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Biography

Out of San Francisco, freaky city by the bay, comes Qzen. (It rhymes with Susan, her given name.) As a DJ, her sound is eclectic, focused around tech-house but dropping into the deep end of techno and rough end of disco, with her early love affair with drum & bass apparent through bouncy bass and an affinity for breaks. She's been at it over a decade now, has toured through North & South America and Europe, and it's still her favorite thing to do: dig deep for music that moves and move the audience with it.

Certainly influential in the local scene, Qzen threw parties and hosted radio shows, pushing things forward for years with a clear voice, an effort that eventually developed into her role for Apple as the Dance & Electronic music programmer for the iTunes Store. All the while, she was slowly working on music production, with The Invisibles, a live "electro-punk" trio, and various established producers. Qzen voiced John Tejada's hits "Sweat" & "Sucre," and the current 40 Thieves heater "Don't Turn It Off."

A glutton for movement, Qzen parted ways with Apple and California in 2009. She created her debut live set, played both Decibel Festival in Seattle and MUTEK Buenos Aires that fall, then remained in South America, where she played regularly, gathering inspiration and fans. In 2010, she followed the summer back north to perform new, live collaborations with Mossa at MUTEK in Montreal and finally relocated to Berlin. In 2011, she's released a production on Klasse Recordings, "Fotograf," with Sacha Robotti and has a vocal collaboration with Guillaume & the Coutu-Dumonts forthcoming on Oslo. Qzen is currently working on original music and generally doing what she loves most: making and playing sophisticated yet body-centered electronic music.

She has performed at the following venues and events, among many, many others over the years: AM Club (Mexico City), Batofar (Paris), The Bunker (New York), Club der Visionäre (Berlin), Decibel Festival (Seattle), GAFFTA (San Francisco), Low End Theory (Los Angeles), Salon zur Wilden Renate (Berlin), Silo (Belgium), Mezzanine (San Francisco), MUTEK (Montreal), MUTEK Ar (Buenos Aires), and 222 (San Francisco).

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Discography

Jun 2011 Klasse - Sacha Robotti & Qzen "Fotograf"

Apr 2010 Thema - Mossa feat. Qzen "I Am You" from the album Festine

Apr 2008 Permanent Vacation - 40 Thieves Don't Turn It Off EP
"Don't Turn It Off feat. Qzen"


"Theme from Nutrider"


"Huffbochenté"


Jul 2006 Dirtybird Records - Claude VonStroke feat. Qzen "Lullabye" from the album Beware Of The Bird

Dec 2005 Palette Recordings - John Tejada feat. Qzen "Sucre"


Nov 2005 Int'l Deejay Gigolo Records - Christopher Just "I'm A Disco Dancer (John Tejada Remix)"

Apr 2005 Palette Recordings - John Tejada "Paranoia"


Nov 2004 Poker Flat Recordings - John Tejada "Sweat (On The Walls)"