Last night I had dinner with one of the Tokyo DJs I most admire. And now I admire her even more. She truly has an artist's spirit.
This month will mark my 1st year anniversary of joining the DJ/producer/clubbing scene. When I started this, I had no idea what would happen. I always knew I had an artist's heart, and I have tried many different ways of expressing that musical spirit. But it really wasn't until I tried DJing that it has all seemed to come together.
Last night she asked me a difficult question which I still find so hard to answer. Of all the different ways to be part of the clubbing scene, which do I dream of most and what kind of lifestyle balance do I want?
I think I know what my dream is, but I also know from my life so far, that success is a balance between what we want and what we are good at. My successful career as a scientific software engineer has really been one chance/success after another. Luck, chance and realizing what is working and what is not. Riding a wave of success.
When I started this club scene journey, I just knew I wanted to be "in the scene", to perform and express myself, to make connections, make friends, and to see where it would go. I had big dreams for my first year, but I really had no idea I would not only hit them all, but actually go beyond.
Last night she told me that the reason she invited me to play at her event, despite my lack of experience and skill, was because of our conversations and my spirit. She said skill can be learned, but that musical instinct and spirit are just inside a person. Even with years of experience, that spirit often does not change. She said she could feel my musical spirit and that my skill will get better with more practice. And that is why she gave me the chance.
A truly wonderful way to mark my one year anniversary. Thank you Moca.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Saturday, October 01, 2011
for the love of music
A friend recently asked me how as DJs we deal with the whole "record industry copyright" thing and avoid being sued all the time for playing music and putting mixes up on the internet.
I really wasn't sure until I thought about it a bit and realized what I think happened to music in the 20th century. How music creation was so different before recording, and how it is now changing yet again with the rise of the "internet DJ"
Before recording there were composers and performers. The only way to hear music was to go to a performance and hear it live. Famous composers would "record" sheet music, but even then each performance of that music was a little different.
Enter music recording. Here was a way to capture a performance and play it back, but it required technology and it had limited distribution channels. But people loved it. But this way to distribute music was very expensive and controllable. Vinyl records and CDs were expensive to manufacture (need to build machines to do it). And radio and television broadcast was limited: very few stations got on the airwaves and expensive to build broadcast facilities. But it was cheap for people to buy record players and radios. With this limited (and expensive) means of distribution and cheap means of consumption, the record industry was born.
But because of this ability (byproduct?) of how to distribute music, it became hard for musicians to "perform" on that medium (radio, tv, vinyl record, cd). Of course there was always the live house, jazz club, and live performance. But if an artist wanted into the radio/vinyl/cd market with that very large audience, they had to sign with one of the few record companies and join the recording industry. And thus began the strangle hold of the recording industry which led to copyright laws, pirating, and law suites.
But there was always underground music and small record labels.
The vinyl record DJ also had their underground market. Many small record labels and artists doing small pressings of vinyl for the DJ/dance music scene. Because of the nature of DJing (play other people's music at a dance club), the whole scene was about sharing music, so the concept of copyright was quite relaxed. There was no point to restrict the play of DJ tracks. DJs bought records to play them live in a dance club.
Now enter the internet, a new channel to distribute music. Nearly impossible to control: too many channels, too easy for a new distribution channel (website) to pop up. But old record companies want to keep their power. So they go crazy with copyright laws. Internet radio is basically killed. But really that only applied to tracks that were released by the big record companies, sold on CD in record stores and played on the radio stations.
But the DJ and dance music scene were already embracing the concept of music sharing. Playing a DJ set is about performing other people's music. That is the point. So the DJ community embraced internet sharing of music much more than any other music genre.
Enter the internet DJ and desktop music production. The line between DJ and producer is blurred. We follow the DJ underground record label model (basically music sharing is good), we make our own tracks, we remix other DJs tracks, we have our own record labels, we play and share music, and we get to perform for reasonably big crowds at the dance clubs. We try to make a little money at this either through selling our music on internet sites like iTunes, beatport, wasabeat or through our DJ performances. But we also give some of our music away for free on websites like soundcloud and mixcloud.
