Golden Gate Bridge Minimalism

Barbed Wire Kisses, Jesus and Mary Chain memories

In NYC the roses bloom in June, in California they are still blooming by the side of the road in July

Vineyards, Yards of Wires….

Schug Wine

Barrel of Laughs (sorry) wine

Wine tasting at Schug, yummy  yum yums

Red Flight at The Girl and the Fig with burgers

White Flight at The Girl and the Fig with scallops

Tasting refreshing Tangerine beer in wine country, what a pleasant Summer surprise

Heading to Montréal for Mutek every year is always very inspirational and fun! Here are some vacation snapshots.

Jeff Mills

Jeff Mills

Jeff Mills

St. James Church exterior

St. James Church interior

St. James Church interior

Old Fashioned Camera Shop

Kink

Alex Smoke

Public Lover

Public Lover

Alex Smoke & Bryan

Palais des congrès de Montréal

Palais des congrès de Montréal

I love the new steps at SAT, light peaks through the glass circles

Fresh dumplings being made in Chinatown!

After a decadent Syrian food meal with Peter Van Hoesen and friends

My friend Sebastian Quezada passed away a few hours ago today. Jabe Bloom just posted this photo, it is from when we were all at Bard College. We really went to the most magical school ever, I am so lucky to have experienced it will all these amazing creative (and crazy) people. At Bard Collage, Sebastian hosted some of the very first dance parties I ever went to. It was at these parties, that I met my best friend Abigail Feldman. Abigail was too busy humping speakers to notice me at the Old Gym techno parties. I eventually got her attention, in the darkroom where we were intellectually nurtured and spoiled with amazing teachers and tools and fancy view cameras. Abigail and I are still sisters in life and photography. The last time I saw Sebastian was at The Bunker, he came just to see me, and we reminisced about the good ol’ days. Rest in peace Sebastian. I hope your little girl will grow up smart and strong, even without you.

I love this dark and beautiful Peter Christopherson tribute mix by Surgeon. It is available to download from his site here.

My friend Tony Lee, also a huge Coil fan, posted a two part mix on his Xiled Radio site here.

In 2007 I curated an exhibition on psychedelic art, named in honor of the Coil record Love’s Secret Domain. The show is archived on this site: http://seze.net/lsd

Falko Brocksieper at the Bunker December 12, 2009 – photo by Seze

This Friday July 2, Falko Brocksieper and Mia Grobelny will be playing at The Bunker (where I am the hostess and photographer). We are very excited to have them back in Brooklyn and I was lucky enough to have some time to talk to them before the party. Sub Static is a label run by Falko Brocksieper and Mia (Michaela Grobelny) that was Founded in 2000. In 2004, they moved from Cologne to Berlin. Both of their sets from the last Sub Static night at The Bunker in 2008 became very popular Bunker Podcasts.
Full event info and bios.

Q. I know that there are some exciting new developments brewing at Sub Static. Do tell…

MIA – Yes we’re actually relaunching! The last release on Sub Static came out almost two years ago. At that time we felt quite burnt-out about label business, after having put out about 100 releases on our two labels. Also myself, I had to slow down a bit, after I did so much travelling and performing with my last album. I’ve been in the studio ever since, but experimenting a lot and not pressuring myself to get stuff finished. Finally, I have a new 4-track EP due to be released in about 3 weeks on Sub Static …

FALKO – …which is a really strong one I believe. It’s incredible how much great music is slumbering on her hard drive, mostly about 90% finished. Some of that had to be released. After that, we’ve scheduled two digital compilations of remastered Sub Static tracks. Each of us will be compiling one.

Q. MIA and Falko, can you tell me a bit about how Sub Static was began and how you first met. I know it was almost like “music love” at first for MIA because they day she met you she suggested you collaborate together.

MIA – True. It was a really empty party in Cologne and we were both there to DJ. It was quite boring so finally I walked up to Falko and said “Hey! Do your records fit with mine? Maybe we can play together?” – the records fit, and that was the start of it.

FALKO – And at that time neither of us were really part of the Cologne scene or anything. We were just two bedroom DJ’s making our the first steps into music production. The launch of our own label was a pretty spontaneous decision, we had no clue how it worked, and had even less of a plan or goal for it. It just all happened little by little. We never thought that ten years later, we’d give an interview prior to our return to the best techno party in New York City!

