Progressive House T-Shirt

Progressive House T-Shirt

https://www.instagram.com/p/BONkoMng3WI/

Bedrock 18 at Ministry of Sound with John Digweed 🔊🎶 All. Night. Long.

Bedrock 18 at Ministry of Sound with John Digweed 🔊🎶 All. Night. Long.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNB-ZdUACAC/

Sasha & John Digweed Reunited After 6 Years. The Social Festival 2016.

Sasha & John Digweed Reunited After 6 Years. The Social Festival 2016.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJ1jfJgSMy/

Last Weekend's John Digweed Journey in Austin

Last Weekend's John Digweed Journey in Austin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKDd70JAPQK/

Vintage Electronica Magazines

Vintage Electronica Magazines

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJy1vt7AQE5/

Classic Progressive House, Trance & Jazz Albums I Scored At Record Stores In Seattle

Classic Progressive House, Trance & Jazz Albums I Scored At Record Stores In Seattle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI3txSKgaSc/

Special Delivery from the Royal Mail

Special Delivery from the Royal Mail

https://instagram.com/p/4fmPdYQPwT/

Enter My Happy Place

Enter My Happy Place

https://instagram.com/p/4P2xXoQP6V/

John Digweed. Miami 2015.

John Digweed. Miami 2015.

https://instagram.com/p/0zHXxjQP6b/

John Digweed & Me On the Sunset Cruise

John Digweed & Me On the Sunset Cruise

https://instagram.com/p/0vvLhCQP88/

Special Delivery From The UK

Special Delivery From The UK

http://instagram.com/p/Z4Ga1HwP3v/

Sasha Poster At A Digweed Show

Sasha Poster At A Digweed Show

http://instagram.com/p/YB-lhOwP54/

Galavanting In New York City

Last weekend Ashley & I flew up to New York City for a 36 hour date in Manhattan.  This was our first trip together sans babies since our twins arrived earlier this year.  While we love our little girls, it was great getting to have some time for just the two of us again.  Ashley's aunt Motzi flew into Houston from Louisiana to watch Elena & Isabella while we were on the trip.

Our hotel, the Le Parker Meridien, was just off Central Park & provided a great view from our room.  While we were in the city, I got indulge my inner geek, hitting up 3 Apple Stores & Nintendo World.  We also got to see 2 of my favorite DJs of all time, John Digweed & Danny Tenaglia, play a sunset show on Governor's Island, just off the southern tip of Manhattan.  Truly magical stuff.

The photos from our trip can be viewed on Flickr or on Facebook.  A video montage from the John Digweed & Danny Tenaglia show is up on YouTube here.

The Dock

The Dock

http://instagr.am/p/ONNDpsQP73/

Digweed & Tenaglia Pregame

Digweed & Tenaglia Pregame

http://instagr.am/p/OM_EXGQPwB/

Writing Wednesday: Music + Exercise = Spiritual Experience

I've long been a believer in the power of music as a motivator when working out.  In fact, I bought my first MP3 player back in 2000 (a Diamond Rio 500 64MB model...wow) just so I could use it during running as I moved off for my freshman year of college.  Even before this, though, I recall doing basketball warm ups to Warren G's "Regulate" in junior high school as my team got ready for a game.  There's something about music that disconnects your body from its physical self.  It's very empowering.

A few weeks ago I ran across this article on the New York Times that provided some insight as to whether any scientific evidence exists to show that music does in fact make humans push harder while working out.  Anecdotally, most people agree this is true.  It's why the Nike+ iPod system has a Power Song feature built in.  When you need that extra bit of ooomph, a well-timed song can get you over the hump.

For most of the past decade, I've set my running soundtrack to various John Digweed mixes.  These represent very vivid memories for me.  I recall the day after 9/11, running around Audubon Park in New Orleans with John Digweed's Global Underground Sydney.  My first 10K in 2004 was run to John Digweed's Global Underground Hong Kong.  Most of the training for my first half marathon in 2009 was run to this Essential Mix.  And as I'm training for my next half marathon coming up on Halloween weekend, I've been running to John Digweed's Essential Mix from earlier this year.  You can find an excerpt from that mix here.

What strikes me most about working out to music is how it seemingly overrides your brain's normal way of interpreting limits.  It's almost as if you're patching your mind with upgraded firmware for a limited time.  When the mix I'm listening to hits its crescendo, there's something magical about that moment where your stride and breathing rate all sync up to the beats per minute in the music.  I call it "spiritual" in the title of this post because it's literally that powerful to me.  Regardless of how tired my body may physically be, I can transcend that limit for the amount of time I can match my heart rate, stride, and breathing to that unnaturally precise beat of electronic music.  It's kind of like cheating physics.

As the New York Times article describes, much of the science behind why our bodies react this way is still not understood.  I look forward to the day we can fully leverage the phenomenon, and perhaps apply it to many areas of our lives, beyond just exercise.

Set Sunday - John Digweed Live in Beirut 2004

I'm beginning a new series on the JW / Blog entitled "Set Sunday" which will showcase notable extended DJ mix sets I've collected over the years.  The premise is similar to the "JW / Electronica Classics" series I ran in 2009, but this one will focus primarily on mixes that extend beyond 2 hours in length.

