Nisus at the W NYE
Wow, what a fun night! This was for sure the best NYE I’ve had in forever. My best friends from around the country were there. New friends from around the bay were there. My goal of playing at this venue was met and I brought a lot of new music to people who were literally asking for Britney Spears. I explained to people that we were doing something a little different tonight. Playing an international set for an international venue. People seemed genuinely interested in the new sound and showed their love by bouncing all night long. At midnight I did a count down and dropped the Guns and Bombs remix of Gossip’s Yr Mangled Heart. The lyrics ” I don’t want the world, I just want what I deserve” echoed in 2008. This is gonna be an awesome year!
The path that led to the W has been the idea that money can be a huge insulating bubble for the people that have it. On my other blog I have written about the dynamics of experience using sound waves as a metaphor. Essentially money is a mediating factor for the amplitude of experience. It can be used to amplify or dampen experiences. Often money insulates by convenience. Its convenient to spend money on mediated experiences rather than put the effort into self guided journeys which take time to invent and time to reflect on the lessons learned through the experience. Money can be used to enhance the journey as has been the case for Richard Branson. But for many people the price gets confused with the value of the experience. I call this the Salmon Polo theory. A $280 dollar salmon polo shirt is still kinda ugly even if it is expensive.
Djing is all about bringing good music to the surface. The scope of a Dj’s contribution to the art correlates to the depth of their musical awareness and their ability to string meaning through out a set of diverse but similar songs. The Audience is one third of the Holy Trinity of my job. Connecting with the audience at the W was a goal to “bridge the gap” or pop the bubble using music as a vehicle to connect with people who might otherwise be underexposed to the breadth of awesome new music in the world. They are also a key audience because of their potential planetary impact through the leverage of finance applied to the real world. A broader awareness is better. Knowledge of world beyond Britney Spears is crucial for everyone, especially those who have the capital to make changes in areas where capital can help. This is basically what led me intuitively toward playing at the W. Music is the source of my inspiration and the path I am following. Hopefully, doing no harm and just by my presence changing the context of the scene. Thanks to everyone who came out to make this one of my best nights so far. I look forward to so many more. Apologies to anyone who couldn’t afford the door price. This is the nature of what I do. I hope you understand and know that the next set I play I’m playing for you guys. D
The artistic pursuit of Djing as an expression of community
Djing as an art is a matter of scale. A three hour set is the equivalent of one five minute song. Each record is like a single note in a songs composition. Rather than sampling one note or phrase, a whole song is played. My focus is the resolution of frequency, clarity of expression and application of intent throughout an entire set. The greatest thing about Djing is that by playing other people’s songs I acknowledge the value in bringing together musicians from around the world. The set becomes a stage for all of these other people’s artistic voices. It makes me feel more unified and alive within a community. It also sets aside my ego as the creator of “value”. My personal value as a DJ then becomes that of a selector or curator of a world of voices. Coming to one of my shows is like going to an art gallery. The resolution of the sound system that I play on becomes of utmost importance. The sound is the lighting in the gallery. Dark, muddy, dull sound keeps the beauty of the artist’s vision from being communicated. Its in everyones interest to keep the systems in repair and tuned for the broadest transmission of frequency.
I would like to start producing but not from the American individualist as power icon perspective. More as a statement of thanks to the community from which I benefit tremendously.
Djing at the Nexus Hay Maze was more than playing records
For me, djing is far more than playing records. I have chosen this as my vehicle for the expansion of my inquiry into the spiritual heritage of mankind (Djing is evoltech). In this, I am my own test subject. To the machine world, sound is like love, the effects on us are unprovable by any rational explanation. Why and how do these affect us so deeply? What is possible in the pursuit of these expressions? I have within me the feeling of my highest expression. My larval state of being is one phase of my total evolution. Enlightenment from this state and the transition to the next is like a move into adult hood, natural and unavoidable. It is appearing to me though that there are forces at work attempting for good or bad to keep us in the larval state. Whether it is to protect us from ourselves or to protect them from us remains to be seen. Either way I am finding that if you push too far too fast you get to feel the push back of the universe correcting you. Yet there is nothing I am willing to do other than progress, it has become my life.
For so long now we have been attempting to tell ourselves that this visible world is the only reality while our intuition tells us otherwise. This has become very apparent when Djing. When I play I am not there to have the audience listen with their ears. It really doesn’t matter what records I play, it matters what is contained within those records. The metadata is the sound within. The way I pick records is to listen to the metadata. Its a form of meditation. I listen with my soul instead of my ears. The records that resonate with my soul are expressions of my current embodiment. In building a set I try to put together a harmonic resonance that builds a reflection of that vision within me of my highest self. This is makes me a unique Dj. Its the same thing that famous jazz musicians and painters know. Its a universal understanding among artists who are able to set aside the personality ego and flow the light they find in themselves through the expression of their art. The production of this in the tangible world functions as a mirror and reminds everyone that views it of their own internal resonance. This is what is revolutionary about playing music. If people quit doing the machine world’s work and followed their own internal compass, the power would be reclaimed and the world elevated. Obviously the process is more complex than quitting your job and watching TV all day. Here is why I feel that it is so important to be Djing though. As a reminder. If I can lose myself in the process of becoming and people can see me do that they will remember within themselves their purpose. To live and grow and love and evolve. The rest is just icing. As we get older we learn that we can’t live on icing.
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