Really good house music transcends anything you can imagine, even without drugs. Your mind does not get mixed-up in a jumble of lyrics but yet is free to navigate through a series of loops, samples and vocals with gentle hints of hip-hop, jazz and disco (background: house music arose from disco but has distant relatives in hip-hop and jazz). Although there are many classes of house music the most neutral form is that of deep house, my favorite, which has a BPM of about 110-125. Note here, I think the reason why I, and most other people, are such deep house heads is because of it's very danceable tempo. If you think about it, the heart rate in light exercise is that of about 125!! A really good BPM goes a long way. It IS the ultimate form of exercise...and meditation. Honestly, I can't think of any other music being such a form of physical and emotional release for me. If you dare to watch me closely sometime you will truly notice a tear on my face if the melody happens to have a vice-grip on my heart. Some tracks really get me that way. Very few things hit me so deep.
So it was inevitable that, with the dj circle in Vancouver being so small, I had dated some and also became good friends with many dj's for years. You can also imagine how I soaked it all in when I stood behind the scenes at parties, gigs and in their homes. There was something graceful yet smooth and regal about watching the first cue being thrown in time with the beautifully spinning vinyl. "I want to do that", I always thought. Secretly, I would take as many mental pictures as I could, too shy to ask for a lesson as a female, when at that time, there was only one single known female dj in Vancouver. We're talkin' 1994 here...Thankfully, more and more females are emerging. I had the great fortune of being taught by some of the city's experienced dj's only because I had a genuine interest and asked many many questions. It caught me by surprise, but it was something that had always fascinated me since I first met Justin at age 19.
Back in 2000 my apartment was broken into. I was devastated. It was the scariest and worst thing that had ever happened to me. I lost my brand new iBook, a brand-new stereo system and my precious collection of old hip-hop and rare electronic/house cd's. Instead of buying a new stereo system, I purchased a used amp from my brother-in-law, said "fuck-it", and bought myself a pair of Tech 1200's and a Numark 3-channel mixer. It still proves to be my greatest hobby ever.
Ironically, I've had the turntables for 10 years and never wanted to take it as seriously as I do now. Why? All I do know is that, upon recently returning from Haad Yuan, I have an urge to really share the joy that I've experienced from this music. Maybe it's because I danced my ass off in a way I hadn't in about 7 years (not counting the time I was really under the "infuence" of tequila in Mexico last year...) The people around me really seem to understand and vibe with the beloved house music. Some of them are even picky and know what they really want! I love it! A discerning audience! My friend Simon keeps saying that the beach needs a sexy female vibe at the parties, mainly referring to nice vocal tracks, which seem to be lacking. Combine that with a good bass line and it sounds like a vibe made in heaven. Why not have a female represent? Although very much a novice and amateur dj I've played at my share of parties and regrettably declined on many many requests, out of nervousness. I had been told many times that my style was unique and very unlike what the males in the area were playing. My reason for declining has been out of lack of confidence, inevitable when I've been a closet dj and really just took the hobby for granted and only practiced about once a week or even once a month for the last 10 years. It takes a lot of confidence to take center stage. There can be a lot of pressure when people are high and really want to get their dance on. But more importantly, especially for females, there seems to be a forgiveness. It's just different when there's a girl up there. In a world where there are as little female dj's as are there are chefs, if you muster the courage to get up there, you must be able to offer something great, right? I think I can...All I know is that I love to dance, I love a good bass line and I can spin...The best party I ever played at was for my friend Jeanne in 2006. It was her birthday and the party was held in a huge house in Birken, 3 hours north of Vancouver, in the woods. There were about 200 people. A fairly intimate setting but large enough to be quite an event. I had the jitters for the previous two weeks as I put together a set which I knew wasn't guaranteed. The cardinal rule when dj'ing, GAUGE the crowd! I played a two hour set and changed up only one record in accordance to the crowd. But let me tell you, I had the house a rockin'. The beats drew in people who were sitting at a bonfire outside, everyone who was upstairs, downstairs, all merged onto the main floor where, if you weren't dancing, you were grooving on your spot on the edge of the dance floor. A pivotal moment for me was when I looked up and saw Dan, usually a very shy person, dressed up in long johns and suspenders with a Dr. Seuss-like hat, slowly dancing, but in time with the beat in his own zone with his eyes closed. I knew I had done something at that point. For a brief moment in time, all of us were one...because of me...and then I realized, this is what it's all about...At the end of the set, Jeanne came to me and said that although we had not discussed what type of music I was to play for her, it was exactly what she had hoped and envisioned and really represented who she was and what she wanted the party to be. Need I say more?
If I am going to live on Haad Yuan for 9 months I sure have a lot of time to pursue my hobbies...meet the portable media player, the DN-S3700 by Denon. I don't have to drag two turntables and crates of heavy vinyl with me. Just one ingenious deck, a laptop and a giant memory stick. With the two USB ports, you can throw me your iPod and I'll throw your favorite track into the set! This piece of innovation acts as two decks in one. Amazing. Hey, if you enlarge the pic, you'll notice the track being played at 124.9 BPM's! Maybe house music is universal...I certainly think so, since Haad Yuan is inhabited by people from all over the world.
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