"It was about 6:00 am, or maybe a bit earlier, and the place was still happening" Mark Gage recalls. "With the typical minimal Detroit lighting, I could see very little, save for the one rotating multi-colored light beam cutting through the smoke, helping me catch little glimpses of faces here and there. Off in the background, I could see Michelle, flying through the one small door which acted as the entrance and exit all night, and she was frantically headed straight for me. 'Get your stuff now, we gotta get out of here' and she proceeded to pick up one of my flight cases of live gear, which weighed exactly 70 pounds (two of which I am allotted to carry on US domestic flights.) Odd thing is, she couldn't have weighed much beyond 100 pounds herself, so I knew something was up. Without questions, I snagged my second case of 70 pounds, and followed. 'A whole line of cop cars was behind me when I pulled into the parking lot just a minute ago,' she said on her return from dropping off a live act and dj back at the hotel. (I kindly bowed out of the first ride back due to lack of space for 2 live acts, their gear, a dj and his records in her Detroit made auto, and the others had finished long before me).

As we flew towards the only door, other doors I didn't know existed flew open and the morning light burned through the smoke with about 30 cops in its wake. A mad clump of sweaty kids crammed towards the only door we knew all night, Michelle and I with our 70 pound companions buried dead center. It was truly the funnel effect as one by one everyone plopped out the skinny end, us kinda getting stuck because of our add-on appliances…I would have enjoyed the scene from over-head. Literally seconds after we were out the door with the cases, the door was closed and everyone left inside was hauled off, paddy wagon style and booked at the police station; ravers, dj's, sound and lighting people included. 'We definitely got to do a project together now' was pretty much echoed for the next several hours back at the hotel, after our great escape, in between calls with the promoters' lawyer and the police to try to bail out some of the arrested"...this was the initial bonding of MIMI+BOYD, a collaboration between Mark Gage (Vapourspace) and Michelle 'Punisher' Herrmann of Detroit's Seismic Records.

Within 10 weeks of that event, Gage and Herrmann were buried in Gage's overheated cavernous studio back in Rochester, New York for about two weeks of work, which definitely pissed off some of the neighbors. "I think Michelle's car got keyed by one of them."

"Plans had been laid since that previously mentioned party in June '98, and when Michelle arrived in New York, we bought about $100 of groceries, three pounds of French roast and espresso coffee beans, 10 loaves of gourmet bread, an ounce of dank stanky green, a Vornado fan for the heat, and locked ourselves in... Within 12 days, the entire CD (and two additional tracks we didn't use) were finished. Then I spent about three years uploading, and eventually finishing/mastering it when I could.

Such are the origins of MIMI+BOYD, and the upcoming Phthalo release of Angular Island...a 9 song full length CD, and 4 track remix EP (with mixes by Venetian Snares, Scud, Hellfish and Vapourspace.) "The CD is techno pop with the emphasis on machinery...we wanted it to have somewhat of a hard edge to it with a pop chewy center, and kinda grooved on the whole 'metallic' feel to the percussion. The obtuse blasts of synths and samples kinda remind me of bad Japanese sci-fi/Godzilla movies, which led to initially calling the album Monster Island, but the sharp angular lonely feel of the metallic percussion gave way to Angular Island, which makes more sense."

"Michelle's one of the most incredible drum programmer's I've met, and she'd have patterns written by the time I uploaded just-finished audio takes to the hard disk...so, we'd slam out another track. I remember finishing three tracks on one very productive day of the 12 (I think we put in a 16 hour day that day too!) Her versatility with the Roland R8mkII drum machine overshadowed everything else that was happening, so it took center stage, and we crafted around it. All the takes were recorded live with us jumping from mixer buttons to synth faders, switching drum patterns, stopping this, starting that... She tweaked whatever fader I couldn't for the moment as we worked out each piece, and spontaneously recorded. We pulled out of storage every keyboard, tone generator and drum machine I had until by the end of the two weeks you couldn't even walk through the studio… It was so cluttered with gear and cables, you had to tippy-toe about."

The full length CD is segued, traditional Mark Gage style, and is a triptych of clanging metals, 4/4 kicks and a manifesto of techno pop and the machinery of machines. Los Angeles based Phthalo Records will release MIMI+BOYD Angular Island in October 2002.


Michelle "Punisher" Herrmann

Known in Detroit circles for her ambition on the tables, Michelle Herrmann (aka Punisher) has set a precedent in a city known for its fickle taste. Searching for an outlet, Punisher created her own label in 1997. It would feature her own productions and she would have full control over distribution and manufacturing. Now on its 14th release, Seismic Records has become a unique tool that allows Punisher to really dig down into her equipment for that minimalistic sound she is known for. Most recently, Seismic has hosted remixes from Misstress Barbara and singles from The Advent and Fannon Flowers. Seismic Records has also licensed out tracks to compilations from such notable top DJs as Billy Nasty, Dave Clarke and Marco Bailey.

