Sneezing Unicorn Productions (S.U.P.) is the product of DJ Alayt’s obsession with art/music, archives, and history. This website serves as the digital hub for all the music-related things I’m working on at the moment.
UPDATE 14.FEBRUAR 2024
This is just a minor update. I’ve decided to give HearThis a try this year: https://hearthis.at/dj-alayt/. I’m tired of having to keep switching out mixes on Mixcloud, so I’m hoping to use HearThis as more of a stable digital archive. I’ll still be uploading mixes to Mixcloud for now as well though. Relatedly, I’ve been adding the track lists for my recent mixes on both Mixcloud and HearThis. Although it appears that not everyone can access that information (depending on their accounts with Mixcloud/HearThis), I still think it’s information that folks would like to have if they can get it anyway.
UPDATE 31.JANUAR 2024
I’ve finally been uploading recent mixes to my Mixcloud; and, I’ve been tagging them with the predominant genre/theme for that stream. Check it out!: https://www.mixcloud.com/alayt/
Beyond this, I’m plugging away at small things in my Industrial History Archive. Recently made minor strides in the vinyl archiving, re: what use barcode scanning is/how good Discogs registers various barcodes…with the end result of being pretty much exactly what I expected it would be like the last time I did this kinda test for WEFT. That time the records were primarily old–as were the CDs, so while I’d tested some of my own collection (CDs and records) as part of a test-run of Discogs-as-community-archival-tool, I’d just done a minor “sampling” kinda test. Anyway, so it’s been a few years; and, I’d hoped Discogs’ barcode scanner + their barcode identifying information would be better updated. It is not. All of this is to say that I’m totally going to have to pull out every single record, tape, and CD to check it for the exact ID number and then do a search for it on Discogs, hope that Discogs has it, and then select the exact release version it is. Or, in other words, what I did at WEFT like seven years ago. At least, Discogs usually has most versions of releases; and, their metadata information is mostly correct. If anyone’s interested in watching my (slow) progress, I’m updating my Discogs collection here: https://www.discogs.com/user/eisemann/collection.
In other preservation tidbits, I’ve ordered more LP sleeves; and as part of that, I’m testing two different types of expanded LP preservative sleeving. I’m particularly interested in 1) preserving 2LP/split cover albums, 2) preserving 2LP separate sleeve albums, and 3) preserving box set albums.
UPDATE 22.NOVEMBER 2023
There really has been nothing too crazy to need to update here on the landing page, so I haven’t been bothering. I’ve been continuing to put the playlists for Hermetic’s Haunt up in their own monthly sections. Earlier today, I put my most recent mix (17.November 2023) up on Mixcloud, which you can find here: https://www.mixcloud.com/alayt/hermetics-haunt-17november-2023/.
In regards to IHA/DIY Archivist stuff, I’ve been working on some minor projects, which I’ve been documenting somewhat piecemeal but which I also still need to upload/write up on their own. I’ll get to it eventually. I suppose the biggest news there is that I’ve acquired a fuckton of acid-free kraft paper to use in the archives. I also finally saved up enough to afford yet another external drive for data curation purposes, which is fantastic; but, what I really need is a better computer, one that isn’t ten years old and that I constantly have to delete things off just to record my DJ streams. It’s also getting very difficult to make space for new music, which…is such a fun problem to deal with as a DJ.
Related to spinning out, I’ve done several more house parties this year. My two DJ proteges, DJ Witchbreaker and DJ Ryan Zero, both had their first DJ debuts at the party I spun in August, which was super fun. I am very proud of how well they did.
UPDATE 10.MAERZ 2023
So, I’ve uploaded my recent playlists here, and there’s one or two recent mixes of mine up on my Mixcloud. I’ve also been doing alot on the DIY Archivist front, primarily setting up the vinyl and clearing off the workspace so I can do preservation work on materials. Relatedly, I’ve started doing preservation work on print/paper-based materials! I am ridiculously excited about making more progress with my Industrial Archives.
I’ve got some raid streams I’m participating in during April and May. I’ll post more details when I have the time slots. Outside of this, I’ve also got some house parties lined up in the next several months. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use them to introduce my two DJ-proteges to spinning in a live (non-digital) environment. They’ve got the talent and knowledge–I have full faith they’ll be ready by May/June :)
UPDATE 16.JANUAR 2023
I’ve added a whole new page for my Twitch stream, Hermetic’s Haunt (https://www.twitch.tv/djalayt). I’ve also made one of SUP’s working pages private along with making some other minor changes to the site.