But mainly we do it because we love music.
I really wasn't sure until I thought about it a bit and realized what I think happened to music in the 20th century. How music creation was so different before recording, and how it is now changing yet again with the rise of the "internet DJ"
Before recording there were composers and performers. The only way to hear music was to go to a performance and hear it live. Famous composers would "record" sheet music, but even then each performance of that music was a little different.
Enter music recording. Here was a way to capture a performance and play it back, but it required technology and it had limited distribution channels. But people loved it. But this way to distribute music was very expensive and controllable. Vinyl records and CDs were expensive to manufacture (need to build machines to do it). And radio and television broadcast was limited: very few stations got on the airwaves and expensive to build broadcast facilities. But it was cheap for people to buy record players and radios. With this limited (and expensive) means of distribution and cheap means of consumption, the record industry was born.
But because of this ability (byproduct?) of how to distribute music, it became hard for musicians to "perform" on that medium (radio, tv, vinyl record, cd). Of course there was always the live house, jazz club, and live performance. But if an artist wanted into the radio/vinyl/cd market with that very large audience, they had to sign with one of the few record companies and join the recording industry. And thus began the strangle hold of the recording industry which led to copyright laws, pirating, and law suites.
But there was always underground music and small record labels.
The vinyl record DJ also had their underground market. Many small record labels and artists doing small pressings of vinyl for the DJ/dance music scene. Because of the nature of DJing (play other people's music at a dance club), the whole scene was about sharing music, so the concept of copyright was quite relaxed. There was no point to restrict the play of DJ tracks. DJs bought records to play them live in a dance club.
Now enter the internet, a new channel to distribute music. Nearly impossible to control: too many channels, too easy for a new distribution channel (website) to pop up. But old record companies want to keep their power. So they go crazy with copyright laws. Internet radio is basically killed. But really that only applied to tracks that were released by the big record companies, sold on CD in record stores and played on the radio stations.
But the DJ and dance music scene were already embracing the concept of music sharing. Playing a DJ set is about performing other people's music. That is the point. So the DJ community embraced internet sharing of music much more than any other music genre.
Enter the internet DJ and desktop music production. The line between DJ and producer is blurred. We follow the DJ underground record label model (basically music sharing is good), we make our own tracks, we remix other DJs tracks, we have our own record labels, we play and share music, and we get to perform for reasonably big crowds at the dance clubs. We try to make a little money at this either through selling our music on internet sites like iTunes, beatport, wasabeat or through our DJ performances. But we also give some of our music away for free on websites like soundcloud and mixcloud.
But mainly we do it because we love music.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
finding balance
Last couple weeks were a bit stressful. This happens to all of us I think. We have a deadline for something important and we just have to do. Whether we get talked into it, or we see a great opportunity, or we really want to do something, we agree to it.
In my case there was a great opportunity which I really could not say no to. I agreed to teach a 2 hour class about the system I built for my work. The students were researchers from outside our group. In the end it went really well and I received excellent feedback. I think it also did a lot to help promote my group and what we do.
But that evening I HAD to go clubbing. Almost 3 weeks without performing a DJ or going clubbing. Lucky for me there was a great party on Friday night at warehouse702, maybe my favorite club in Tokyo. An amazing party and so many of my friends were there.
But the thing that really surprised me was a conversation I had with one of my DJ friends. He is someone I really look up to. He is quite famous, has toured internationally, and has been a DJ for many years. I always assumed he was a full time, professional DJ. Well I found out he has a normal daytime job too.
I think the thing that really hammered this home was conversations I had with either students at my class or other DJs at the parties. I told the students I was a DJ, and I told the DJs I was a researcher/programmer. Everyone is always so surprised and thinks it is so cool. I am beginning to realize that it is maybe the combination which makes it cool.