Moving in a new direction with her sound, Punisher has brought over the synthy tech moods of the Swedish techno producers and drawn upon her own Detroit roots for inspiration. Once banging out hard set's 100% of the time, her sound is becoming more dancefloor friendly. From Drum N' Bass to Techno, she has repeatedly played throughout the US and has headlined large scale events and clubs with Joel Mull, Cari Lekebusch, Marco Carola, Ben Simms, Jay Denham, Misstress Barbara, Richie Hawtin, Dave Clarke, Derrick May, T-1000, Gaetano Parisio and others.
 
Most recently, Punisher's music has landed her a spot as guest DJ on the new Satellite "XM RADIO" which signed a deal with General Motors for placement of its radio in all new vehicles off the assembly line. On top of her game would be an understatement for Punisher, as these accomplishments are only a small portion of what she has planned for 2002 and beyond.

Check out Punisher's Drum n' Bass DJ set (July 1, 2000) at: www.groovetech.com


Vapourspace

Mark Gage became known in the world of electronic music via a chance forwarding of a cassette of his tracks in early 1992 to then co-owner of legendary +8 Record's John Acquaviva by Gage's friend Tim Masick (who later co-produced and directed the Vapourspace "Gravitational Arch of 10" video), who thought Mark's music was similar to what +8 released. (This was before the Plastikman, Speedy J Ginger, Themes From Vapourspace second wave of +8). On the contrary, Acquaviva hated the tracks, but found something interesting in Gage's production style, urging him to continue his efforts.

Six months later, in late 1992, Gage had recorded what is now, the entire Cusp CD space+time liquids+metals (released later in 1995 on British label Swim, owned and operated by Wire band member and songwriting legend Colin Newman and his Israeli pop wife Malka Spigel). Gage forwarded these tracks to Acquaviva and his partner Richie Hawtin who released the first Cusp 12" on their offshoot label Probe in February of 1993, followed by the first Vapourspace 12" in May 1993.

Then came "Gravitational Arch of 10" which has had a life of it's own.

Named as one of URB Magazine's 20 most important techno tracks of the 90's, background music for MTV'S Road Rules and The Real World, sampled by Fatboy Slim on his Better Living Through Chemistry release, again on X-Press 2 and David Byrne's recent hit "Lazy", appropriated by Death in Vegas' DJ in their live set and mimicked in a drum and bass Cause 4 Concern song title and track. "Gravitational Arch of 10" and Vapourspace have become a signature song and style for Gage and pre-dated the now outdated trance phenomenon. "Vapourspace" has been used as an adjective in CD/record reviews, and Mr. C of The Shamen and his Plink Plonk Records partner Paul Ripp operated a club night in London called Vapourspace in the mid 90's (at which the real Vapourspace performed live in late 1994).

Vapourspace and Mark Gage have now released 3 full lengths, 1994's Theme From Vapourspace and 1997's Sweep, and the aforementioned Cusp full length, space+time liquids+metals in 1995, as well as various one-off tracks under the guise of Carl Marks (with long-time friend Carl German) and under his own given name.

Gage's remix career has spanned the gamut, from German legend Oliver Lieb's LSG project in 1994 (the remixes were later licensed in the UK to Madonna's Ray of Light producer William Orbit's Guerilla Records), techno mavens Air Liquide, the UK's Juno Reactor...to Deutsche Grammaphon's classical artist Todd Levin (with the London Symphony Orchestra), Throbbing Gristle alumni Chris + Cosey, smack rockers The Meat Puppets (featured on the soundtrack to the Pamela Anderson film Barb Wire, Gage's Meat Puppets remix actually got some on-air props and airplay from KROQ's Jason Bentley). In early 2002, Sonic Residue From Vapourspace was released on prog rock label Magna Carta, and featured Gage's electronic remix work of their label roster which included such rocker notables as Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Dennis Chambers (Parliament/Funkadelic), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Tim Alexander (Primus), and Steve Howe (Yes).

Outside of the studio, Mark has performed live with the likes of Orbital (opening for them nearly 40 times on three separate tours), Aphex Twin, The Crystal Method, Moby, and shared billing with far too many DJ's at parties to list. Gage's DJing style involves sound collaging with four sound sources (two turntables and two loopable CD players) using beats, tracks, spoken word, film dialogue, soundtracks, and sound effects to shape the vibe.

It was Gage's "live gear and live sound only, no taped performances" live PA mindset that led to his meeting one Dimitri Fergadis in San Francisco in November of 1993, when Fergadis drove up from LA for the electronic music event See The Light Tour/Circa '93 which Gage performed at. The LA date, scheduled for the previous evening, had been cancelled at the last minute, complete with post-Rodney King riot police. This meeting started the long-time friendship between Mark and Phthalo label owner, Fergadis, who will be releasing Gage and Michelle "Punisher" Herrmann's Mimi+Boyd Angular Island full-length CD and 12" single in October 2002.

Crazy how paths cross.
 

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