A live performance by an Ilian Tape artist was documented by Vapor Noir in Los Angeles under a strict condition: the performer’s identity had to remain unknown. Founded in Munich by the Zenker Brothers, Ilian Tape is known for its raw, hypnotic strain of underground techno. The Los Angeles appearance formed part of the artist’s international tour.

Slow shutter exposures were used not only to obscure the performer’s identity, but to register the passing of time within the room. Motion blur mirrors the hypnotic pace of the set as it unfolded.

The photographs were captured on black and white film using a Hasselblad 503CW. The negatives were reproduced through scratched glass using a digital camera, introducing texture and distortion into the scans.

Behind the performer, experimental video projected footage captured during a month of travel across the American West while on tour.

A companion performance document was filmed, directed, and edited by Vapor Noir using an HDV Canon XH-A1 camcorder.