writing
• TNT (1998) · Thrill Jockey
  The cleanest doorway into their vibraphone, dub space and interlocking rhythm
• Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) · Thrill Jockey
  Long-form repetition, bass pressure and studio edits reshaping instrumental rock

Worked with

• Dan Bitney band member
• John Herndon band member
• Douglas McCombs band member
• John McEntire band member
• Jeff Parker band member

For fans of

Stereolab, Can, The Sea and Cake, Don Caballero, Chicago Underground Duo

Official links

MIRABandcampInstagramSpotifyWebsiteDiscogs

Plan MIRA Digital Arts Festival 2026 with Songpot · Ask about Tortoise in ChatGPT or Claude