new beginnings

Photo by Iris Ray

'new beginnings' is the cornerstone concept of my 'Chrysalis' EP; one that has carried through the beginning of this year. this thursday, i'm performing at Silent Barn and it will be my last live show for awhile. heck! ya it's been a solid 5 months of shows and it has felt fantastic to share the Chrysalis project with people in a live environment, but now it's feeling like that time to shift gears and pivot into some new ideas. one of the new vibes that has been driving my creative process is playing the guitar. i've been playing for about two months now (a.k.a. noob) and it feels GREAT. all of my upcoming singles incorporate the guitar in some way, so i'm working to have the next live iteration of abbi press include it as well. in the meantime, i'll be djing occasionally when opportunity strikes so look out for that. oh, and next weekend im shooting a music video for a new single. 

many new things coming down on ya'll, but for now i just want to say thank you to everyone who was part of my 'Chrysalis' project and supported. much love!

: press presents :

Logo Design by Emily Dubovoy

Living in New York City often feels like swimming against a fragile current in a very large, dirty, overcrowded fish tank. One riptide can send you reeling off into another stream. There are millions of other beautiful fish. Are my scales visible? Am I swimming the right direction? Is there anything beyond this glass ceiling? 

Breathing underwater is a skill you have to acquire here. Finding the space to spread your wings and swim the beautiful butterfly laps you are capable of is a constant battle - which is why every self-made, independent platform is worthwhile. Now how can I, abbi press, emphasize the people I care about and give them ample space to shine? Welllllllll, seems that it's about time that I just go out and do it how I wanna do it, heh? 

Press Presents is an all purpose platform to promote and support the full spectrum of talent that surround us. There is a unifying theme of creativity between extremes and various disciplines that we can articulate through different mediums: music, visual art, photography, and film. Throughout the next year, my aim is to produce events, features, and exhibitions of this spectrum. The future is unknown, let's go get it! 

post vision

the energy of the post vision weekend was mad inspiring! just when the loneliness of this city starts to infiltrate my consciousness life seems to start all over again. i'm thrown back into the warmth of my creative circle and reconnected with the love of friendship. the solitude inherent with creating art via computers is given life with events like these. inviting the real into the unreal.... 

post vision is not to be slept on so please eat some cheerios, rise, and shine :) a collective of artists inspired by and through the internet have come together to create a platform to connect 3D visual artists with the rest of the world. girl-boss extraordinaire and a dear friend of mine, nicole ruggiero, is the founder of the collective and has fostered its perpetual growth in the online community. this movement has not gone unnoticed by giphy, the online database and search engine that allows us to search and share animated GIF files. they have dedicated a channel to these creators and their iconic images. giphy also co-sponsored the first post vision nyc exhibit saturday, july 9th at superchief gallery soho. 

nothing gives me more joy than interlacing my music with art. the space that an art gallery evokes through the images surrounding and the reverence of the gallery viewers' presence all amounted to this show being my favorite so far this year. dirty chocolate added to the magic factor of the show. felt so good because it was our first show together and we were able to perform an unreleased collaboration. another huge aspect that made it so special for me was that many of the exhibited artists were friends/people that i've worked with on other projects. for example my vj, stylist, superfreak, and spirit-animal - abi laurel a.k.a. turnt shoujo - was among those featured. she was also supplying the psychedelic glitch visuals during our performances. 

via GIPHY

my music has been largely rooted in the internet via online music platforms, listeners, and collaborations. i think there's a greater connection between digital art and music that should be experienced on the regular - IRL. however, it is often true that online creations lack that connection to tangible reality. where are the outposts and venues to promote this marriage of culture? post vision was able to provide this on so many levels; acting as a bridge between the two mediums. simply put: to perform my digitally devised musical creations with 3D artwork as the backdrop was a match made in heaven. 

🌱

You haven't heard any original productions from me in awhile...there's a reason. I've been taking time to focus on honing my writing/production skills and to find more of what my current 'sound' sounds like. I want to release quality versus quantity. An EP is an obvious serendipitous bi-product of this process. I'm not rushing this process. It's been frustrating to find time for this process 🕐🕥🕢. Working 40+ hours a week and some weekends is a daily mental struggle, grind and obstacle, but one I take with pride. I've been working for my dreams and every day I'm able to grow towards them🌱. Come to think of it, I'm the only one at my job who talks about their dreams... I constantly have to remind myself that I'm built for something more and that my passion is my calling. Keep it up, never quit, keep doing what you love.

💗

Apart from my inward process I'm working on...

+ an EP with my soul sister/friend/rapper/singer, Brooklyn White. Our project has a name. Our project has vibes and it'll hit you in the face hard -- you don't know what's coming. I'm producing all the beats for this project so I'm especially proud of the sound that we're creating.

+ a powerful EP from Mister Lies which is currently being mixed and mastered, a project I'm proud to say I am part of. You'll hear my vocals on 3/4 of the tracks.

