Performances
Performing a hybrid live/DJ set at North End Studios in Detroit (photo by Mark Cook).
Live Sets & Performances
From sparse soundtracks to psychedelic chill-out sets, the range of venues and events I can adapt my sets to is extensive. All original material-based performances will feature field recordings with piano-based drones and found sounds ranging from youtube treasures to AM radio feedback.
Ambient DJ sets can be perfectly tailored to any experimental-leaning electronic showcase or chill out room. Layers of original field recordings and textures are buried beneath a carefully curated and mixed set of classic and contemporary IDM, drone, new age, shoegaze, and beyond.
My HD soundscapes also lend themselves well to art/sound installations, interpretative dance, video game soundtracks, and much more. Message me for availability and options.
Live Transmissions
An ongoing series of live recordings from rehearsal sessions, chill out rooms, podcasts, promo releases, and more. Put on some headphones, press play on the excerpt below (the opening 30 minutes of a set from Grenadier Club in 2017) and scroll down for a guide through some of Stefanski’s performances. Many have been simply rendered with a laptop and controller, others integrate multiples channels of sounds, vinyl records, and CDJs.
Live at Nowadays for Planetarium with Hypnotic Spa [2019]
Venue: Nowadays, Ridgewood (Queens)
I was fortunate enough to be invited by Hypnotic Spa to play one of their curated editions of Nowadays’ Planetarium nights. For this 90 minute performance I blended tracks on CDJs and vinyl, as well as adding in additional channels with short SFX samples and longer collages I made for this night. Having this wealth of sound sources allows the set to seem a little more live.
I loved that the guys from HS chose an image from Detroit’s Belle Isle (the abandoned zoo) for the album artwork.
Stream on Soundcloud
Live from Flatbush 08.21.20 [2020]
Venue: Rooftop in Flatbush (Brooklyn)
As the pandemic continued into summer, my live stream sets migrated outdoors to the scenic rooftop of my apartment building. These 60 minute performances were streamed live via Instagram to a few friends and family. Most of these performances would not see another life, yet I was quite fond of how everything came together for this particular evening.
Since the IG feed used live audio from the rooftop, some noisy cicadas in a nearby tree were an integral guest. While this release obviously favored the clean/direct audio, I made sure to add in some cicadas in post-production. That is the only adjustment to the mix, which begins with favorites from Loscil, The Knife, and Underworld before moving onto everything from dub techno to ambient house.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Live Ambient Set for BLDG 01’s “DVALE” [Streamed 04.05.20]
Venue: Living room (Brooklyn)
This ambient set was performed in my living room while under quarantine in Brooklyn NY and broadcast live on twitch via Detroit's BLDG01. The album artwork is designed by Steven Reaume. Follow their channel and stream more DJ sets as they help support the artistic community in Detroit during this crisis.
This set features a number of newer selections I was planning on DJing at the reunion gig in Detroit scheduled for March. It is a slow, meditative mix designed for gloomy afternoons. There are, of course, layers of new field recordings buried throughout the runtime.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Vol VI: BAK D
ØR 3YR [2019]
Venue: Eagle / Menjos Complex
Recorded 03.28.2019, this volume of the Live Transmissions series captures an extended ambient DJ set from BAK DØR's chill out space, RØM2. I was fortunate enough to be joined that evening by Zac Bru from the Detroit Bureau of Sound (with an amazing live set) and Rebecca Goldberg, who closed out the night with an impeccable DJ set sprinkled with rare vinyl gems. I also want to thank Steven Reaume and Tyler Yglesias for putting so much work into the event, as well as to Robert Guzman (interior concept) and Audio Rescue Team (sound).
My set for the evening was an almost entirely brand new batch of tracks backed by lots of new found sounds that I was triggering live throughout. Playing for two hours allowed me to branch out and include two tracks by Pink Floyd, a rare Cocteau Twins edit, beats by Boards of Canada and The Field, and even a dabble into acoustic folk.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Vol. V: Spring Mix for H.S. [2019]
Venue: Rehearsal Session Recorded at home
This set was taped on my laptop while practicing for a few gigs in late winter / early spring 2019. It is predictably heavy on the underlying layers of found sounds, opening with a collage of at least four separate samples to set the tone (including men being interviewed about the conditions they face on the streets as they are homeless in Detroit). From there the tracklisting balances between brand new music from artists like Marry Lattimore and Pendant, to classics like GAS and Biosphere. The mix begins with bird calls and includes several other recordings that shape the mood towards springtime ("Meltwater"). Shorter than many of my mixes, this is easily digestible at under 40 minutes.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Live from Grenadier: 1YR [2017]
Venue: Grenadier Club, Detroit
On Feb. 3rd 2017 a small group of friends returned to Grenadier Club to celebrate one year of throwing events in the space - and looked back to the parties which started it all.