So after such a positive experience at work and things maybe actually getting better, and realizing that maybe there are very few full time DJ/producers in Tokyo, maybe I really do need to keep my feet in both worlds. Maybe I don't need to completely abandon my scientist side and run away to my musical dream life.
Maybe it is just a matter of finding the right balance.
In my case there was a great opportunity which I really could not say no to. I agreed to teach a 2 hour class about the system I built for my work. The students were researchers from outside our group. In the end it went really well and I received excellent feedback. I think it also did a lot to help promote my group and what we do.
But that evening I HAD to go clubbing. Almost 3 weeks without performing a DJ or going clubbing. Lucky for me there was a great party on Friday night at warehouse702, maybe my favorite club in Tokyo. An amazing party and so many of my friends were there.
But the thing that really surprised me was a conversation I had with one of my DJ friends. He is someone I really look up to. He is quite famous, has toured internationally, and has been a DJ for many years. I always assumed he was a full time, professional DJ. Well I found out he has a normal daytime job too.
I think the thing that really hammered this home was conversations I had with either students at my class or other DJs at the parties. I told the students I was a DJ, and I told the DJs I was a researcher/programmer. Everyone is always so surprised and thinks it is so cool. I am beginning to realize that it is maybe the combination which makes it cool.
So after such a positive experience at work and things maybe actually getting better, and realizing that maybe there are very few full time DJ/producers in Tokyo, maybe I really do need to keep my feet in both worlds. Maybe I don't need to completely abandon my scientist side and run away to my musical dream life.
Maybe it is just a matter of finding the right balance.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
when passion fades
what do you do when the passion has cooled and the reason for love has almost faded from memory? How many times do we try to resuscitate the passion, and when do we have to accept it really truly is gone and it is time to move on?
I am really surprised at how similar the passion one can have for another human being can mirror the passion a scientist has for their dreams. These dreams are what drive scientists to put there life blood into a project for many years of their life and really are amazingly similar to being in love.
I just got back from a two day work retreat in saitama which was really just a "team building" exercise. The point is to pull the work group out of the normal environment, lock them up in a remote hotel where they HAVE to interact with each other, and then to provide several team related activities or talks to get people thinking about the team and to think differently about the work. The point is to "shake up" the team (to create a bit of insecurity) and then to provide some positive experience (drinking and games usually) to strengthen bonds in the hope of forming a stronger team-spirit and maybe stimulate some new clever ideas. But these sorts of exercises can work in several ways. It can either revitalize the team-spirit, or it can "wake up" people to bigger problems with the team.
In those two days I had some fun with some of my work friends. But I also had some serious discussions about women-in-science issues. We had a bit of story swapping. It is somewhat surprising how similar some of our stories are. But for me this retreat was another reminder of my fading passion for science.
As with any relationship, when we get near the end, we often think about the beginning. How did it start? Science is about passion and dreams. What was it about science that attracted me to it in the first place? The funny thing, is that looking back, I am not 100% certain anymore.
But I can feel something is a bit different now. Sure it is an ok job, but I can tell the passion is almost completely gone.
I guess the question now is, can I find the spark which started that passion and re-kindle that fire? Or is it really the end.
I am really surprised at how similar the passion one can have for another human being can mirror the passion a scientist has for their dreams. These dreams are what drive scientists to put there life blood into a project for many years of their life and really are amazingly similar to being in love.
I just got back from a two day work retreat in saitama which was really just a "team building" exercise. The point is to pull the work group out of the normal environment, lock them up in a remote hotel where they HAVE to interact with each other, and then to provide several team related activities or talks to get people thinking about the team and to think differently about the work. The point is to "shake up" the team (to create a bit of insecurity) and then to provide some positive experience (drinking and games usually) to strengthen bonds in the hope of forming a stronger team-spirit and maybe stimulate some new clever ideas. But these sorts of exercises can work in several ways. It can either revitalize the team-spirit, or it can "wake up" people to bigger problems with the team.