+ collaborations with amazing musicians and producers. An ever evolving list.

+ practicing and updating my live performance set p.s. book me.

+ a video/single release project with a group of amazingly talented ladies here in NYC which will be released through The Gradients, a project started by Kathy Lee to blend different creative platforms.

🎶 

I believe actions speak louder than words. 💯. All these seeds I've planted are quietly growing and when they bloom they're gonna blossom 🌸  loud and share another layer of my life. All of this to say: more soon ~ stay tuned ✌🏼️

winter hiatus

Blossom by Sanford Biggers @ The Brooklyn Museum 

it's time to return to the heart of the matter. what makes me tick, what makes all of this possible: the music.

in the last five months ive had eight performances in shows with some of the most talented artists in New York City. a huge amount of artistry was involved during this timeframe as evident by all of the posters lined up below. one of the highlights for me during this process was meeting and collaborating with visual artists. Kathy Lee, Jeremy Abel, and Abi Laurel are just a few of these artists who have inspired me visually and aesthetically. it's also clear that Smoothie Tunes has been a huge influencer in the music scene since their launch in July. crowds come out to see the stacked line-ups of heavy-hitters in packed venues and Smoothie Tunes has created a momentous presence of attention in bringing URL artists to an IRL platform. drawing attention to the huge amount of talent that is present online is something that more and more collectives, labels, venues, and blogs are doing which is well-deserved. 

Smoothie Tunes Launch Party @ The Knitting Factory

this kind of performance frequency happening consecutively is new to me and damn it felt good! there were even two sets of shows that happened back to back - wonderful whirlwind weekends. the feeling of performing songs that you spent so many countless hours to create is cathartic. the preparation and rehearsals to make each show better than the last has made me a better artist and im hungry for continued growth. 

in order to find this further growth and blossom into another evolution of myself, it's important for me to take a hiatus from performing to focus on exploration into different sounds and new music. im currently working on two eps with two different artists: the first, a side project with my girl Brooklyn White. i had her perform our track 'RUNNIN DEEP' with me for several of these shows and the energy we have together is too strong to ignore the idea of making more music. the second being a project ep produced by exyle. we made one song together randomly and the result of the collab was so good we decided to make a whole project out of it. (much more on both of these soon).

apart from those distinct collaborative projects i intend to work on as much new music as possible in the coming winter months and really take this time to reflect on what i want my next steps as an artist to be. next year im going to SXSW hell or high water and if the opportunity presents itself i want to give an entirely new performance that represents me wholly. i definitely feel that im at the beginning of a new chapter.

my best is yet to come.

pittsburgh : confluence

Houses, homes, streets, ideas being constructed into a new vision of this city that lies at the confluence of rivers – Pittsburgh. 

 Pittsburgh is beautiful. I realized on the bus ride here that the last time I left NYC was visiting Jimmy V in upstate NY for Halloweekend. This becomes more apparent walking through the streets of Pittsburgh because everyone is alarmingly friendly. Wait, we’re saying hello to strangers? And they’re saying hello back with a smile? WHERE AM I?

Not only are the people in Pittsburgh super friendly, they are hard working. Penn Ave. is a prime example of this work ethic, a street full of locally owned businesses including BOOM Concepts where the show is tonight. Julie Malice (pictured above) is one of the individuals promoting growth within the community and at the forefront of accessible artistic development here in Pittsburgh. There is a sense of community here that I haven’t witnessed in a long time. Things are moving, things are being built, and it seems like the people population is a big part of the change. 

Is any of this real? Worlds colliding and perspective gives new meaning to what can be achieved through sound. I met Shisa & Clay Colonna online through Choongum almost two years ago when I collabed on ‘Coral Reefer’ that was released on Seascape 64 via Hoko Sounds. Now I’m staying in their house and performing w/ them - friends! If that isn’t internet I don’t know what is. URL takes on a different form IRL, a palpable form and it feels fantastic. Living, breathing: appreciation.

Pittsburgh you impressed me, you came alive, you gave me so much love, you inspired me. Dancing elevated; surrounded by a crowd grooving along to my music felt vrrry amazing in more ways than I can articulate/type. THE BOOM CONCEPTS SHOW GAVE ME ALL SORTS OF FEELS THAT I REALLY NEEDED AND LOVE YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU PITTSBURGH. ♡

LIL' PENNSYLVANIA WKND TOUR THING

When I tell people about my transient April couch life I get the same response – DEDICATION. “You’re so dedicated!” “Now that’s dedication!”…it means a lot to me that people appreciate what I’m doing, but it also sort of catches me off-guard. Like, hello, I’ve been this dedicated about my music this entire time people. Why is it just now getting this attention?

I guess it’s not every day that people sleep on a couch to raise money for a music video LOL. To be honest everyone should stay with their friends and live off couches for a few weeks! It’s been great! Living in a space that isn’t your own gives you a different perspective on your surroundings. Just as when you travel, time takes on a new meaning, and possibilities open themselves up to you. Like this past weekend I rented a studio in Chelsea and practiced my set for the performances I have this weekend. MY LIL’ PENNSYLVANIA WKND TOUR THING !

