Better late than never - my fall mixtape is finally ready and includes lots of unreleased tunes I'm hammering in my sets at the moment...
Currently: in need of calming.
This mix was first shared to me last year in the fall (duh, obviously) by a good friend of mine. To give a little background, I am a part of a group of friends who frequent raves and EDM shows together, coming from a variety of backgrounds and covering a wide variety of genre preferences. I’ve always loved house music though, so this mix resonated with me from the first time I listened to it, and is still one of the mixes I listen to the most. The reason why? Because it helps to calm my mind. Dealing with anxiety is a frequent struggle for me. I constantly deal with panic attacks and spots of depression, and when I’m especially struggling to cope, or calm down, I always turn to this mix. From the start, the mood is very laid back and calming. Highlighted with ambient synths, and very relaxing vocals, this mix was described to us as “chill back-rub house”, and I find the description very apt. One of the reasons I think I find this mix so calming is because it always brings up feelings very similar to one of my favorite things to experience, which is the afterglow feeling of a concert. The metaphorical come-down of experiencing an amazing show and basking in the light of it as we return, surrounded by the people we love and all caught up in the moment we all just experienced together. It’s so easy to simply close my eyes and feel myself float away, lost in the sound away from the chaos in my mind.
I think the thing I especially love about house music is how diverse it is as a genre. And this is definitely something that is far off the beaten path of the mainstream “mainstage” music that everyone is listening to, that has invaded and taken over not only the electronic music movement, but also the mainstream music movement in general. It’s extremely gratifying to listen to a mix that isn’t driven by bass-heavy drops, or a song-a-minute transitions that pervade the industry these days. Allow yourself to get lost in the slow changes, the gradual transitions. Let the music take you away to whatever happy place you find. Sometimes for me it’s getting lost in nostalgia, either specific memories, or even just back to the happier place I was once in. This mix is especially great because it is not only good as background music for other tasks, but is also something that you can put your whole attention into and simply just listen. Sometimes that’s all you can do.