| Iskon Temple, Vrindavan, India |
| 03.19.13 | No Comments |
Category: architecture |photo by Seze |Photography |snapshots |spirituality |too beautiful for words |travel
someone handed me a rose
| Garland Ladies |
| 03.18.13 | No Comments |
I met these lovely ladies at the market in Vrindavan, India. They make garlands all day for the deities at the temples. As sweet as their flowers, they smiled for my camera while they worked. I guess it is a good business since there are 5,000 temples in Vrindavan!
| Udaipur |
| 03.03.13 | No Comments |
Category: folk |girl culture |India |photo by Seze |psychedelia |skyline |snapshots |spirituality |too beautiful for words |travel
view from our room
morning light
breakfast!
Monkeys!
| Shopping in Arambol, India |
| 03.01.13 | No Comments |
Until today I have been very conservative about my purchases…. the Jes found a little store that perfectly matches my taste. There were so many affordable pretty printed silk and cotton dresses. It was fun to trying them all on. If only I could check eight bags!
Don’t worry I didn’t buy these ridiculous pants!
Jes and her personal tailor!
| window shopping! |
| 02.28.13 | No Comments |
I had so much fun window shopping at the little touristy bazaar in Arambol with Jes.
| yoga! |
| 02.27.13 | No Comments |
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of my yoga practice. It is a sacred gift I carry with me wherever I go. My mother introduced me to the benefits of yoga when I was a senior in high school, and we would go together every week. We loved the teachers at Jivamukti Yoga in the heart of the East Village, when it was still a small studio.
I was very excited to finally take a class in India, the true birthplace of yoga. Sadly, Jes’ favorite teacher Vijay left town so it was not the class we were expecting.  Even an average yoga class is better than no practice at all, right? It is a total treat to do yoga outside on a rooftop with gorgeous views of coconut tress and crazy crows spiraling around the sky. It made me forget about the hustle bustle of motorbikes and tourists and pushy shopkeepers downstairs.
I also rarely get to have a nice long class in New York, this one was over 2 hours! Most of the deep stretching (my favorite part) happens in the last part of class, and this often left out because of time constraints. It made me miss practicing with Dharma Mittra, whose 2 1/2 hour master classes helped me survive photo grad school.
After the long flight and the stress that comes before a long voyage it made my body and mind feel heavenly.  I never met a practicing yogi that complained about having trouble falling asleep at night. Somehow I managed to completely avoid getting jet lagged too!
The lovely view from the rooftop of the yoga studio.
The empty studio after class ended.
| more from Arambol, India |
| 02.26.13 | No Comments |
all this garbage makes me so sad…
Yummy Indian spiced scrambled eggs, I can’t to to try to make this for my husband, when I get home…
The view out my bedroom window, I switched to a larger room with a balcony for $2 more! :-)
Most of my clothes already looks like it was made in India! Ha!
Balcony reflections.
Pink on pink! Someone left this Lonely Planet guide on the balcony.
| Arambol, Goa, India |
| 02.26.13 | No Comments |
After almost an entire day of travel from NYC I made it to Arambol, a fun and colorful hippie haven. Jes calls it “India lite” which is fine with me considering it is my first introduction to this magical country.
Every beach is so lovely at sunset.
Hippie o’clock at on the beach where everyone gathers to watch the sunset.
I arrived just in time to see the full moon. It is always so hard to photograph the her beauty!
| India! |
| 02.25.13 | No Comments |
Category: Photography |travel
I have always wanted to visit India forever and this year I was finally given the opportunity! My friends hired me to photograph their wedding in Udaipur. Before the wedding I will be in Goa with my girlfriend Jes. We are both super excited for a week of sun, beach, yoga, food, and culture!
My adventure began on Air India, which is one of the best airlines I have ever been on. They served me several delicious vegetarian meals even though I didn’t reserve one. I entertained myself by catching up on contemporary Bollywood romantic comedies and slept so much I didn’t have jet lag when I arrived in Goa almost a day later!
| baby sea turtles |
| 09.12.12 | No Comments |
Good morning Turkish baby sea turtle!
photo by Seze
| Iron Horse Vineyards |
| 07.23.12 | No Comments |
Next up on our tasting adventure was Iron Horse Vineyards. We were craving some bubbly on an exceptionally warm sunny day. We tried the sparkling flight and each shared sips of their lovely wine. Thankfully, it was food truck Friday so we were able to much on some fresh bruschetta. The produce in California is exceptional too.
all photos by Seze Devres
| Inman Family Wines |
| 07.22.12 | No Comments |
We were so happy to visit Inman Family wines, where we were greeted by the lovely mother and daughter team for a delicious tasting of their organic wines in Santa Rosa, California.
Kathleen Inman, the winemaker and General Manager of Inman Family Wines
& Olivet Grange Vineyard
Meredith Inman, her daughter pouring some heavenly rosé
All photos by Seze Devres
| Fremont Diner in Sonoma, CA |
| 07.21.12 | No Comments |
early morning breakfast at the Fremont Diner
Dozzy is loving California
lavender on each table
french toast!
ricotta pancake
all photos by Seze Devres
| Mutek 2012 |
| 06.12.12 | No Comments |
Category: architecture |color theory |concerts |design |food |friends |hedonism |installation |light Artists |music |music festivals |snapshots |travel
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 interview with Falko Brocksieper and Mia Grobelny |
| 07.01.10 | No Comments |
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
| Detroit 2009: Day 3 |
| 06.12.09 | No Comments |
On Sunday we ate some delicious deep dish Chicago style pizza at Pizza Papalis and headed upstairs to Ryan Brogen’s party 313 at the rooftop day party at Exodus Lounge. There was hardly anyone there but I was happy to see about 20 of my friends enjoying the music and good weather. Omar S proved to be one of the most talented DJs I heard all weekend. The best part was watching a very adorable Japanese girls go bananas over his music.
Omar S signed (two years in a row) teddy bears
Omar S thought his set was just ok… (wtf??)
Techno Wives: Kerry, Gratia and me
My Fairy Godmothers and Bryan
Then we headed back to the festival to and checked out a banging live performance by the brothers team of Octave One. Their set was one of the highlights of the festival for me.
Octave One killin’ it at the Detroit Underground stage
Collectively we decided to skip a meal at Slows BBQ to catch the much anticipated performances of Innervisions and The Wighnomy Brothers. I was sadly disappointed by both acts, even though I love their music so much.  I fed my growling stomach some bland festival food and headed back to my hotel room to rest before the No Way Back party.
