WMC Spotlight: Kate Simko and Cassy

I'm just getting back to New York after a very impressive and overwhelming weekend in Miami. This was my 8th year there for the Winter Music Conference and my 4th year of hosting the Spectral/Ghostly event.

For those of you who aren't familiar with WMC, it is the annual gathering of dance music that hosts hundreds of events featuring the best (and the not so best) in new electronic music.

Amongst all the heated sets I saw this year, I was able to catch a couple sets by two talented females. They both not only have stellar taste in music but they can also undeniably move a crowd.




Kate Simko is a good friend of mine and is also part of the Ghostly family. Over the past couple of years, Kate's style has really evolved amazingly. Her background is in classical music but she began to find herself more and more interested in electronic music. She has spent time in Santago, Chile which influenced her music to become a hybrid of her Chicago house sound, mixed with more Latin-influenced percussion. She has even produced the score to a major PBS documentary.

Check out Kate's chill mix here; it's prefect for kicking back and taking it all in where ever, when ever. You can also pick up "Music from the Atom Smashers" at the iTunes store.




Cassy is another artist that I not only admire as a DJ, but also as a multi-talented producer. She was born in England to a Caribbean father and an Austrian mother. Growing up in Austria, the local electronic music scene (known as the 'downtempo' sound in the 1990s) inspired her to become a deejay, which led her to Berlin. Her production skills grew and she now records for some of the best dance music labels in the world, as well as holding down a DJ residency at the famous Panorama Bar.

Cassy's mix will FM you up!


Hope you enjoy these Ladies and their music. For more info check out ghostly.com

Members of the Month - April 2009

Terry Hwang | San Francisco

San Francisco's Chinatown has had a strong influence on Terry Hwang ethnically and socially speaking. There she found her inspiration, identity and roots. While she's extremely proud of her Asian American heritage she did not let that stop her from exploring the rich world that surrounded the ethnic enclave where she was born and raised.

Armed with a degree in International Development Studies from UCLA; Terry explores emerging cultures; politics; economics and the effect they have on society. She's worked on several creative magazine projects including PLANETº and Prophecy. Also, she's helmed cultural programs at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Currently, she's a gallery assistant at FIFTY24SF Gallery and writes for the pioneering evilmonito.com.

When Terry's not working on culturally minded projects you can find her speaking her second and third languages; Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese. She puts her love of the Portuguese language to good use as she practices the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira with Capoeira Brasil Los Angeles and samba at Aquarela Samba in San Francisco. Terry's making moves, alright!

Missy Livingston | Los Angeles

Throw a dart on to a map of the United States or United Kingdom and there is a pretty good chance you'll land on one of the 22 locations where Missy Livingston lived before settling down in La La land. Not bad for a girl from Clearfield, Utah.

Early on, Missy had a deep love for music and began booking indie and punk bands in her hometown. From there she went on to own a gallery cum retail store and founded a music magazine that launched in the United States and London. This self-described "Jill of all trades" seems to have done it all. She's been involved in the fluid worlds of music, media and art for more than 12 years and shows no signs of stopping. Missy books shows for electronic artists and plans events all over the globe for Ghostly International.

Besides her love of music; she's a model, chef and entrepreneur. Essentially the list of Missy's body of work and interests could go on like a career criminal's rap sheet. She prides herself on her passion for knowledge and firmly believes "if you are going to do something, you should be able to do it right."

Christina Ray | New York

As Glowlab's Founder and Gallery Director, Christina nurtures and supports the work of artists inspired by urban life and technology. She also provides curatorial consultation for established and new collectors as well as museums and cultural organizations. She has participated on panels and juries with organizations including Rhizome, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Eyebeam and lectured locally and internationally.

In 2003 Christina founded Conflux, the annual art and technology festival for the creative exploration of urban public space, and has led the festival as Director ever since. Yet another Ladies Lotto polyglot; Christina is fluent in Japanese and lived in Japan for four years where she worked with artists. This experience cultivated an aesthetic and cultural awareness that has influenced the growth of Glowlab’s international focus. Christina recently became a founding member of the Advisory Committee of the new 92YTribeca arts and entertainment venue, and is currently serving as Key Artistic Advisor for Times Square Public Art Planning with the Times Square Alliance.

Glowlab's latest exhibition of works by artist David Kesting features not only drawings and mixed media works but also a one-of-a-kind silk-screened fashion line and a signed, limited edition artist's book.

Angel An | Los Angeles

It started with watching bootleg copies of 'Home Alone' and 'Ju Dou' in her native China. Before Angel An knew it; she was having a full blown love affair with films. After a stint at NYU where she earned a B.A. in Art history; worked at an art consultancy firm and indulging what she called her "archeological fantasy" by working at an excavation site in Cyprus; she couldn't pass up more dirty work. Soon she embarked on the treacherous task of becoming an assistant at the notorious Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills.

Angel escaped unscathed from her her first foray into the world of film and became the assistant to veteran producer Janet Yang on the film Dark Matter. From there she made the jump from production to becoming the Manager of Acquisitions, Marketing and Distribution at First Independent Pictures. Angel sees each day as an opportunity to learn and is never bored by her job. Angel has big dreams; she plans to transform the world through great films.

When you have some down time, check out Angel's latest release, Gigantic; starring Zooey Deschanel and Paul Dano.

Celebrate Ghostly Premiere in SF tonight

Ghostly, Xlr8r and Mezzanine Present:
The Ghostly 10 yr Anniversary - 1st Installment - San Francisco
Featuring:
Michna LIVE
The Sight Below LIVE
Lusine LIVE
Kate Simko LIVE
Deru LIVE
Eliot Lipp LIVE
Tycho LIVE
Christopher Willits LIVE
- along with -
LIVE VISUALS AND NEW MEDIA INSTALLATIONS

Friday March 6th @ Mezzanine 444
Jessie Street SF 21+ 10 pm - 4am
$15 Adv / $20 Door
Get advance tickets here