Finding space between the skyscrapers, a dance floor - to be focused on my artistry and hone in on my purpose for this upcoming weekend. YES, these are the moments that remind me why I'm here in NYC, grinding; following my dreams. PENNSYLVANIA HERE I COME.

APRIL = transient couch life

-> ‘on-the-road’ ->

Hello morning! I wake up, pack my travel bag (midi keyboard + recording equipment included), and say goodbye to my lovely Brooklyn loft. Some of you may already know – I’m in pre-production on a music video for ‘drink me’, the single off my upcoming album Soft Thirst, and the budget is more than I had initially planned for. Music videos cost money, especially if you want fun things like cameras, lenses, a location, lights, and budgeting for one can be super frustrating considering you are an artist with massive student loans and no savings. My solution to this problem is to sublet out my room for the month of April and stay with friends -> ‘on-the-road’ -> a mini-vacation right here in my own city!! That’s right, yur girl is gonna be a transient being, dedicated to her music so much so that she’d give up her room and sleep on a couch for a month straight. You heard me, I’m a couch potato/bum. Honestly though, I’m looking forward to it because being out of your own space opens up possibilities and frees you of possession. It feels reminiscent of packing and mentally preparing for my European Tour, a welcome feeling.

Anyway, I’ll be writing random posts throughout the month to document this transient time in my life. Sometimes I forget I have space for words on this website and don’t blog as much as I’d like to, so this month I’m going to give words more focus. PLUS +++ I HAVE REALLY COOL MUSIC THINGS HAPPENING NEXT MONTH! A Lil’ Pennsylvania Tour WKND Thing!! That’s right, next weekend I’m headed to Pittsburgh to perform for the 1st ever BOOM CONCEPTS ! VOLUME showcase.  BOOM CONCEPTS is a community-focused shared space that promotes and fosters community growth for all ages through gallery showcases, performances, and gatherings. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of this and especially with the people who are involved.

THEN – the day after the Pittsburgh performance I’m headed with the crew to Philadelphia for another dope showcase. My new friend Arielle a.k.a. QUALIATIK received a $3000 grant earlier this year to put together a live musical performance that dovetails music with neuroscience in an interactive and accessible way. SHE’S STUDYING NEUROSCIENCE PEOPLE. This girl is super talented and super lit; super excited a bunch of artists together to jam and share brain experiences for QUALIA. She’s pin-pointing an area of music that is not always touched on – experiential aspects of music and how subjective the experience can be based on your neurological make-up…highlighting psychological and emotional changes that occur in the brain while listening to music. COOL! TBH I’m not entirely sure what is going to happen which is what makes me HELLA EXCITED FOR THIS!

luv u bbs,

stay tuned//more soon

abbi

drink me >‿‿◕

One year ago today, my project, WAVY: The European Tour, was successfully funded!

Since then I’ve grown in so many ways and reached a new level of self//musicianship. After my tour I came back to NYC inspired to do more of my own production and create a sound all my own -- now I’m getting ready to release my first full-length album! 'Soft Thirst' is a project that is meant to be fun, playful, tongue-in-cheek, sexual, and driven by the technological thirst of our generation. Here's the first listen...drink me...>‿‿◕

This song will soon take video form - I've been choreographing dance and concepting some hot/milky/soft visuals for this over the past couple months. I'm working with my friend Adam Gundersheimer who studied Film at the New School and my Pisces sister Vanessa Haddad who studied Art at Cooper Union. We're also working with an artist who is going to create installations to add to the vignettes  !

My next engagement is a pre-album-release performance at SoundCloud NYC next Tuesday!

I want to thank you all again for believing in me. You make this matter.

Sky’s the limit!

♡

ABBI

2015, I'm ready for you.

Photo by Kris Jones

Retrospect gives pause… sometimes leading to greater depth of understanding. When I look back on the past year I’m blown away by how much has happened and how much has changed. I’m a big advocate of change. Even simple things like moving a piece of furniture in my apartment gives me a different sense of being that I appreciate. Deep-rooted changes in life don’t always happen overnight, however.

In January 2014 I had two big dreams:

1)      Go on a European tour.

2)      Move to New York City.

I wasn’t sure if either of these would come to fruition, but I also knew that in order to find out whether or not they would I had to do something. I had to ask. I had to focus my intention on these goals in order to find momentum. And momentum I found! I moved to NYC! I went on my WAVY Euro Tour!

These things happened!

The kind of change I’ve experienced in the past year has been steady, constant, and at times overwhelming. 2014 felt like a sort of wormhole where the fabric of time seemed to bend and bring me to where I am now. Now, looking back on it all, I am so thankful, so inspired, and so focused for the future. No amount of words typed out by a keyboard or collection of emojis could ever truly express what this year meant to me. ♪＼(*＾▽＾*)／ THANK YOU ＼(*＾▽＾*)／. I have some special things planned for Spring 2015 that I can’t wait to share with you!