For the 1YR event we were extremely fortunate to have two of our past guests from the chill out room play newly composed live sets of experimental ambient music. John Coyle (aka John Joseph) and Rebecca Goldberg each provided the dimly lit RØM2 with exceptional and diverse sets that ranged from warm, IDM-tinged soundscapes (Coyle) to Tim Hecker-esque blasts of noise (Goldberg).
For my performance that evening I compiled a 100% new pool of material - forcing myself to improv many of the transitions. I also added a second laptop that was playing a backing track of very minimal sounds I edited together specifically for this show. Therefore there are three different levels to the set 1) Me DJing two tracks into one another 2) Me adding in samples & sounds live thru Serato and 3) the backing track on 2nd laptop.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Vol. IV: Dub Textures from
RØM2 with special guest Jakob Harris [2016]
Venue: Grenadier Club, Detroit
For the 4th volume of the Live Transmissions series I was honored to have Jakob Harris accompany me for a special collaborative set in Norway Detroit's chill out room. Sharing an affinity for classic dub techno and a myriad of other experimental genres, we supplied one another with a mix of sound effects and abstract textures. This set was recorded live and features a mixture of early IDM, ambient techno, soundscapes, and plenty of aquatic found sounds. Put on your best headphones and enjoy.
Streaming on Soundcloud
Vol. II: R
ØM2 Redux Promo [2016]
Venue: Promo Mix Recorded at Home
Every Friday for the first 7 months of 2016, Norway Detroit transformed the Grenadier Club into the city's premier after-hours destination: BAK DØR. Tucked down a candle lit hallway you would have found RØM2, an intimate location dedicated to ambient music which hosts a number of local artists and DJs. To help commemorate the April 22nd edition of the event I recorded one of my rehearsal sets, which closes with a track from the very talented producer (and that week's headliner) Blair French. The set mixes classic and contemporary ambient artists, slowly fading from one segment into the next with the addition of original field recordings.
Stream on Soundcloud
Vol. III: Experimental Dub Set for Norway Detroit [2016]
Venue: Rehearsal Session Recorded at Home
My third installment in presenting live mixes, recorded in one take with original field recordings and no post-editing, focuses on dense, aquatic dub textures.
This session was taped in preparation for a July 2016 performance in Norway Detroit's chill out room with Jakob Harris. The mix splits the difference between the classic ambient/IDM of the early 1990s with contemporary artists who carry the torch of this strain of new age music. Stretches of musique concrete and abstract textures are occasionally disrupted with downtempo dub percussion, keeping a calm, linear forward trajectory.
The photo I used for the artwork is actually an accidental phone pic of the chill out room that evening, with the equipment lights blurred beyond recognition.
Streaming on Soundcloud
The Final R
ØM2 [2016]
Venue: Grenadier Club, Detroit MI
While BAK DØR began on the first Friday of February 2016, the chill out room was not added until I believe the 3rd weekend, and even then it was basically me with my laptop and Steven's home hifi system. By the time March came around we were organized and RØM2 was born, mostly with resident DJs playing downtempo sets, gradually expanding to book a diverse array of experimental performers.
This is my set from the final BAK DØR on July 30, 2016. That evening I was honored to share the intimate ambient room stage with Matthew Daher, Lindsay Cashews, Luna Cashews, and Rebecca Goldberg. In just under 90 minutes I attempted to highlight many of my favorite tracks from throughout the five month run of the event. The ambient room was always changing and unpredictable - upon entering you didn't know if there would be five people or forty, the decorations & DJ table were moved constantly aiming for the ideal set-up, and the music itself ran the gamut from pure soundscape to impromptu dance parties.
Streaming on Soundcloud