Packing for an artist residency—or even just setting up to create outside of a traditional studio—requires intention. You can’t bring everything. So you bring what matters most. What inspires the most freedom. What feels like an extension of your own body.
For me, that’s a small, carefully chosen set of tools that allows me to build sound worlds from scratch, wherever I am. I call it my mobile studio, but really, it’s more like a ritual kit—portable, personal, and full of magic.
Here’s what’s inside:
Ableton Push 3 (Standalone)
This is the heart of it all. I use Push 3 to sequence, loop, shape, and sculpt sound—without needing a laptop. It gives me the freedom to improvise with structure, layer violin textures, trigger samples, and let intuition lead. It’s my rhythm, my memory, and my map.
My Violin + Voice
The violin is my first language—ancient, emotional, and alive. When I play, I hear the voice Mr. Horch helped me find. He made me feel like I was the most extraordinary player in the world, nurturing a sense of joy that never left. My violin is a Yamaha YEV-104—a lightweight electric instrument with a sculptural, minimalist design that feels both modern and ancient. It’s built from layered woods and engineered to be resonant, responsive, and deeply expressive. Whether I’m bowing long tones or layering loops, this violin allows me to merge classical tradition with experimental sound.
My Yamaha YEV-104 is a lightweight electric violin with a sculptural, minimalist design—both modern and timeless. Built from layered woods, it’s resonant, responsive, and deeply expressive. Whether bowing long tones or layering loops, it lets me blend classical tradition with experimental sound.
My voice moves with it—melodic, fragmented, or looped through Microcosm and Push, shifting and breathing in real time. I’m always listening for what wants to emerge.
Microcosm by Hologram Electronics
Microcosm adds the dream. This pedal takes my violin or voice and transforms it—granulating, looping, refracting it into something unexpected. It helps me break my own patterns. With one note, I can create a swarm. With one whisper, a whole landscape. It’s not just an effect; it’s a collaborator.
Playtronica Touch Controller
This is where the magic of interaction begins. The Playtronica allows me to turn everyday objects—branches, soil, photographs, metal, even skin—into MIDI triggers. Touched lightly, they send a signal. In Wildroot & Amber, I’m pairing this with jars containing relics from my life and the land I’m in. When touched, each one releases a sound—a memory, a trace, a spell.
Philosophy of Movement
My mobile studio is designed for flexibility and embodiment. I don’t want to sit behind a screen—I want to move, to feel. Everything I bring needs to support spontaneity and ritual. Whether I’m performing in a field, on a gallery floor, or in a tiny room in Japan, this setup lets me respond to the space and moment in real time.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.
This kit is coming with me to Studio Kura in Japan from May to June, where I’ll be creating Wildroot & Amber—a living, breathing archive of sound and memory.
If you want to follow the project (or just peek inside my process), I’ll be sharing updates at mel-lif-lu-ous.com and on Instagram @mel__lif__lu__ous.