Tag: dancing

Digitigrade

One more for the road.

Back in August, I made Transformer. It was part mix tape, part dj set, and part something else. It was the something else part which made it the most challenging to classify—that and my abhorrence of labels in general when it comes to matters of expression. If it were possible to take years of thoughts and feelings, as well as all the observations in between, and then distill them into a single blog post, what would it look like? Easy: it would look like Transformer, an hour of music.

I’ve been at it again, musically, but this time it’s something a little more traditional: a 45 minute dj set. It’s a recording of a live performance from my living room on New Year’s Eve. It was my largest audience to date despite an incredibly exclusive guest list. Crowd estimates were upwards of one cat—whom I understand slept through most of it.

To further simulate a performance in real life—as 2020 dragged itself out of frame—I agreed with myself there would be just one recording attempt. I could practice all I wanted, but it was all or nothing after that. My first album was produced from the extreme comfort of a studio over a few days. My second would be produced all at once in less than an hour.

But why? Why would I do that to myself? It’s completely unnecessary. It’s way too much stress. And for what? I’m not even getting a cut of the cover or bar for my effort.

It’s all one take, but took a few takes. So that’s my 2020 compromise. And I left in some of the mistakes, including a massive one! But that’s my 2020 realism.

This is a club affair, so each track does play into the next. It’s supposed to be danced to, so the beat is more constant, and there is a touch of relentlessness to it. Under‐powered speakers need not apply. I engineered the file to be loud and be turned up loud, so there’s no clipping this time—life’s nash‐tastic enough as it is.

Track List

  1. Rabbit Facts (Legoshi Mix) — Grand National
  2. High Above the Clouds — Astronaut Ape
  3. Talk Amongst Yourselves (Involver Mix) — Grand National
  4. Pain Is My Relief — Airwave
  5. Belong (Sasha Remix & Prankster Edit) — Spooky
  6. This World Is Watching Me — Rank 1 & Kush
  7. Shivers (Redlight Dub) — Susana & Alex M.O.R.P.H.
  8. Soar — Eco

Same as with Transformer, listening is by request only for the time being. Again, most of this awkwardness stems from my intense desire for privacy, so if I know who you are then there’s a good chance you already know how to contact me, or perhaps you know someone who knows how to contact me.

There’s no need to listen too hard to this album, but dancing is suggested and strongly recommended. It’s been a tough one.

Happy New Year.

Transformer

Wish you were here.

This past weekend was to be my traditional late August trip to Algonquin. It didn’t happen. The event was cancelled a few months ago due to Covid‐19. It was a strange realization all throughout this month—no expansive night sky, no sunrise mornings, no lazy afternoons, no campfires, …and no raves in the woods.

The last night in Algonquin—and the second last night in recent years—had always featured a dance running late into the early morning. I would always go, always dance, always close the place out, and always thought about how intensely fun it would be to put together a DJ set and perform it at the dance the following year. But I never followed through. I just danced. I love to dance.

On Sunday night I was feeling down—a brutal mix of indifference and nostalgia. And then I thought about maybe making that mix I’d always never made instead of sitting around feeling poorly. So I gave it a shot.

I’ve never done any audio work before, but after three solid days of hacking my way through software and tutorials, my mix is finished. I even gave it a title and made it some cover art. So professional.

This mix is not is a club affair with each track playing into the next as the same beat drives relentlessly from under‐powered speakers. I can’t stand that stuff, not anymore at least. This mix is unconventional. Some of the tracks flow into the next ones. Some don’t. I had to temper my desire to produce something I was happy with and produce something at all—I’ll far too often use the excuse of it’s not good enough yet to keep me from finishing something I’ve started. This mix was something I wanted to finish. I was having fun working on it, and of course it’s not good enough yet—it’s my first one.

I liken this mix to a postcard to a dance I didn’t get to attend, to a crowd that wasn’t there, to an event that never ran, because right now everything is all messed up. But it’s also a postcard to all the dances, all the nights, all the years, all fifteen of them—and all that’s ever been messed up about anything.

Oh… right. A link to the album. This is a little awkward. I don’t have an official link. If you’d like to listen it, please contact me. I’ll send you an unofficial link. Most of this awkwardness stems from my intense desire for privacy, so if I know who you are then there’s a good chance you already know how to contact me, or perhaps you know someone who knows how to contact me.

If you’ve got access to big headphones or a bangin’ stereo then I recommend either of those for full listening enjoyment. I like dynamic range, so the sounds go from really quiet to really not and everywhere else in between. And since it is a postcard, I’m also going to suggest reading it on purpose rather than just putting it on in the background. It’s mostly for listening, but please also dance should the need arise.