❤

♡ SO MUCH LOVE FOR JAPAN ♡

This week was internationally amazing. ! Monday morning I wake up to a Japanese tweet mentioning one of my songs. I click the link and a cute model named Rola is dancing/making eyes at me in a behind the scenes video to the soundtrack of my collab track 'hitomi' with Mus.hiba for NYLON JAPAN TV! Wow! What?!

So picturesque and she is so beautiful and I have absolutely no idea who she is. Luckily my roommate lived in Japan for 3 years and recognizes her immediately. He describes her as the top-non-Japanese-model in Japan, a painfully cute TV personality with millions of fans. Ok!

Thursday night I'm scrolling through Facebook and I see my friend Liz (of SPF420) post a link to 10 Essential Japanese Netlabels, an article from Pitchfork. I'm interested of course because Japanese artists inspire me, and I love the authenticity of the music scene stemming from the digital workings of their culture. Also was curious if I would know anyone listed since I had just recently created this track with Mus.hiba. I'm scrolling down and find my name! Mus.hiba! Bunkai - Kei Records! We are there! Mentioned among some of the best people in the worrrrrrld! ♡ Kawaii !! I can hardly believe it. I've always respected Pitchfork and appreciated their work, so to mentioned among ten essential Japanese netlabels - just - wow. Giddy. In amazement. All of this happened organically and I'm just in awe. Japan was always in my top dream travel destinations, but now it is a must. I will visit you Japan! (✿◠‿◠)

http://pitchfork.com/features/starter/9554-10-essential-japanese-netlabels/

Milano

The train ride to Milan is probably the most beautiful. Sprawling vineyards lay tucked in-between the green mountain landscape. Along the way I get a notification that my track with mus.hiba has been released via Japanese label Bunkai-Kei records for his forthcoming EP release “Lycorsis”. What a great moment. Traveling Europe on tour and having a simultaneous song release in Japan. 

I was supposed to meet up with Peekaboo in Milan, a producer I've worked with on a number of different tracks including “Suddenly” off my first EP, but he wasn’t very good at communicating. Months would go by without a response to my messages about planning and in the days leading up to my travel to Milan I got absolutely no response. I find it kind of crazy that someone would tell me to come and visit them in a foreign country, offer up their house, give me their phone number, and then drop off the face of the earth after travel arrangements have been made. But, whatever, life goes on and the tour continues. 

I book my first Airbnb. I messaged the owners first asking if they would be ok with me using the room as a performance space for my show on tinychat.com/ecchiparty. They didn't entirely understand wtf I was talking about, but were glad to have me! Not only are they gracious hosts, they’re photographers as well and help me capture the moment on film.  

Tinychat shows are one of my favorite things of 2014, they and the bed squeak sample...XD. Earlier this spring, Choongum invited me login to his performance on SPF420 where he was premiering our collab track, “Skin.” There were hundreds of people in the chatroom hyping on bedroom producers. What was this world? Amaze? Seeing instant interaction and response to our track was like nothing I've experienced before and I’ve been hooked ever since. SPF420 and Dripfest have been two of my favorite online venues on tinychat. Tonight in Milan it’s tinychat.com/ecchiparty.

Ending my WAVY European Tour online at Ecchiparty is perfect. My tour was all about meeting up with my Internet collaborators IRL, so what better way than to end the tour URL where it all began? Not only that, but anyone can login and watch from anywhere in the world. The other artists performing in the line-up include Falls, Kid HNRK, Maxo, and Et Aliae, among other great people with great sounds. Not only are there great producers in the line-up, there are great producers in the chat. Even though I'm alone in Milan, I feel as though I'm surrounded by friends. I love performing for friends <3

Words can’t fully describe how I feel now that the WAVY Tour is at an end. How wonderful it all was! I met people that I will have connections with for the rest of my life. I shared my music with hundreds of new people. I traveled to places I had never seen before. I feel so proud of what I’ve accomplished. What was a dream became reality and I can’t thank you enough. 

Photo by Kris Jones

Definitely sad to end the tour, but I have something wonderful waiting for me - NYC. I just moved there two months ago! I'm inspired. So much new lies ahead. The adventure is only just beginning.

XOXO

// 

Munich

Irgendwie bin ich Krank geworden. My last morning in Slovakia I caught a cold and in the eight hours of travel to Munich it worsened. At one point along my trip, in Salzburg, I boarded the train and found myself in a section that had defunct air conditioning. Sweating profusely I think maybe I should move to a different car. No, maybe I should sweat this out. I stayed, sweated, and slept.

Fully dressed in Oktoberfest garb, my host Natalie is wearing a beautiful dirndl when she greets me at the Munich Hauptbahnhof. O zapft ist! The train station is full of dirndls and lederhosen. It's the last week of Oktoberfest and the energy is palpable in the air. Wiesn. 