In those two days I had some fun with some of my work friends. But I also had some serious discussions about women-in-science issues. We had a bit of story swapping. It is somewhat surprising how similar some of our stories are. But for me this retreat was another reminder of my fading passion for science.
As with any relationship, when we get near the end, we often think about the beginning. How did it start? Science is about passion and dreams. What was it about science that attracted me to it in the first place? The funny thing, is that looking back, I am not 100% certain anymore.
But I can feel something is a bit different now. Sure it is an ok job, but I can tell the passion is almost completely gone.
I guess the question now is, can I find the spark which started that passion and re-kindle that fire? Or is it really the end.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
novelty
When is something novelty and when is it genuine desire and attraction?
This seems to come up in so many aspects of life from work to relationships to music and fashion. People have a natural curiosity about them. I think it is something a bit left over from our primitive ancestors. If a group is all excited about something, we all naturally flock over to "see what is going on". We see it everywhere. But now that I am seriously DJing it is becoming very clear.
I have had a lot of friends want to see my DJ, but many have only come once. Most of these friends I have meet either at work or through some non-clubbing social network. They are genuinely surprised that I am a DJ and I think are just curious. I also enjoy clubbing a lot and going to other DJ's events. Of course being a western girl in a Tokyo club, I get hit on all the time. When I tell these guys I am a DJ, sometimes they actually come to one of my next parties. But again this feels like a mix of curiosity and maybe hoping for....
But, to have someone hear my DJ and then want to come to my next party, that is completely different. I am slowly getting there. I am meeting more DJs or regular party people who hear me play, and then tell me after that they really loved my DJ play. I don't have a following yet, but I can feel it slowly starting to happen.
But I am definitely "one of the DJs" now. This is good. I am no longer a curiosity for the event organizers or other DJs. But I can also see now that I have exhausted the novelty factor with my non-clubbing friends. It cuts both ways.
Novelty phase is ending .... Next phase begins.
This seems to come up in so many aspects of life from work to relationships to music and fashion. People have a natural curiosity about them. I think it is something a bit left over from our primitive ancestors. If a group is all excited about something, we all naturally flock over to "see what is going on". We see it everywhere. But now that I am seriously DJing it is becoming very clear.
I have had a lot of friends want to see my DJ, but many have only come once. Most of these friends I have meet either at work or through some non-clubbing social network. They are genuinely surprised that I am a DJ and I think are just curious. I also enjoy clubbing a lot and going to other DJ's events. Of course being a western girl in a Tokyo club, I get hit on all the time. When I tell these guys I am a DJ, sometimes they actually come to one of my next parties. But again this feels like a mix of curiosity and maybe hoping for....
But, to have someone hear my DJ and then want to come to my next party, that is completely different. I am slowly getting there. I am meeting more DJs or regular party people who hear me play, and then tell me after that they really loved my DJ play. I don't have a following yet, but I can feel it slowly starting to happen.
But I am definitely "one of the DJs" now. This is good. I am no longer a curiosity for the event organizers or other DJs. But I can also see now that I have exhausted the novelty factor with my non-clubbing friends. It cuts both ways.
Novelty phase is ending .... Next phase begins.
Friday, August 19, 2011
engaging in life
It was funny my boss at work made a really strange comment to me last week after I commented about being nervous about a class I will teach in a few weeks. He commented that it is a sign that "you are STARTING to engage in life AGAIN"!?!?! He is such a strange person. Just because I don't love my job, does not mean that I am some depressed, sulking person not "engaged in life". Scientists are such strange people. They live every minute of their life for their science/work and think that everyone working in science should be the same. So even scientists can be quite simple minded people sometimes.
Some people love their work, but that stopped for me quite a few years ago. My boss and coworkers know this. Of course they would love for me to go back to what I was before: some hyper productive worker, producing 5x what everyone else in the group does. But that will not happen again. They try with all sorts of passive aggressive and provocative statements. But my eyes have been opened to the difference between work and life outside of work. I think it is actually more healthy to put just as much energy into ones personal life outside work as the energy one puts into work. Outside work should NOT be some "I am so exhausted from work all I can do is eat, sleep and watch a little tv".