UPDATE 28.DEZEMBER 2022
I’ve updated the December playlist area with my last stream. Coming up in January 2023, I’ll be working with ReNoize again as well as getting back into doing more raid-streams (e.g. Sound Revolution @ 21.Jan).
Archive-wise, I’ve added some brief new bits to several sections. The DIY Archivist page now has links to my format ID guide (https://psap.library.illinois.edu/collection-id-guide) and advanced help guide for AV and print materials (https://psap.library.illinois.edu/advanced-help). I also deactivated some of the pages linked to IHA until I can get them running again. Finally, I’ve been continuing to work on adding/correcting metadata on my digital files as well as fruitlessly attempting to discover a better way to organize and sort the many genres those files overlap with.
UPDATE 11.DEZEMBER 2022/16.DEZEMBER 2022
I’ve been doing alot of power noisy + death industrialy things recently with ReNoize Radio (https://renoizeradio.com/). Beyond this, I’m still doing various raid streams and benefits for EBM Worldwide (https://www.facebook.com/EBMWorldwide/) as well as recently also Empire of Beat (https://www.twitch.tv/codename_e0b).
If you’re interested in seeing what I’ve been doing on or outside my stream: I’ve updated the September playlist with the last week or so left in it (https://sneezingunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/09/19/hermetics-haunt-september-playlists/); and, I’ve now posted all my playlists for October (https://sneezingunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/hermetics-haunt-october-2022-playlists/), November (https://sneezingunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/hermetics-haunt-november-2022-playlists/), and December (https://sneezingunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/hermetics-haunt-dezember-2022-playlists/) up here too.
UPDATE 19./21. SEPTEMBER 2022
I’m still doing the same usual Twitch stream (https://www.twitch.tv/djalayt) on Thursday night, doing benefit streams, and so forth. Some of my recent playlists from 2022 are posted here (https://sneezingunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/09/19/hermetics-haunt-september-playlists/). I now also have a Mixcloud (https://www.mixcloud.com/alayt/) , which I don’t update very often, but it has some of my sets on it if you’re interested in hearing me spin. Relatedly, if you want to both see and hear me spin, check out the SUP Youtube channel for some past Hermetic’s Haunt recordings (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHZBhMcizW1ELbm8dd8qQElunOfqoS9Qe).
Beyond this, I’ve made good progress over the past month on the long-term preservation and storage of over half of the Industrial Archives. I’ve been saving up for proper furniture/storage materials to set up the long-term repository for a few years, and I finally was able to get the first round of it about a month ago. (Long-term flat-bed storage is part of the second round, along with another heavy-duty shelf for vinyl.) The CDs and paper collections are now in temperature-controlled environments. The vinyl collection is now allowed to breathe and thus has room for me to add the 70 or so records currently waiting to be processed. I’ve also now been able to make space in the AV workroom for the mixed format collections I need to process.
UPDATE 14. OCTOBER 2021:
I’m still streaming a bunch via my Twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/djalayt) every Thursday night/Friday morning, 12am EDT – 3am EDT. Club-wise, I’ve spun at Ritual a few times this past year or so. Outside of that, the last several months I’ve been doing some guest spots (e.g. https://www.twitch.tv/djeschar) as well as some benefit streams, which is fucking great because I love being able to help folks out.
I’ve recently realized that I do, in fact, have some of my collection up on Discogs. This is a sample of my general industrial collection as well as part of my Industrial History Archive: https://www.discogs.com/user/eisemann/collection.
If anyone’s interested in the direction of most of my current music interests, here’s my Bandcamp: https://bandcamp.com/alayt.
As far as the play stuff goes…I’ve actually started drafting up a new one. Apocalypsa II remains finished; Apocalypsa I has had some progress, and it’s about 3/4 done now; Apocalypsa III is all but done, just waiting on a couple of factors that I need to finalize in Apocalypsa I. The new play will be another talkie. It will also be an industrial-scene based one, as is my current focus when writing. This time, the play’s not focused on magic, nerdom, or sexcapades. It’s going to be a music-wrapped, fun romp taking place over the course of a single night at an industrial club, giving folks the happy feels and deep groans that only those that have spent a fair amount of time industrial-clubbing can appreciate best. You’ll see the scene queens and kings…the air- and scenery- chewers…the two awkward bi-chicks possibly but not sure if actually flirting all night long…the ministry of DJs acting as a Greek chorus for the action…the hardcore dancers out for a quick smoke break…the rivetheads, cybergoths, and babybats as well as the nugoth kids.
UPDATE DECEMBER 2020:
12/5/20: Random Pic for Champaign-based archive. 2010, FGFC show at C-Street. I’m in the LeatherStrip hoodie because of course I fucking am.
