For the past 22 years, The Bunker New York has led the way for American techno by bringing together hundreds of artists from all over the world. More than a mere techno party, The Bunker unites diverse sounds from across the electronic music spectrum, connecting the dots between house, techno, experimental sounds, and much more. The Bunker New York began as a party, grew up into a record label, and has become a collaborative community and non-profit arts organization, fostered by founder and curator Bryan Kasenic since its launch in 2003.
Kasenic's roots in the world of music go deep. In 1993, at the age of 16, he began DJing on Carnegie Mellon’s WRCT in Pittsburgh. He went on to launch his own radio show on WNYU in 1997. The radio show, and his interest in the many weird corners of the NYC music scene, eventually morphed into the creation of a weekly email newsletter, which included noteworthy party and event listings at a time when nothing of the kind existed online. As Bryan became more established in New York City, he created Beyond Booking, the agency that would become a core part of The Bunker New York. During this time, Bryan was also a sought-after DJ, performing at parties and events on a weekly basis.
Bryan is much more than a mainstay at The Bunker New York. He has also played in many of the finest clubs and venues around the world: Berghain, Panorama Bar, and Atonal Festival in Berlin; Concrete in Paris; Robert Johnson in Frankfurt; Bassiani in Tbilisi; Dekmantel, De School, and Shelter in Amsterdam; Unsound Festival in Krakow; Organik Festival in Taiwan; Waking Life in Portugal; everywhere from Unter and Bossa Nova Civic Club to Lincoln Center and MoMA PS1's Warm Up series in New York; Contact, Air Tokyo and Circus Osaka in Japan; Smart Bar in Chicago; Hot Mass in Pittsburgh; the Sustain Release, Unsound, Communikey and Decibel festivals in the US; and many more. Since 2009, he has been a resident DJ at the legendary No Way Back party in Detroit.
To understand Kasenic as a DJ one needs only look back at his decades of passion promoting electronic and experimental sounds in New York, and towards the sound of the artists that have become key members of The Bunker New York family: the psychedelic, cerebral bent of Atom™, Voices From The Lake, and Reagenz; the swirling, atmospheric soundscapes of Clay Wilson, Zemi17, and Marco Shuttle; and the industrial-strength hardware dynamics of Løt.te, Mark Verbos, and Romans. 20 years after its founding, The Bunker is stronger than it has ever been and continues to grow, thanks to Kasenic's vision and effort.
In 2020, Bryan founded a new label, Going In, dedicated to long-form musical compositions geared towards meditation, psychedelic ceremonies, yoga, massage, or simply spacing out and going inside yourself, and released dozens of albums already.