Anyone who truly understands me, actually knows that I am someone who is engaged in life to the fullest. Just another reminder of how much I have changed since coming to Japan and how I am not even close to the person I was 5 or 10 years ago.
Some people love their work, but that stopped for me quite a few years ago. My boss and coworkers know this. Of course they would love for me to go back to what I was before: some hyper productive worker, producing 5x what everyone else in the group does. But that will not happen again. They try with all sorts of passive aggressive and provocative statements. But my eyes have been opened to the difference between work and life outside of work. I think it is actually more healthy to put just as much energy into ones personal life outside work as the energy one puts into work. Outside work should NOT be some "I am so exhausted from work all I can do is eat, sleep and watch a little tv".
Anyone who truly understands me, actually knows that I am someone who is engaged in life to the fullest. Just another reminder of how much I have changed since coming to Japan and how I am not even close to the person I was 5 or 10 years ago.
Monday, July 11, 2011
sleep
Recently I have been needing less and less sleep. Part of it is the shifting of my life to late night DJing and having to maintain my day job, but part is Tokyo summer and a cat that likes to be fed at 5:30am. When I started regular all night DJ/clubbing it was hard, but now I have shifted so much that I am actually needing very little sleep almost every day. At first it was very disturbing since western thinking calls this pattern "sleep deprivation" or "sleep disorder". But it doesn't feel like a problem to me, just different.
One of my spiritual teachers lived on almost no sleep. I think she told me that she usually gets 4 hours every night but does meditation and other practices during the day. She is an amazing woman, super energetic and in her 60s I believe. She was convinced that 4hours of sleep + meditation + balanced life was more healthy than the 8hr sleep western medical thinking.
But traditional western thinking is the 8hr sleep doctrine. Maybe that makes sense for western life styles: work long hours at stressful jobs, demanding family life and social schedule. Maybe 8hrs of sleep makes sense to counter balance that kind of stressful waking life.
But maybe healthy life can be attained along many different paths of waking and sleeping practice. I know many yogi friends will do daily morning, 5am/6am practice (real ashtangi do this), and I am almost certain many yogis have deep but short sleep patterns. Life is about balance, and there are many ways to achieve that balance.
Wouldn't it be strange if becoming a DJ and doing regular all night clubbing actually helped me place more healthy boundaries on what my day job can demand of me, become a more spiritual person, and helped me become the kind of daily practice ashtangi I have been trying to become the last 8 years of yoga practice. What a wonderful paradox that would be.
One of my spiritual teachers lived on almost no sleep. I think she told me that she usually gets 4 hours every night but does meditation and other practices during the day. She is an amazing woman, super energetic and in her 60s I believe. She was convinced that 4hours of sleep + meditation + balanced life was more healthy than the 8hr sleep western medical thinking.
But traditional western thinking is the 8hr sleep doctrine. Maybe that makes sense for western life styles: work long hours at stressful jobs, demanding family life and social schedule. Maybe 8hrs of sleep makes sense to counter balance that kind of stressful waking life.
But maybe healthy life can be attained along many different paths of waking and sleeping practice. I know many yogi friends will do daily morning, 5am/6am practice (real ashtangi do this), and I am almost certain many yogis have deep but short sleep patterns. Life is about balance, and there are many ways to achieve that balance.
Wouldn't it be strange if becoming a DJ and doing regular all night clubbing actually helped me place more healthy boundaries on what my day job can demand of me, become a more spiritual person, and helped me become the kind of daily practice ashtangi I have been trying to become the last 8 years of yoga practice. What a wonderful paradox that would be.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
looking back
In general I always try to live my life in the present as much as possible. It is something I learned from yoga and from one of my best friends from uni.