We go directly to Natalie's apartment in Theresienstraße. It is enormous and beautiful with antique furniture and chandeliers. Instantly more comfortable, I am so grateful to be stationary and in good company. I get some soup from the Vietnamese shop next door, but my cold gets continually worse. Natalie makes me pot after pot of tea and draws a bath for me with Eucalyptus oil. 

Sadly, after six months of emailing and outreach to venues in Munich, a city that I think of as a second home, there was nowhere for me and my collaborators to perform. I think this speaks to a number of different things about Munich as a city and also the music industry as a whole.

The music scene in Munich does not nurture the underground and experimental. I might even go so far as to say that going out to see live shows/different artists/new sounds in Munich isn't necessarily part of the culture. In the year that I lived here as a student I had to dig extremely deep into the scene to find any electronic music that I was interested in. The closest I got to finding that scene was Zehra Spindler and her Puerto Giesing - an empty shopping mall transformed into a center of underground culture. Shows with each floor showcasing a different DJ, NerdNites, art galleries, and dance classes. Sad to say, the shopping mall was demolished shortly after I found it. Too brief. 

Another side of the issue is that booking a tour as an artist without any management or booking agent is...different. There's always next time Munich. Sorry you missed out. Echt schade.

Still, being in Munich gives me a different feeling than anywhere else on my tour. In a way it feels like coming home. Walking the streets, I brush against the fabric of time and reminisce on the person I was three years ago vs. the person I am today. What kind of measurement is time? My mind brings back faded images and I walk through a mixture of memory and reality. The two blend with my fever and my eyes glaze over trying to grasp the present moment. 

I head towards my favorite cafe on Amalienstraße right next to the Universität. Cafe Schneller. Phyllis. Meeting someone you know so well online is such a funny but amazing feeling. Phyllis and I greedily pick out an assortment of different cakes. The 3D face from the other side of the screen. Both of us are grinning from ear to ear and laughing. Phyllis and I met randomly online (per usual) via STYLSS.tv. I was typing some German in the chat during IC3PEAK's internet performance and Phyllis noticed. We chatted it up and have been FB, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat friends ever since; silently supporting each other via social media. Phyllis is an artist of multiple styles and media, uncategorizable. She recently made a music video for NYC based artist, Orrin and put us in contact to collaborate. She also works with the Street-Couture label Goldmundt based in Augsburg which also doubles as a creative/collaboration/interdisciplinary platform. They have a new line coming out in December that will include glitch art from artists around the globe. 

We walk to the Englischer Garten, one of my favorite places in Munich. This is Phyllis's first time in the gardens! So funny that it would be with me, this random german-speaking American girl. Phyllis brought her video camera so we start walking along the path toward Marienplatz and shoot whatever we feel like. It's so much fun and it feels like we've been friends for a long time. Good thing she's coming to NYC in January!

Levice, Slovakia

I get the same question over and over - why Levice? My answer is easy - Melodica Netlabel, the creation of Andrej Ammo and Tomas Kaizels. My first internet release with Melodica 'drifting dawn' garnered over 35,000 downloads and planted the seed for this European tour. Everyone seems so surprised that I chose Levice, but it really feels like Levice chose me.

This is my last live performance on the tour. The next one will be in an online chat room from Milan, so I'm gonna give this show all I've got. From the very beginning of my set I have a whole crowd of people grinning up at me, dancing, loving the beats and the vibes. This is why I do this. Soaking this up every bit of this. Everyone wants a signed CD! I do my best to write all their names correctly, my hands still shaking from all the energy from the show. I'm blown away by these people. SO MUCH LOVE LEVICE. 

Tomas gets back on the turntables and starts playing some 1920s electronic house. We dance the Charleston and move like flappers; as fast as our feet will allow. I have a dancing partner and we're moving in and out in time with the beat, spinning. Slovakia, the Charleston, amazing people - I am loving this.

You can see the stars here, so bright, blanketing the sky with luminescence. Levice is small, yes, but beautiful.

The next day Andrej and his family take me to a traditional Slovak restaurant. It's a beautiful old cottage with goats and geese in the back. I'm loving every minute of this. I walk out into a field and see Bambi and his mom hopping away. Take in a deep breath of this nature because you won't find this in NYC Abigail. Deep breath.

Later on we go to the Levice's castle ruins. Apparently some Hungarians took the better part of this castle a few hundred years back, but even the one wall that still stands is beautiful. I look around, we're the only ones here. It's a refreshing feeling. Imagining this same view but in Prague, the place would be crawling with tourists. It is only me and the castle in this frame.

We climb to the highest point in the city, in the distance you can see their nuclear power plant giving resonance to the time in which we stand. We take some time to chill out at 'Holland Bar' and eat Gypsy burgers. The joke is that they're actually made out of Gypsies...

When we get back to Andrej's flat his parents are there to greet us and they have presents for me! Seriously the sweetest people. They give me a Levice magnet and a little stuffed animal to help me sleep on the train. Their hospitality is incredible. They really made me feel at home. So much love for Levice. 

// 

Prague

Walking through Berlin Hauptbahnhof toward my train to Prague. A guy sees the 10 yr. old child/travel bag I'm carrying on my back and asks me in German how many kilos I'm carrying. He starts repeating over and over again how a woman shouldn't have to carry that much. I tell him women can too. He laughs and keeps walking. It's kind of funny to me that I came in direct contact with a guy that thinks I can't/shouldn't. It usually never crosses my mind that some people might have this attitude about women's abilities, I just do. Don't worry kid, I got this.

Now on my way to Prague, languages filter in and out, a constant transition of nationality with more and more Slovak fading in as we head East. 

Prague's cityscape is beautiful, the romantic edges in the architecture are harmonious alongside the modern additions. There is something undeniably harmonious about this city. Tomas Balaz and I are playing a show tonight in this city.

I'm pretty hungry from the train ride, so I stop to get some of that traditional Czech food and Czech beer. Take a load off. What I didn't notice before I ordered was the table of Americans right next to me blabbing about their 'international lifestyle'. Their exaggerated conversation is constant rich life bragging and harrowing stories about failed forced engagements and elite status groups. I try to focus on my goulash and knödeln and block them out. 

Tomas is waiting for me at a metro station near the club so I head underground, looking forward to experiencing a new subway system. There's something quite grounding about public transpiration. Even though me and my 40 lb bag stick out like a sore thumb, it's still a more inclusive feeling than walking the streets above, dodging in and out of destination weddings and stumbling walking tour groups. 

After many emails and broken up text messages, Tomas and I finally meet! He's booked a hostel/bed-and-breakfast type place just a block away from the club. We're in a student area. I show Tomas some of the music that I've been producing. He gets amped up on it right away and starts firing off suggestions in the mixing. Welcome suggestions and knowledge. 

Klubovna is exactly my vibe, small but comfortable and compact with lots of color on the walls and colorful people inside. There are two bands playing before I go on - both have a surf rock feel, droning a feeling out toward the crowd who soaks it in right away. 

My friend Jessica Lyness is in the city! She was the PR manager for the Portland International Film Festival when I was interning there as a senior in college. It's so good to see a friendly familiar face. So random and awesome! It's amazing to have her here for my show on the other side of the world.

After the two bands are finished playing I set up. They have a projector which is great because I don't have to mess with finding a place to set up mine. Test the mic, test the Korg, test the video projection, it's all looking good. The sound seems a little muddled, but the sound guys reassure me that it sounds great from out there. I start and the first few songs go well, but then when I start moving around the mic has a huge amount of feedback. I look up at the sound-booth, no one there. They left and didn't come back the entire set. The video projector stops working. I have to press a button to get it to wake up. Do this about eight times during the set until I don't care anymore. One of the Czech guys in the crowd gets up on stage right next to me while I'm singing and makes a gesture to turn me down. He makes faces, asks for the mic. I honestly don't know what to do, I'm so thrown off with everything. I play along and add him into my set as a prop until someone grabs him off stage, but he persists. He comes back a second time and I ask him to leave. He doesn't get it. I can't help but believe that the vast majority of these people don't get it. I'm thankful for those that stay.  

Getting off stage I feel defeated. The people who came to watch me insist that I did a great job, but I can't hear them. Maybe the lack of sleep is getting to me. I put it behind me and enjoy the rest of the night with Tomas and his friends. I use my last drink ticket to barter for some peanut butter cheetos. God those things are good.

The next morning Tomas and I have a great breakfast and talk about his work at LEGO before I take off to Slovakia. A taxi picks me up and when we arrive at the bus station I tip well, probably more than I should have, but what the hell. He insists that he help me with my bag. "Man's weight, not women's weight" he says as he places it on my shoulders. "Women can too." I reply. I've come full circle. 

//

Soundcloud HQ - Berlin

Today is Wednesday. Today is Soundcloud. My cab driver is friendly and inquisitive about my travels as he drives toward the Amsterdam Centraal Station. I tell him that I'm headed to Soundcloud HQ today. He hasn't heard of the name and asks if it's a normal thing to do. I tell him no, it's not, not at all. No, this is something special.

It's not every day that a Soundcloud artist gets to meet the very people who made all of their musical endeavors and collaborations possible. It's hard to describe what I'm feeling. Nervous yes, but I also a sense of calm, a feeling that I'm headed home to friends. On the train I run through my set silently; mentally. 

Soundcloud HQ. I arrive and am instantly greeted by several people milling around at reception. Dominik is my engineer for the day and he greets me with a smile and offers me a coffee. Thank goodness. I had seen videos of what the space looked like and imagined a start-up environment of open floor plans and clever nuances, but actually being here has a completely different feel. Essentially anything you could ever want. Crates of beers line the walls. Several fridges and a juicer, an espresso machine, cafe type feel all around on the kitchen floor. The building is directly on the site of where the Berlin Wall used to stand. Out the window you see a memorial and student groups milling about. On my way in I saw the famous image of the soldier jumping over barbed wire memorialized as a statue on the side of a house. This is Berlin.

As I earnestly guzzle down my latte, Dominik shows me to the stage. It's a super cute little wooden stage on the other side of the kitchen. He says that it's the first time it will be used. Wait. Yes that's right. I am premiering a stage at Soundcloud HQ! 

Lisa takes me on a tour of the building. They had just moved into the space in June. So new, everything fresh, and you could feel it in the vibe of the office. Changes were happening very quickly at Soundcloud, changes that resonated beyond the move to a new building. 

Four + floors of open spaces, comfortable seating, plants, installations, random games, nooks, and crannies. It's hard for me to imagine myself here, it all seems like such a dream. My mind reverts back to the cubicle I left behind in NYC, a different world. Lisa talks about her music, she sings and plays bass in a band. Girl bass players are so cool. It's great to know that a huge majority of people who work at Soundcloud have musical passions as well. It makes sense.

Lisa leads me to the playroom which includes a small garden, ping pong table, and photo booth. I take some funny looking pictures and she adds them to the wall of monochromatic faces. As we walk through to another room I notice my face on a screen, it's me! 

David introduces me before my performance and talks about my tour and the events that led up to this moment. He knows the exact date that I signed up for Soundcloud. It's a strange feeling, performing for Soundcloud, the makers and creators of the platform that has transformed my music. I am the creation? Kinda feel like I'm inside an interface; a heightened sense of being digital. 

After being awakened from our mutual audience/performer dreamworld states, we grab some beers and share smiles. It's definitely rewarding to have positive feedback from the source. I feel a little sad as I leave the building, just having a glimpse into their world wasn't enough. I wonder if I'll have more experiences with them and their team. It seems likely.

I head to the northern part of Berlin to meet up with my high school German teacher, Kristin Kuchenbecher. She was my first portal into the German language and it stuck with me, translating into a German Studies major from Lewis and Clark College. She just moved to Berlin six weeks ago and was nice enough to allow me to be her first guest from the states. One of many I'm sure. It's comforting and refreshing to speak German again, especially with my first German teacher, someone I really couldn't speak German with at the beginning. We get some Döner Kebab and I remember how much I've missed them. One of my only plans for my free day in Berlin tomorrow is to head into Kreuzberg and get the best Döner I've ever had in my life at Mustafas. Even in the middle of eating Döner, I can't wait for the next one. Guess that's how I am with a lot of things. Onto the next.

// 

Red Bull Studios Amsterdam

Our driver is a comedian and the passengers a funny mix including a couple quarreling over lost beverages and a balding man who is growing out his waist-length ponytail to compensate, constantly touching it like it might disappear any moment. Weird what one fixates on with hours of road ahead. 12 hours to be exact. The bus ride from Leeds to Amsterdam. 

The free wifi connection on board is also known as 'no internet', a hack. I'm trying to download the finished collab track that Mus.hiba just sent me, but I can't even pull up gmail. Annoyed, I sit and focus on the tasks ahead. Red Bull Studios in the morning, I better get to writing this song..

Our bus boards a ferry to France around midnight. Passengers are passed out everywhere on deck and still the place feels eerily empty. Like sitting in a lonely diner with some lonely locals. It's 1am and I get a flashback to Gameboy Pokemon battles on ships. Where is my Squirtle to keep me company? Sigh. The constant sway of the ferry affects me a little more than I thought it might. Moving back and forth like a metronome trying to find time to an echo bouncing off the walls of a cave. No cantor to follow. Those waves.

...

Oh god I made it, the sun is shining again, and hello Amsterdam: 9am. Red Bull Studios session starts in an hour so I better wake up from these three hours of lumpy bus seat sleep and get lively. 

I walk into Red Bull Studios and am immediately home. Can this be my always? I throw my 40 lb. bag down onto the sofa and have the wonderful realization: I have eight hours of time in this beautiful place to make music. Yes! We also have two engineers on site with us all day to help us with mixing, recording, laughing, anything.

Still dazed from my overnight journey I down a coffee and a Redbull; the wing-effect. Frank Los a.k.a. Frenquency and I have actually never worked on a track together before. We met online through Niek Kulpers who is part owner of Swtch, a music agency, label, and blog based out of Amsterdam. Niek and I actually became acquainted through STYLSS, a label based out of Portland and he put me in touch with Frank when I told him I was coming to Amsterdam. What a tangled web the internet weaves, eh? And now we are here with a track and full day of professional recording ahead of us.

Frank had sketched out a song a couple weeks ago and sent it to me, a footwork track called '5 years'. I ask if it had any meaning and it does. His dad passed away five years ago and that was the time that really pushed him through a transformation to make music as more than a hobby, to really go after what he wanted to do in life. I tell him my dad passed away six years ago. The looks on our faces have a similar sense of shock, reflecting how coincidental it all seems. We work five and a half hours and have a finished product, gleaming, beaming. It all came together so well.

During the end of the session I see a twitter notification from Mat Randol, our music video just dropped! I show the room. Such a great feeling to share a collaboration from PDX to a room full of musicians in Amsterdam. 

Music encompassing every part of my every given moment. I could get used to this. 

Next stop Soundcloud HQ - Berlin.

// 

Leeds.

Traversing the British countryside by train as rain falls into the blanket of fog that surrounds everything. I'm on my way to Leeds! 

Jamie and Rosie meet me at the train station, new friends. We hop into a cab and head to their 300 year old apartment building. Once there we get right to it and start opening up music files. I get caught up on what's been happening with the Yusin tracks since we last spoke. 

The bar where the performance was originally planned had detrimental electricity issues and was shut down for the weekend. What timing! No worries though, we just move the show to the lower studio level of Jamie's apartment. Setting up rearranging, completely transforming the place into a space fit to be its own venue. People start piling in and the vibe is hot - room filled with cig smoke and conversation. 

House shows have an intimacy that you can't find in a venue. Everyone is so approachable. As I move into my performance I see heads bobbing and moving along with me. They're getting it, I feel it, and I thrive off the energy bringing it with me as I move along into the waves. Afterwards everyone came up to me and was so ecstatic about my music. What a great start to my tour!  

We wrap it up around 5am. Cigarette butts line the floor in a weird mosaic of empty beers and bottle caps. We'll clean it up in the morning.

Wake up. 1:15 pm. Wait, 1:15! We were supposed to be on location for the music video at 1! Guhhhh! In a panic we run up and down stairs collecting our things, trying desperately to get our shit together in a jiffy. It's closer to 2:30 in the afternoon by the time we actually arrive to Wire, an underground club in the heart of Leeds. Christy the director and the 1st AD Mikey are already running through camera movements and takes.

We join in. 

The room fills with smoke and a spotlight falls on my mark. I'm in a dream. We're set up for a one-take shot, taking care to hit each spotlight in the room at just the right moment. Sean and Jamie dart in and out in holographic animal masks with a powerful glow. 

Everyone is on their jobs and moving quickly; we work at a fast pace making up for the time we lost in the morning. There is such a clear imagery here. The vision translated to film is nothing like anything I've ever created. 5 hours and we know that we  have something special. Applause after the final take. 

Back home, Chinese take-out ordered in, and another job well done.

//

London.

Sleepy crumbs in my eyes it's broad daylight and the tube is bringing me to the center. I brought my friends' music along for the journey in a 'waves for the waves' playlist. Playing it now and I'm getting pumped, occasional small smiles with the remembrance that I am here.

Photo by Kris Jones

Waves in my vision from three hours of sleep; everything I'm seeing seems like a trip. I stop to get some bubble tea and end up making friends with a Vietnamese girl and her poisonous pet snake/rhinestoned piece of ribbon. 

Kris Jones a.k.a. Languedoc stops by the flat and makes an impression with his knowledge of music and the people involved in it. We walked around the block looking at the different ways London had been shaped by graffiti and street art and shot some photos. A welcome companion to the rustle and bustle of the streets; giving dimension.

Then to box park, a collective shipping crate/boxcar arrangement of different shops and tonight, Marathon DJs.

It's only 8pm and by this time my jet lag is merely a travel companion there along for the ride of the night. D/C joins me. Such a good feeling to see him after 2 years still at it and killing the game. Sh?m arrives. We laugh.

Meeting URL friends IRL seems to have become a past time, but each time I still get such a rush. No different when meeting Sh?m who lights up the place with his gaze. He and the Flow - Fi collective and record label are a huge influence and really push into the future with their beats, that tomorrow sound.  

Next day. Now heading off from Kings Cross in my Hogwarts train toward Leeds. Today I meet the boys of Yusin, tonight I perform. 

// 

W A V Y is happening.

Today is the day. It’s officially happening. BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING!

W A V Y is happening.

Unreal is the word that could sum up what I’m feeling right now. This whirlwind itinerary and momentum of intention has already brought me to places that leave me breathless. Where will I go from here? First tour ever. Europe. Hard to believe seven months ago this was a dream that I put out into the universe. My current reality is one that I manifested, but it wasn't without your help.

Before I take-off I want to say a specific thank you to Triibe Movement and Anthony Taylor who helped create the visual representation of WAVY which successfully kick-started my dream into a reality. I want to say thank you to each and every one of you who donated to my Kickstarter and to everyone who supports me and my music. It means the world.

Stay tuned. I’ll be posting updates on my website during my tour to share all my adventures. Here I go!

XOXO

- Abigail Press