My first blessing in this life was my love and talent for art. I went to school for Fine Arts, with a focus on panting. I believe that creative people, and those that appreciate aesthetics, enjoy all outpouring of the human spirit. Whether theatre, ballet, poetry, or any expression, I think that these people truly understand and appreciate it all. I love electronic music only slightly less obsessively than painting. I have been mixing records for over fourteen years, and have been creating music for over six. I love working with studio "session" musicians and enjoy doing so, thanks to the many talented people in my life, fairly frequently. I also enjoy setting up on stage with DJs and musicians and creating a piece of art live during the musical performance. I love the effect the music and energy of the audience has on my work, as well as the impact it has on everyone enjoying the experience.
I've had the good fortune of meeting most of my favorite DJs, but I'd love to have dinner with some of the old guys, like, Derrick May, Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan (it's my fantasy), Larry Heard, Sunshine & Moonbeam Jones, Jeno, Mixmaster Morris, Jonah Sharp, Derrick Carter, David Mancusso (like I said), Brian Eno, Alex Patterson, and Doc Martin. I'll bet the food would be fantastic!
I've given quite a few clues already, but here goes an "uninclusive" list of some of my most important influences: Charles Webster, Dubtribe, Jonah Sharp, Higher Intelligence Agency, D.I.Y., Deee-Lite, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Stone Roses, Ride, Jesus and Mary Chain, New Order, the Orb, Freaky Chakra, The Cure, Mixmaster Morris, Curve, Jeno, Mark Farina, Thrill Kill Kult, Derrick Carter, Doc Martin, Bjork, Digable Planets, Roots, Iz & Diz (Joshua alone, too), Slick Rick, Meat Beat Manifesto, Tracy Chapman, Ani Difranco, Hardkiss, Beastie Boys, Young American Primitive, Electric Skychurch, Tool, Verve, Radiohead, Orbital, Underworld, Exist Dance, Sander Kleinenberg, Ron Trent, Greens Keepers, Lisa Shaw, Lawnchair Generals, Swayzak, Tosca...oh I could go on, but you get the idea. Some of the artists that I've recently discovered and really like are Nectar (I have a couple on Grayhound), Trentmoller, Infusion, the Twisted Frequency label, Dousk, ESPEN, and, Jacob London.
I love films, but I'm gonna keep this one short. True Romance is my favorite Tarantino, but I love them all. I love Tim Burton, and I think Big Fish is my favorite. I also really love, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Pump Up the Volume, Thank You for Smoking, Human Traffic, In the Mouth of Madness, Scanner Darkly, Waking Life, Garden State, and 24 Hour Party People. A really great foreign film I saw is, Zelary, which is a film from the Czech Republic.
I don't have cable because it's too easy to get sucked in, and being a creative person, I like to have something to show for my time.
I love Irvine Welsh, Terrance McKenna, Aldous Huxley, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Dr. Andrew Weil, and Edgar Cayce, to name a few.
The human spirit CONSTANTLY amazes me in its ability to love and give. Honestly, it's those around me, and the witnessing of this spirit that leads me to admire, and believe, that my friends and family are the true heroes in my life.