Mieko Suzuki

Mieko Suzuki is a Japanese DJ and sound artist currently based in Berlin. Since 1998, she has been an active member of the Tokyo techno/house scene, organizing Garden Parties at Colors Studio. She moved to Berlin in 2007 and instantly found the techno capital a good match for her. Mieko started her own KooKoo night and her touring schedule started to span not only countries, but continents. Mieko’s live performances showcase her synesthetic abilities as she channels her perceived sense of color into sounds. Her DJ sets are also very adventurous: Mieko does not hesitate to leap across various genres of experimental electronic music and use effect pedals to tweak and merge sounds, bringing her sets closer to live performances. She frequently adds field recordings or film samples to complement the narrative with additional twists. Mieko always tries to employ her artistic empathy, to feel the space and audience within it, and to create a connection between these components and the sound.

In the records

STM 262 reveals similar techniques to the ones she uses in her DJ sets. Thus, the narrative is closer to a collage than a regular mix. She has attentively merged and layered 24 tracks into less than 40 minutes. The tracks are further complemented with her own compelling field recordings. It is a vast sonic landscape with its own peculiar trajectories and twists—from creeping drones it turns towards vibrant ambience or immerses the listener into a storm of heavy rhythms. At the same time, this mix is a great atmospheric thriller that never loses emotional intensity and maintains excitement. The tracks involved come from sonic explorers of diverse backgrounds—from tropical Fourth World adventurer Lieven Martens Moana to the synthy ambient melancholia of Barnett + Coloccia, and from chamber voyager WSR to Alva Noto at his most cloudy and trippy. While listening to the mix you start to appreciate Mieko’s skill in detecting the essential sonic features and textures of all these tracks and carefully weaving them into a smooth and hypnotic continuum. Move your jobs and duties aside and let Mieko guide you across the vaults, chambers, and open spaces constructed through rhythms, pulsations, and harmonies.