Q. Falko, you start your mnml.ssgs 90’s mix (listen to the mix here) with a Mouse on Mars track, who are also from Cologne. Are they friends of yours? What was the techno world like in Cologne when you were there and how does it compare to where you live in Berlin today?

FALKO – One guy from Mouse on Mars studied at the same media art academy in Cologne as me, but we don’t know each other personally. However, Mouse on Mars is a pretty good example of how vibrant and advanced the electronic music scene was when I moved there in 1997. There were a lot of underground venues and labels and producers everywhere. I don’t know what happened, but almost none of that is left there today. Of course there are still many producers and labels doing stuff, but the reputation of Cologne definitely hails from the past. So at some point we were looking for something new, a change. That’s why we moved to Berlin in 2004. It’s hard to compare the two cities.

Q. I know you both really enjoy many genres of music, outside of house and techno. MIA, last night you played a brand new rough track for me that was mostly your voice and guitar. Have you always been diving into new genres? What other non techno records you been listening to recently?

MIA – For me it’s hard to sit down and say: Now I’m going to write a peaktime techno track of this and that direction. Maybe I do sometimes, but then unfortunately the final result is still going to turn into something completely different. First off, I have a love for strong moods and melodies, and initially the process of making music is something I just do for myself, for my own private enjoyment. So there is no direction I’m pushing it towards for the sake of marketing or anything like that. But of course I enjoy techno too, and if I happen to make techno tracks, that’s when I release a techno record. As for music I’m listening to lately, I really like Phoenix, Little Dragon, Turin Brakes and Jamie Lidell just to name a few.

FALKO – I’m probably a bit more biased by a final result I’m aiming at when I make music. But I have quite a wide range. I’ve made some melodic electro recently, something I wish more people would cultivate. Unfortunately the stuff that’s not easy to play in the average club is mostly hard to sell and thus hard to release. I guess this is why 90% of the club tracks sound all the same today, and ironically everyone is complaining about it.

Q. MIA, you are one of the few women I know in techno who has written and produced an entire album all on your own. What are your thoughts on “artists” who have other people produce their records for them?

MIA – Well there are a few others too, such as Chloé, Ada, Dasha Rush and AGF. Generally I think it’s just a question of what your skills and interests are. I can personally get a lot out of the process of producing music. It’s a good way to capture and alter my feelings. Lots of other women, like Ellen Allien, Anja Schneider and Bloody Mary, seem to see themselves more as an entertainer, and they’re more focused to stage themselves as a certain role model. It’s a great skill to be able to market yourself and organize your career like that. Sometimes I wish I had more of that.

Q. You have quite the American vacation planned. I hear you have a road trip planned from Colorado to California. What are some of the sites you are most excited to visit?

MIA – I’m very excited to get to see all the nature – Rocky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley … but also Las Vegas should be fun.

FALKO – For us European kids this is a dream come true. I just hope we will survive all the attacks by snakes, bad lieutenants and nuclear bombs in the desert!

Q. What is your favorite place or thing to do in NYC?

MIA – The only time I’ve been here so far it was raining terribly, and I just had one hungover day to spend. I’m definitely excited to see more. The MoMA would be great to visit, and I wanna take the Staten Island Ferry … other than that I’ll just go with the flow and consult our awesome hosts.

FALKO – My favourite thing to do just about everywhere is simply to walk and look around, without a specific destination. And I think New York is one of the best places to do that. Seeing small weird things along the road is much more appealing to me than any of the “must-see” stuff. I’m really looking forward to some days in New York again and get to know the vibe of the city better.

Falko Brocksieper at the Bunker February 1, 2008 – photo by Seze

Mia Grobelny at the Bunker February 1, 2008 – photo by Seze

Sunday night was the only night we had a “night off” from throwing parties at Oslo. Bryan was booked to open the all night acid house party No Way Back produced by Interdimensional Transmissions.  I was wonderful to meet our lovely party hosts Brendan (from Ectomorph) and Amber.  All night (and morning ) we were blessed with awesome tunes from Spinoza, Derek, Plaslaiko, BMG, I.B.M., Mike Servito, Chuck Hampton, Carlos Souffront, Patrick Russell, and Traxx.  Yet, the best part was hanging out in the lounge at the early morning hours with a my silly wasted Detroit/Brooklyn tachno family.

We were the first people to arrive and I took this photo of Derek Plaslaiko while they were setting up.