When we live too much in the future, there is a tendency to be unhappy with what we have and always reach for things that may be unattainable. But future is where our dreams live and we can not live without dreams. It is where the creative spark for music and art lives.
When we live too much in the past, there is a huge tendency to crave what was "lost". Past events become nicer and more perfect and the present and future always tends to appear bleak and hard. The classic "back in the old days" sort of personality. But without our past we have no raw material, no experience which we need in order to feed our creativity.
But looking back can be so wonderful sometimes when we are happy in our present. It can offer a wonder contrast to help us see how we got here, and maybe appreciate even more what we have.
As I am being inspired by my dearest friend to write more blog entries, I am also going back and reading what I wrote. Amazing, this blog is 8 years old, but so few posts and so few readers. But really I am more a musician at heart.
What struck me today was the huge difference between my England years (2004 to 2006)and my Japan years (2007 on). I only had 6 posts in my pre-Japan time, and over 50 posts after starting my Japan journey. I guess Japan is my Muse, my inspiration, my touchstone. And maybe that is why I am finally able to let my inner artist/musician/dj grow here.
A seed needs fertile soil to grow. And I am certain, without doubt, that Tokyo is my soil.
When we live too much in the future, there is a tendency to be unhappy with what we have and always reach for things that may be unattainable. But future is where our dreams live and we can not live without dreams. It is where the creative spark for music and art lives.
When we live too much in the past, there is a huge tendency to crave what was "lost". Past events become nicer and more perfect and the present and future always tends to appear bleak and hard. The classic "back in the old days" sort of personality. But without our past we have no raw material, no experience which we need in order to feed our creativity.
But looking back can be so wonderful sometimes when we are happy in our present. It can offer a wonder contrast to help us see how we got here, and maybe appreciate even more what we have.
As I am being inspired by my dearest friend to write more blog entries, I am also going back and reading what I wrote. Amazing, this blog is 8 years old, but so few posts and so few readers. But really I am more a musician at heart.
What struck me today was the huge difference between my England years (2004 to 2006)and my Japan years (2007 on). I only had 6 posts in my pre-Japan time, and over 50 posts after starting my Japan journey. I guess Japan is my Muse, my inspiration, my touchstone. And maybe that is why I am finally able to let my inner artist/musician/dj grow here.
A seed needs fertile soil to grow. And I am certain, without doubt, that Tokyo is my soil.
Monday, July 04, 2011
to see with artist's eyes
Last weekend two of my DJ friends were performing at the same party and another DJ friend was going to join. Great chance to see some friends, go clubbing, and possibly make some new good connections. I was really tired though so I was not so genki(energetic) most of the night. It was a new party for me, but at one of the clubs I regularly DJ at. I was really enjoying the early night and just dancing to the music. The main guest DJ came on around 2:30am. By this time I was really tired so it was hard to keep dancing, so I ended up just listening and enjoying his music and DJ. Well I was surprised when a track came on that I DJed in one of my sets a few weeks ago, and then another. It was a nice feeling, but it also gave me a chance to hear what he would do with the tracks (since I know them really well).
Well to my surprise he really didn't do much with those two tracks. Even the mixing in and out of those tracks was not to surprising. And he used no effects on those tracks to tweak them at all.
I enjoyed his DJ set, the tracks he picked were really good. But I kind of was hoping to be awed by something a bit more. I actually enjoyed the two DJs before him more. Well one is my friend and I love her style, and the other is a friend of hers and my friend loves her style.
But I guess I am really seeing other DJ's performance now from the point of view of a DJ. It is good and bad at the same time. It means I can appreciate it more when I really love it (like with my friend's sets), but it also means I can be a bit critical without really wanting to be.
to see the world through artist's eyes.....
Well to my surprise he really didn't do much with those two tracks. Even the mixing in and out of those tracks was not to surprising. And he used no effects on those tracks to tweak them at all.
