sec_laundry

sec_laundry was founded around 2022 as a DIY party format. There was nothing heroic at the core of the idea. We simply wanted to create a platform for newcomers and course graduates like ourselves, so that after finishing the program, people wouldn’t lose momentum and dissolve back into "normie" life.

Through this format, we try to emulate rave-like parties with educational purposes behind them. We want to share the means of creating electronic music and the possibilities of media art by not following conventional rules of DJ-style performances. We invite guests to see the machines being played live. We usually set up the space in a "Boiler Room" manner, meaning the table with gear is in the center of the space, while often our MC fills the gaps between performances with live improv storytelling tied to the theme of the event.

The first parties in this format took place in a now-defunct bar called Aygi. The space fit maybe ten, fifteen people max. After one visit, one of the guests experienced what could only be described as full-blown culture shock. “Piss and vomit,” she said. Soon enough, the bar closed for some reason.

sec_laundry Mansion

Fast forward two years, and sec has a residency, around fifty active community members, and over 300 people in the announcements chat. In parallel, we built our own sound system, designed by one of our residents. In its current form, it weighs a ton: 80 kilograms per sub (two of them) and 60 kilograms per mid (two more). It looked intimidating — as if we hadn’t brought sound, but excavated ancient artifacts. To me, the boxes resembled Aztec totems.

This event was the system’s first official outing. Before that, we had tested it at a small private festival by the Azat Reservoir, where it screamed into the void while the mountains silently absorbed the shockwave. This time we couldn’t mess up the venue: we needed loyal owners, plenty of space, and ideally the possibility of pushing the sound outside.

The bar Mansion was a perfect fit. A two-story house with a garage extension — and it was into that garage that we rolled our sound system. By then, one tradition of our events had firmly taken shape: total spatial reinvention. The solution felt obvious: two stages. In the garage — dance music and the full sound system, unapologetically loud. Inside the house — ambient and drone for those tired of the pounding, who just wanted to sit with a cocktail.

On the day of the event, we cleared the garage of tables and chairs — this was a rave, not a banquet. We hauled in the system, placed the stage right in the center, and set up a projector with live camera feeds layered with cheap Halloween visuals. The atmosphere demanded low-budget horror.

The event started going downhill during the soundcheck. Around 3 p.m., a neighbor began shouting from his window. He was politely informed that noise was allowed until 11 p.m. He fell silent — only to devise a cunning plan. We launched at 7 p.m., and everything was perfect until about 8:30. The space felt alive and breathing. And then, right as the next set began, the police arrived and shut the party down. We tried to negotiate, but they were immovable. The music stopped, but we were left with stylish photos and the realization that we were now the ones creating the chaos, not just hiding in it. As of now, the bar is also closed.

sec_laundry_stage x MOCT

The final level for any local raver is Hayfilm — a massive former Soviet film studio. We secured the Studio room for December 12th. The building was formerly a film production site, and this specific studio was once used for recording sound effects. The acoustics were so good they made the audiophile inside each of us weep with joy.

We curated a dense, 8-hour marathon from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. There were no "filler" slots — just a continuous flow of live sets, anchored by unexpected noise/drone sets to keep people from falling into a total trance. True to our style, we placed the gear table right in the center of the dance floor but with so many performers, we had to design and build a custom one on the spot. It turned out a bit "wobbly" at first, and we had to ask the club technicians to weld extra supports at the last minute.

We didn't stop there when it came to reinventing the space. We also brought in two 4K projectors, borrowed lasers from a fellow art collective, and mounted additional screens for visual extravaganza. To push the sound even further, we requested extra Funktion-One speakers, creating a quadraphonic system that our sec_head Anton spent hours fine-tuning with visible joy on his face.

The setup was exhausting, and by the time we finished, everyone wanted to die. But the result was worth it. The artists delivered, the visuals were massive, and the crowd showed immense respect for both the gear and the space. Even the "heavily altered" guests were just vibing peacefully. We showed the kids how the music they dance to is actually made.

At 8 a.m., we dismantled everything and loaded it into the car. We didn't defeat the police, we didn't invent the "perfect club," and we didn't find a formula for the eternal party. But we learned how to reinvent spaces, build complex systems from scratch, and push projects through to the morning, despite the exhaustion and the arguments.

This is where the project is now: in somewhat constant motion. Serious fun, as we say. Personally, sec_laundry upgraded me from someone who just shows up to a party into the person who helps build it. And that is the most important upgrade of all.

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This text is part of sec_almanac published in Jan 2026.

sec is a non-commercial project that aims to create a self-organized and self-sustained community of musicians, artists, engineers, scholars, as well as other enthusiasts of mixed backgrounds who are interested in all kinds of sonic expressions.

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