Bryan/Spinoza opening up No Way Back

My dear friends and insanely creative lovebirds Michael and Bethany (Dethlab)

pretty boy mohawk

Matt Abbott and “In Surf We Trust” sunglasses

Luckily I passed on the 9am cheap champagne…

All photos by Seze Devres

On Saturday we ran into Clark Warner and his wife Liz Copeland at breakfast.  I finally met their adorable baby. A few hours later radio goddess and new mother Liz Copeland opened up the festival with a really lovely set of what she defines as baby listening music.  Melodies from Air and Brian Eno and other ethereal treasures consumed our ears, as ravers of all ages started to show up for the first day of the festival.  Other highlights of my day were killer sets from Nikola Baytala and Steve Bug.

Clark Warner and his baby in protective ear gear or maybe he is listening to death metal?

an adorable Lolita raver

more candy ravers

At night we threw the Detroit version of House n Home (my flyer).  I finally had a chance to meet the lovely DJ Cassy.  Here is the fist shot I took of her.  She was all smiles during her amazing set. I wish more DJs smiled when I photographed them.

Photos by Seze Devres

It is always hard for me to sum up a trip. I have been going to Detroit every year for the past 4 years. This year was a bit different because we threw 3 parties at the beautiful dark wood lined club Oslo. So it was less of a rave vacation and it was more about working and party picture taking.

Our trip started out with a delicious techno family meal at Roast. I ate the best marinated smoked salmon ever to cross my lips. Chef Jeff made sure I had plenty to eat as everyone else munched on meaty treats like beef cheek and bone marrow.

Gratia, Eric, Jan

We ate like kings before The Bunker Detroit party with Jan Krueger, Derek Plaslaiko, Spinoza performing. I managed to take these photos in almost total darkness.

…and at the party I met this lovely celebrating couple that met exactly a year ago in Detroit

photos by Seze Devres

www.dominantfiction.com

view gallery

Bryan and I were invited to Colorado to play and document the Communikey Festival. I had a fabulous time catching up with old friends, visiting a gorgeous part of the country, eating yummy food, and hearing really good music.

Friday night at B-Side
with David Day, Ejival, Spinoza, Nordic Soul

Saturday night after hours Dirtybird Showcase
with Christian Martin and J. Phlip

Saturday Communikids workshop

Sunday in the Park with Communikids

Communikey Festival Site

Steve and I had a blast today trying out my new lights, so far this is my favorite shot.

Photograph by Seze Devres

this is so lovely it might make you cry with happiness

My dear friend Zoh invited me to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.  Her costume shop she worked on the fancy crystal costumes for the final skit.  It was a such a treat to have a ridiculously festive date with her.

All photos by Seze Devres

A painting Dame Darcy made of us knitting each other’s hair,

On November 6, I went to the Whitney Museum of American Art for the opening of the William Eggleston’s exhibition The Democratic Camera.  I consider William Eggleston to be one of the fathers of color photography. I used to stare at his images in photo books for hours at the library when I was Stephen Shore’s photography student art Bard College.  His strange images were a huge influence on me.  Eggleston made it ok to turn snapshots into works of art, and therefore he made me feel more confident about my own early images.  He is a master when it comes to color.  The richness in the way Eggleston printed his images was something very new at the time.

Photo by William Eggleston
In my opinion this is one of Eggleston’s best photographs.  It displays the sheer bliss of light (sunlight) and photography, my two favorite things.

I showed up alone at the opening but I ran into a few friends, which was an unexpected surprise. It is always a nice to bump into people from a another part of your life at a completely different kind of event.  I saw my friend Kirsten there who happens to be an old family friend of the curator of the exhibition Elisabeth Sussman. Kirsten immediately introduced me to Sussman and her brother Paul Sacks. We were all very excited for Sussman!  I have admired her curatorial work for years and it was a pleasure to meet her.

Elisabeth Sussman and her brother Paul Sacks

Kirsten Sonnenberg and Paul Sacks

With my mentor Charles Traub, the head of the SVA MFA Photography program.

Then as if it was not already an amazing night,  I had a chance to walk through the exhibition with Dan Bell?!!  It is always great to see how another artist that I admire reacts to iconic works of art.

Photo by William Eggleston
Dan Bell could relate to this photo because he tours all the time.
More images at www.egglestontrust.com