I enjoyed his DJ set, the tracks he picked were really good. But I kind of was hoping to be awed by something a bit more. I actually enjoyed the two DJs before him more. Well one is my friend and I love her style, and the other is a friend of hers and my friend loves her style.
But I guess I am really seeing other DJ's performance now from the point of view of a DJ. It is good and bad at the same time. It means I can appreciate it more when I really love it (like with my friend's sets), but it also means I can be a bit critical without really wanting to be.
to see the world through artist's eyes.....
Saturday, July 02, 2011
The beat of a different drummer
Last night a very dear friend and I went out to a British-style pub in Ebisu for chatting, drinks, food and later a live band. It was a cover band who played all sorts of genres from 60s R&B to 80s pop, to beach music, to 50s rocks. The crowd was mostly in their 30s and 40s. Once the band started playing, the crowd got absolutely insane. I rarely see that kind of wild dancing when I go out to house/techno music clubs. It was very fun, but not the kind of music I crave or would seek out.
As we were going home my friend asked me if I still preferred clubbing, and I do. She asked me why? My first answer was well some people like vanilla and some like chocolate. But I am curious why, and the question has been stirring in my head.
Now of course everyone likes different things for different reasons, (different drummers). But I think I see a little why I like house/techno. I think it is a little of the same reason why I like Tokyo and not England. I feel England and cover-band music is more about living in the past, while Tokyo and house/techno is about surprising differences and changes. When we listen to cover music we actual crave the original, and if the cover is too different we usually don't like it. But with house/techno/dj it is all about the remix, how the remix/dj surprises us with different twists. And the whole point of the modern DJ is to live-remix during the performance. A little like jazz improv, there are patterns and ideas, but even the performer can be surprised what is created during the performance.
Now one trick with clubbing and DJing is to get a good balance of familiarity and surprise. If I am at a house music party and the DJ plays an entire 60s rock track it will generally not work. But if the DJ grabs a 60s rock sample, breaks down a house track to throw the sample in for a few measures and then does a very cool blend of the house and 60s rock, then that is really surprising and what a remix is all about. Like Amen by Chrizz Luvly
But if an artist can create a cover that somehow twists their own essence into the original then it can become really amazing. Classic example is Jimmy Hendricks cover of "All Along the Watchtower" (original is by Bob Dylan). This cover is so powerful that most people don't even know it is a cover and many think of it as defining the Hendrick's style. When I hear cover bands, most don't do this, they try to be faithful to the original, and most people want that.
But this sort of remix/twist is everyday in the club music scene. I guess that is why I like club music.
"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away. " - Henry David Thoreau
As we were going home my friend asked me if I still preferred clubbing, and I do. She asked me why? My first answer was well some people like vanilla and some like chocolate. But I am curious why, and the question has been stirring in my head.
Now of course everyone likes different things for different reasons, (different drummers). But I think I see a little why I like house/techno. I think it is a little of the same reason why I like Tokyo and not England. I feel England and cover-band music is more about living in the past, while Tokyo and house/techno is about surprising differences and changes. When we listen to cover music we actual crave the original, and if the cover is too different we usually don't like it. But with house/techno/dj it is all about the remix, how the remix/dj surprises us with different twists. And the whole point of the modern DJ is to live-remix during the performance. A little like jazz improv, there are patterns and ideas, but even the performer can be surprised what is created during the performance.
Now one trick with clubbing and DJing is to get a good balance of familiarity and surprise. If I am at a house music party and the DJ plays an entire 60s rock track it will generally not work. But if the DJ grabs a 60s rock sample, breaks down a house track to throw the sample in for a few measures and then does a very cool blend of the house and 60s rock, then that is really surprising and what a remix is all about. Like Amen by Chrizz Luvly
But if an artist can create a cover that somehow twists their own essence into the original then it can become really amazing. Classic example is Jimmy Hendricks cover of "All Along the Watchtower" (original is by Bob Dylan). This cover is so powerful that most people don't even know it is a cover and many think of it as defining the Hendrick's style. When I hear cover bands, most don't do this, they try to be faithful to the original, and most people want that.
