Music for the Future
The only thing more important than what we do is why we do it.
Ugh. I know what a terribly boring blanket statement. But it’s true! Well, at least I believe it.
The most exciting experience I’ve had as a creative was the realization that fundamentals always find a way to translate. It doesn’t matter what it is, I believe that [Why > What] is a fundamental for creative endeavors. Why do we do what we do? Do we go to work for a check, passion, or security? Do we create art for profit, personal discovery, or support of others? Of course there is no right answer, but our ‘why’ will always have a significant impact on the final product of what we produce.
Let’s take the music industry for example. An artist’s ‘Why’ for releasing a song is such an essential element for connecting with the audience. The systemized nature it takes for artists to sustain a relevant social presence through constant social media posts & music releases has led to a disingenuous market. Large labels aim to use the power of social media algorithms and expert-designed content to ultimately feed streams/listens to their artists’ music. The additional layer to consider is that it’s not just the social media content, but the industry standard is to release music designed to maximize streams (i.e. an instant catchy hook invoking listeners reach the required playtime to = a stream). The ‘why’ for many artists in this current day and age is the pursuit of achieving platform metrics, whether it’s likes, streams, follows, and more.
I was born in 2000, so by the time I was listening to music for myself, the music industry was in the middle of transitioning from music downloads (ex. iTunes) to music streaming. No matter what the platform, my primary interest was always using the platform to discover artists and songs I had never heard of before.
Little did I know, this set the foundation for my lifelong relationship with music. In my 20+ years of listening to music, only in the past 2 years has one genre in particular emerged as the supreme genre to me.
EDM. Electronic dance music.
I have always had an affinity towards EDM, but only til I recognized the key fundamental about it did I realize why. EDM is music that is designed to make people dance. This form of music has a built-in ‘why’ for artists. It doesn’t matter what your external goals are, if the song doesn’t make listeners want to dance it’s simply not dance music. This form plays perfectly into my foundation of music discovery. What it takes for these artists to be successful is to create a unique musical experience that incites movement. Of course, streams and social media relevancy matter, but it is not the primary driving force behind the production of this kind of music.
My pursuit of DJing has ultimately become about sharing the most current and exciting dance music with the goal of creating a totally unique experience for those who listen to my mixes. This mix below is my first public posting of a DJ set which I designed to sound like the future of music. Each individual note, bar, and song has been carefully selected to be musically compatible with one another while maintaining my external goals to incite dance and represent sounds of the future.
Listen to my mix here:
