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kiana mickles

@kianamix_

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Writer @pitchfork + DJ + moving body
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Summer is winding down and in my house that means we’re listening to the work of the religious jazz pioneer (and my great-great-great aunt) Mary Lou Williams. An often overlooked figure in jazz history, Williams was a mentor to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis, and would live through pretty much all the major eras of jazz, from ragtime to fusion, until her death in Durham, North Carolina in 1981. Part lecture, part listening session, on September 22nd I’ll be taking over the @silenceplease soundsystem for a few hours to trace her catalog, from her early work in the 1930s to the boundary-pushing work she created following her 1950s conversion to Catholicism. Link to tickets in bio. Hope to see you there 🤍 by @kianamix_
On the latest @nytimes Popcast, I spoke to @joncaramanica about Beyoncé’s use of queer references in ‘Renaissance’, the importance of using criticism to ask vital questions and the whirlwind week of backlash (and support) I received after publishing a mildly critical review of the record. Listen in bio 🫶🏾 by @kianamix_
On a Thursday three months ago, @_rachelgrace and @gabrielszatan asked me if I could fly into London from New York on Monday morning so that I could interview the incredible @bjork. I was so stressed out about not having enough time to prepare that I almost said no (lol, classic) but they insisted I come over. I am so grateful for that trust! What resulted was an interview that was meant to only be 45-minutes-long but stretched on to be one hour, then two, as we talked about DJing, digital culture, avatars, nailing the balance between emotional vulnerability and privacy, and how as creative people, as she said, we can protect ourselves by trying to "not feel the weight on my back.” I also spoke to her friends and collaborators @james.t.merry, @andrewthomashuang, @serpentwithfeet and @mun_sing on the makings of an icon. We delved into her past and present collaborations, which are rooted in deep emotional connections. Three months of hard work and late nights later, I’m so excited to see my third cover for @resident_advisor live. 🥹❤️ Thank you @_rachelgrace @gabrielszatan @whatkatiesnaps for the spectacular edits. ✍🏾 & @dderham_ @dan_bara @_kemarr @sparelucy for the otherworldly design work. Link in bio ⛓️‍💥 by @kianamix_
Reminiscing on my tanned skin and the best summer ever #BSE by @kianamix_
Taught a lot of people I love about music I love at @silenceplease by @kianamix_
When you’ve always been a downtown diva 💅🏾 this is me at around 9 after one of my first piano recitals at Abrons Arts Center. At the time I would brag to my teachers after class, telling them about an aunt I had who “played for the president.” I’m going to be discussing Mary Lou Williams, family history, and jazz tomorrow at Silence Please 7-10 PM. Still a few tickets left in bio 🤍 by @kianamix_
For Kelela, selecting a single album to define every five years of your life is an abominable prospect: “I mean, I like the game, but I just can’t." More than a decade ago, Kelela entered the musical ether just as a new wave of avant-R&B was cresting. From deconstructed club to immersive ambient albums to the grunge and shoegaze of her latest project, new avatar, Kelela has spent years expanding the idea of what her music could sound like. Unsurprisingly, the music that made her is just as diverse as her work. At the link in bio, writer @kianamix_ talks to Kelela about the Ethiopian tapes, Napster finds, and Fiery Furnaces songs that shaped her musical world. 🎨 by @chrispanicker 📷 by @_bre_johnson by @kianamix_
This summer I swam miles in pools or the ocean almost every week and naturally when I entered the studio I focused on flows that made me feel like I was moving through waterrr 🌊 by @kianamix_
"I think that's exciting for Black artists to reclaim spaces and to make it our own way." @kianamix_ sits down for a park bench chat with Ravyn Lenae, whose newest album Blue Island dropped earlier this month, to talk self-work, moving past the pigeonhole of R&B, and honoring Black musical lineages. by @kianamix_
In the 1994 science-fiction film Stargate (later expanded into a TV series), an ancient ring-shaped device opens up a wormhole to a faraway planet. Stargates—hypothetical portals based on the Einstein-Rosen bridge, a mathematical structure built like a tunnel between different points in spacetime—have been a longtime fascination of pioneering techno producer Jeff Mills, who has found the potential for freedom and resistance in outer space for decades. Mills is taking his intergalactic interests to new heights this August: the Underground Resistance legend will premiere an audio-visual immersive experience based on stargates at @mutekmontreal, the long-running Canadian festival of electronic music and digital arts. Ahead of MUTEK, @kianamix_ talks to Mills about the new live project, wormholes, science fiction, and AI. Read the full interview at the link in bio. 📷 by Jacob Krist 🎨 by @chrispanicker by @kianamix_
Join us as we celebrate the closing of “Planets in Transit” with an evening hosted by photographer and DJ @guarionex_jr, as the inaugural 2026 Artist-in-Residence presented by Ace Hotel Brooklyn × @fieldmeridians. The night marks the debut of the exhibition’s accompanying zine alongside a limited-edition print sale by Guarionex, a conversation around the work, and a special DJ set by @kianamix_. Experience the exhibition one last time, meet the artist, purchase signed prints and the newly released publication in celebration of the Black, Brown, and queer communities and dancefloors that inspired the work. Ace Hotel Brooklyn The Gallery Wednesday, July 22 • 7PM by @kianamix_
Thank god there is more to life than the experimental music scene by @kianamix_

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