DJing as storytelling.
This concept has been a long time coming. I’ve wanted to take on a project of raising DJing from merely collage art to actual creative art and this is the first installment.
Using vocal & emotionally laden tracks, storytelling presents a parade of voices and perspectives linked to a common theme or logical progression.
In this mix we start with songs and words of yearning.Loneliness and frustration open this mix, most notably, Jaar’s remix of “Owe Me”, Soul Clap’s “Lonely C” and Jaar’s remix of “Flashy Flashy” carry the opening vibe and evince feelings of desperation with words yearning for connection and meaning.
From there we find the common theme of escapism enter the story as Pearson’s “Utopia” (flashback), Benoit & Sergio’s “Walk & Talk” (K all day), present elements of drug induced escapism.Soul Clap’s “Extravaganza” incorporates the themes of one night stands and the desperation of seeking connection through meaningless sex.
But we are not alone.We have advice and support all around us, however lost we may feel.Stimming’s “Change” is the quintessential song of this story and presents a spoken word salvation from mindlessly repeating the same mistakes over and over again.Shaken out of our rut, Marquez Ill’s “Regret” incorporates an awakened awareness and regret for our past behaviors.
From Juan Fierro's "Timba" the story takes on a more positive vibe carrying us from ghetto celebration through to the tongue-in-cheek ‘come to jesus’ track, “Prostitute” by Visionquest’s incredibly creative remix of Seuil & dOP.Audiofly’s celebration, “Fela”, climaxes our positive perspective.
From here, we find ourselves slipping back into our rut.Matt Tolfrey’s “Paris Night” oozes with nostalgia that brings us back to the yearning of Maya Jane Coles’ remix of “Your Style”.
We end the story by parting ways with a lover whose influence has held us back.Jaar’s “Time for Us” perfectly captures the thick nostalgia and sadness of saying goodbye to something that doesn’t fit anymore and closes out the story with a brilliant Jaar coda.And thus we move on…
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