UPDATE JUNE 2020: I’ve renamed the twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/djalayt), and I am doing streaming stuff over at there, Thurs nights/Fri mornings from 1am-3am. I’ve been posting the playlists on my Facebook at the moment, but I’ll transfer them here eventually too.
I recently did a live-stream DJ event with DJ Seraph and several dance performers (Regina and Candi) for Ritual on Friday, the 22nd of May 2020.
I’m in the middle of coming up with a whole new series of debaucherous pantomimes–this new one may even have a fair amount of dialogue. This series involve plays within plays performed by a post-apocalyptic polyamorous (and sometimes porno) troupe. And, as always, magic will abound.
UPDATE APR 2020: Lots of shit is going on. I will get to updating various parts of this as things go along. The shortest version is that up until the Apocalypse, I’d been doing a lot of house parties, some clubs, a bit of radio, and a fuckton of dancing.
I also was getting stuff ready for doing more things with IHA (e.g. collection building, preservation, access) and SUP (e.g. plays, kinetic performances, shows). I am continuing to work on these projects. The revival of my old Twitch channel is part of that: https://www.twitch.tv/sneezingunicorn.
OLD: Hey! I’m DJ Alayt, and I’ve gotten up to a number of Rivety things over the years. I’ve been both a radio and club/party DJ for over twenty years. I’ve worked as the editor, regular columnist, and music reviewer for a power noise magazine (Atlanta’s Mute! magazine). I was the co-creator of Typesix (typesix.net), a joint podcast and digital resource site for the history of industrial music and its subcultures. I’ve put on a number of special events for the industrial scene, and I’ve directed several plays written for an industrial audience. I’ve also been running a community archive for industrial music for a number of years.
Current Projects: [Atlanta, 2018-2019, Industrial/Electronic]
I. Djing at clubs and parties around Atlanta
II. Djing on the radio [e.g. the Mobius @wrek.org]
III. Organizing special events and performances [e.g. the Satanic Burlesque]
IV. Acquiring new music, art, and other merch
V. Running free DJ workshops [e.g. Girls Who DJ]
VI. Working on poems, lyrics, and plays [e.g. Hexenlust, the Alchemists]
Ongoing Projects: [Champaign-Atlanta, (@2007)2012-2019, Industrial/Electronic]
I. Working as Archivist of the Industrial History Archives (IHA), such as:
- working on collection development [analog, digital]
- processing, describing, and arranging collection materials
- assessing and preserving collection materials
- developing a long-term preservation plan for analog materials
- developing a comprehensive data curation plan for digital data and collection materials, including establishing ingest/accession procedures as well as best practices for long-term use and storage
- amassing preservation and conservation supplies, tools, and hardware
- expanding online reference and discovery (e.g. Industrial History Archive on Github and Zotero)
- collaborating with and/or sharing information with other community-based archives and archivists.
II. Working on content for IHA and D.I.Y. Archivist pages.
Projects for my last year in Champaign: [up through the very end of July 2017]
I. DJ-side
1. Weekly radio show (Civil Disobedience @ weft.org/90.1FM, Champaign): Tues. nights from midnight-2am.
2. Monthly/bi-weekly night (Beverages and Beatings @ Sipyard, Urbana): Sat. evenings from 6pm-midnight.
3. DJing special events (e.g. @ Institute 4 Creativity) and parties.
II. WEFT
1. Working as an Associate-elected member of the WEFT Board of Directors.
2. Working as official recorder of WEFT Board of Director and Associates meetings.
3. Working as Archivist for WEFT’s physical collections, doing things like:
- working on collection development [analog, digital]
- assessing, deaccessioning, processing, describing, and arranging analog collection materials
- digitizing and preserving collection materials
- providing digital access to both past and present institutional proceedings (e.g. SUP’s WEFT Archives page and Youtube channel)
- developing and writing institutional policies (e.g. collection development; data management)
- developing a long-term preservation/conservation plan for analog materials
- working with WEFT’s Digital Library Committee to establish best practices for digital collection materials (e.g. ingest/accession procedures; long-term access and use; copyright and other legal considerations)
- pursuing collaborations with local cultural heritage institutions and organizations.
Further Information
- You can contact me, DJ Alayt/Andie Eisemann, at areisemann@gmail.com or find me via Facebook.
- Outside of WordPress, both S.U.P. and the I.H.A. have other digital platforms that they make use of from time to time. Right now, there are aspects on YouTube, Github, Zotero, Tumblr, and a few others. Check out the tabbed pages for specific links.
Sneezing Unicorn Productions 