Sonja
was born in the Swiss Mountains in autumn 78. At the young age of four, she
got in touch with her 1st instrument: the piano. Aside her classical music
studies, she was on the search for other musical styles. As a depeche mode
and david bowie young teenage fan in the late 80's, she was a bit out of her
time. With the wonderful discovery of KLF, acid music sounds and Electro rythmics
she did while visiting underground and open-air parties all over Switzerland
and Germany, she dived into the whirl of electronic music.
In the mid-nineteens, when the rave syndroma turned into a tasteless carnival, she devoted herself to weird parties organizations in several Geneva's squatts during 3 years alongside the Mentalgroove crew. From djing to cleaning the floor after the chaos. At this time she gave up her piano studies for a new bought Roland R8, started to get professional bookings (Weetamix, Usine...) and to search for silence.
She began the new century teaming up with amazing friends. Miss Kittin opened her the doors, while Weetamix gave her a residency alongside Luciano. During one night in Tokyo, she played after dj Hell who decided to take her on the Gigolo roster. Musically speaking, she was not on the same side, but she got many opportunities to play her sound in various cities around the globe (including nice shots from Sweden to Brazil).
After several collaborations with artist- friends (Serafin, Dandy Jack…) and crews (Mutek Chile, Soap System Istanbul, Cosmic Chile Zürich), Sonja starts a new live/dj project named Junction SM in 2004 alongside DandyJack. It consists on an impressive combination of live and dj sessions that lasts for hours. She did several solo-live sets like in august 04 for the Overground festival. Devoted to her studio, she continues to manipulate sounds and silences…
Since 2005, the label/collective ruta5 has been under reconstruction and a bunch of label parties are regularly organized. The productive side has not been forgotten, with several releases: among others, a remix for legendary band T21 appeared in summer 06 on Productions spéciales, Junction SM released a new EP on Kalk Pets, and Sonja put out a track on Karat's new compilation, katapult various 3, that appeared at the end of 2007 on CD and on two split vinyls.
Today, Sonja is also working as a sound designer for the swiss-french TV TSR. After some more remixes (Fine Art recordings, Monika enterprise for Chica & the folder), she is preparing a new EP, and Junction SM is teaming up with lessizmore giving them some food for their new compilation.
Selected
events and club gigs in Europe:
Weetamix, Overground festival, La bâtie festival, L’usine, Galerie
forde, Terreaux-du-temple, Piping Geneva – La Ruche, Loftclub, D!Club,
MAD Lausanne – AIR festival Reconvilliers - Caprices festival Crans-Montana
- Club 11, Via felsenau, Bierübeli Bern – City fox, Zukunft, Aera,
Dachkantine, Rohstofflager, Rote Fabrik, Hive, M4Music Zürich – Shift
festival, NT Areal, Kaserne, Nordstern, Das Schiff Basel – Café
Mokka Thun – Jazz festival Chiasso - Grand hotel Locarno – Paleo
festival Nyon – Montreux Jazz Festival - Schatzalp Davos – Vision
Festival Küssnacht - Hidden Solothurn - Fri-son Fribourg - Panorama Bar,
Rosis, Polar.TV, Watergate, Transmediale Berlin – Fusion festival, At.tention
Larz - Ultraschall, Musterraum, Club Villa, Harry Klein, Woanders Munich –
Basement Club Wiesbaden - Suite 15 Regensburg - SpacePlace, Ciné Royal
Frankfurt - Rubin, tanzhalle St pauli Hamburg - Südpol boot Würzburg
– C/O Pop, Grüzi club, Subway, Kunstwerk, Cologne – Colibri,
Finca Stuttgart – Douala Ravensburg - Audio pixel Konstanz - RauchBar
Feldkirch - Icke Micke Vienna - Studio 80, Paradiso Amsterdam - Pulp, Nouveau
casino, Batofar, Point éphémère Paris - Paysages électroniques,
Kiosk Lilles - Fuse, Bruxelles - Fabric, London - Freerotation festival Wales
- DC10, Privilege Ibiza - Nave 9, Loft, Moog, Be cool, Mochima, Zentraus, City
hall Barcelona – Electrostar Bilbao – Peter Pan Riccione - Alta
Voz Venice - Tenax Florence - Bordello Torino - Link Bologna - KontraMusik Malmö
(Sweden) – Kruthueset, Bunker Stockholm - Hal D, Culture-box Copenhaguen
– Godet Istanbul – Elvis bar, Venue, Cream Thessaloniki - Almyra
Chalkidiki (Greece) - Aquarius Zagreb - Safehouse Croatia - Unsound festival
Krakov - Session, Rokolektiv festival Bucharest - La Mania Mamaia
Selected events and club gigs outside Europe:
Gotham, Pacotek Jerusalem - ISM club, Yellow Tokyo - Shelter Shanghai - Tango
Beijing - Chengdu - Lov.E, D-Edge sao Paulo – Dama de ferro Rio de Janeiro
- Castillo Ross Viña del Mar - Ex OZ, Teatro Italia, Ozono, Quinto Sol,
Sundeck, Santiago de Chile – Earthdance Isla de Maipo - Mutek Chile Valparaiso
- La Morocha Mar del Plata (Argentina) - Crobar, Bahrein Buenos Aires –
Hipodromo Rosario - Rioma, Ixchell Bosque de Chapultepec Mexico DF - Micro Mutek,
Bar Americas Guadalajara – Convention center Juarez - Santanera Playa
del Carmen - Mutek, Laika, Academy Montreal - Footworkbar Toronto - Soundwave
festival Vancouver - Uddermadness Denver - Alphahouse St-Louis - Robots @ Love,
Cielo, Canal 59 NYC - Sonotheque Chicago - DEMF, Masonic temple, Buzz bar Detroit