But this sort of remix/twist is everyday in the club music scene. I guess that is why I like club music.
"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away. " - Henry David Thoreau
Friday, June 17, 2011
Walking this new path
It has been several months now since I seriously started DJing in Tokyo. It is going really well but it has it's ups and downs. I guess with any new thing there is a lot of learning, but it really is trial by fire with DJing. There always seems to be something to learn each time I get to a different club. Sometimes it can really throw me. But I am still entertaining people, I am still getting new gigs, and I am still loving it (even when I have an off night). I do think I need to slow down a bit. Learning one's limits, as with anything in life. We stretch, we stumble, we pull back a little, we settle down, we stretch... Classic 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
I don't know why, but what I can do at home is better than what I can do in a lounge setting which is better than what I can do on a bigger stage. There are some small technical differences (which can throw me), but I am certain most of it is confidence. With art/music, it has to come from a place of emotion and without being calm and loving it, the performance is diminished a little.
I can also see why many artists need day jobs, or why some artists end up settling at a certain level. There needs to be a hunger there to drive us through these trials. And until we are confident at that next level, we need a place to fall back to.
And during all this I feel like my heart is starting to opening up again. Doing this requires support from friends and fans. What an amazing feeling to have dear friends support you in your dreams.
I don't know why, but what I can do at home is better than what I can do in a lounge setting which is better than what I can do on a bigger stage. There are some small technical differences (which can throw me), but I am certain most of it is confidence. With art/music, it has to come from a place of emotion and without being calm and loving it, the performance is diminished a little.
I can also see why many artists need day jobs, or why some artists end up settling at a certain level. There needs to be a hunger there to drive us through these trials. And until we are confident at that next level, we need a place to fall back to.
And during all this I feel like my heart is starting to opening up again. Doing this requires support from friends and fans. What an amazing feeling to have dear friends support you in your dreams.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Different me ... again
Wow it has been a long time since I last posted. A lot has changed in the last year since my previous post. I think the last year can best be described as another rebirth year. My totem animal is definitely the Phoenix.
I think the easiest way to explain this is that I am no longer in love with science anymore, I have deepened my love of Tokyo, and I have rediscovered my love of music. But this has happened in a way I could never have predicted.
I have re-discovered music through clubbing, dance track making and DJing! The ability to perform music through DJing, both other peoples music, music I remix, and music I have created completely myself. Performing music in a dynamic, semi-improvised, blended style to move people to want to dance. To enjoy the experience of dancing in a club, but from the music making side.
It is like I am going back to that moment when I had to choose between a science life and a music life and taking the Path I wanted but was afraid to try. But the amazing thing, is that it is actually working! I am actually making tracks, people like them, dance to them, and I am already DJing regularly in good clubs in Tokyo.
So yet again my life takes another turn. Only this time I uprooted and shifted deep in my core. But I kind of feel like this might be who I was supposed to be all along, but was just too afraid to accept it.
Like I said in an older post... maybe I was afraid of success.
I think the easiest way to explain this is that I am no longer in love with science anymore, I have deepened my love of Tokyo, and I have rediscovered my love of music. But this has happened in a way I could never have predicted.
I have re-discovered music through clubbing, dance track making and DJing! The ability to perform music through DJing, both other peoples music, music I remix, and music I have created completely myself. Performing music in a dynamic, semi-improvised, blended style to move people to want to dance. To enjoy the experience of dancing in a club, but from the music making side.
It is like I am going back to that moment when I had to choose between a science life and a music life and taking the Path I wanted but was afraid to try. But the amazing thing, is that it is actually working! I am actually making tracks, people like them, dance to them, and I am already DJing regularly in good clubs in Tokyo.
So yet again my life takes another turn. Only this time I uprooted and shifted deep in my core. But I kind of feel like this might be who I was supposed to be all along, but was just too afraid to accept it.
Like I said in an older post... maybe I was afraid of success.
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