To kick things off, I return to my favorite DJ:  John Digweed.  This set was a coveted prize when I first acquired it in 2004.  The sound quality of the recording is quite remarkable, and his track selection from the evening was top notch.

John Digweed - Live in Beirut 2004-02-28
Megaupload Download Link


01 - Murph - Electric House (Reticents 2.5 Years Deep Mix)
02 - Dousk - Mute
03 - Randall Jones - Cultural Assertion
04 - Corrie - Groove Me Last
05 - Kold Feet - Slow Drive
06 - Adon Oliver - Casa Bulga
07 - Dousk - Life Under
08 - Dousk - Pa-Dida
09 - Pig & Dan - The DJ Took Pills
10 - Matthew Dekay - Herbal Dub
11 - Issacs - Deep Intentment
12 - PJ Davy - Call It What You Want
13 - Chemical Soldiers - Beautiful People
14 - Koldfeet - Slowdrive
15 - Pop Out & Play - Share It With The Class
16 - Pig & Dan - The Message
17 - Puntes Y Tacones - Like This
18 - Antoine Clamaran - My Heartbeat
19 - Antoine Clamaran - The Real Orgasm
20 - DJ Coco & DJ J.F.Bruna Aka Ursuala's World
21 - Transluzent feat. Be - Angel (Rui Da Silva Mix)
22 - Madonna - Ray Of Light (Derek Howell Mix)
23 - Apnoee - I Dont Need Your Heart (Walter Ercolinos Deep Session)
24 - Erick E - Make You Smile
25 - Maskio vs. Giorgio - Open Cage
26 - Nathan Fake - Ademage
27 - Lonestar - New Kicks
28 - Rowan Blades & Chris Lake - Filth (Greed Is Evil Mix)
29 - Sander Van Doorn - Loaded (Sander Van Doorn Remix)
30 - Alex Millian - Maria Rosa
31 - Martin Accorsi & Tim Skinner - Playing for Silence Bedrock 54
32 - Martin Accorsi & Tim Skinner - Playing for Silence (Playing for Digweed)
33 - Redanka - In A State Vs. Planet Funk Vs. Stuck In The US (Remix)
34 - Azior - Sunset At Myvatn (Subsphere Remix)
35 - Planet Funk - Who Said (Stuck In The UK)
36 - Schiller - Ruhe (Humate Remix)

JW / Electronica Classics 030: John Digweed Live at Pawn Shop WMC 2007

The Electronica Classics series underwent a tad of a hiatus the past month or two, as I've been wrapped up with a house move & a bit of a medical bout culminating in back surgery. It's that last piece that's led to this week's musical selection.

Since 2000, I've run more miles listening to John Digweed albums and live performances than any other artist. With my back injury, I've been unable to run and it's made me realize just how much value I place on putting on my Nikes, strapping on my iPod, and then heading out to run a few miles while listening to Diggers.

This mix I've selected today is the one I had on my iPod when I ran my first Crescent City Classic 10K race in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. I find it has a song progression that lends itself very well to a 10K pace, with upbeat tracks hitting at just the right time. Of particular note is the track that starts building around the 40 minute mark and peaks some six minutes later.

I encourage you to give it a shot the next time you go out running. Hopefully I can do the same within the next 8 weeks or so!

John Digweed - Live at Pawn Shop Miami WMC 2007

Download Link

01. Tube & Berger - Funky Shit (Andrea Doria Remix)

02. Fabenlehre - Unbekannt

03. Abyss - Mind Games

04. ID

05. Merkins - I Sleep In Cellotape

06. ID

07. Pryda - Ironman

08. ID

09. Dubfire - Ribcage

10. ID

11. Laurent Garnier - Flashback

12. ID

13. Tom Pooks - Amande Deuce

14. Marco Bailey & Tom Hades - Smooth Driver (Danny Howells Remix)

15. Pryda - Rymd

16. Red Devil - Gamelan (Remix ?)

JW / Electronica Classics 024: Sasha & Digweed Live in Atlanta During 1996 Olympics

This week's selection is the kind that makes you wish you could've witnessed such an evening of music in person. It's a 3 hour monster from two musical legends right at the inflection point towards international prominence for both the artists and a city. And it might be one of the best Sasha & John Digweed performances I've ever heard.

I luckily ran across this set on the Mercury Server forum last month, and it's been a mainstay in my daily music routine ever since. For those of you who may have cut your teeth on their Northern Exposure Series of albums in the late 90's, this set will feel like a familiar friend.

At the time it was recorded in Atlanta, the city was in the final week of the Centennial Olympic games. I'd visited about 5 weeks earlier to watch a Braves vs Giants game at the now-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. I recall seeing the Michael Johnson Nike ads on the sides of city buses and just perceiving a general electricity in the city as it was about to become the focal point of the world. While this show wasn't directly affiliated with the Olympics (like Tiesto's performance at the 2004 Opening Ceremonies in Athens), I feel the timing is still notable.

What really strikes me about this thirteen year old Sasha & John Digweed set is just how fresh the music sounds even today. 1996 and my memories of the Atlanta Olympic Games seem like a distant time in the past. But 1996 in the context of this performance still seems relatively modern. Probably more of a cognitive disconnect on my part, but it's stuck with me and makes this set all the more personally special.

Sasha & John Digweed - Live in Atlanta Northern Exposure Tour 1996-08-02
Megaupload Link

01. Sasha - Arkham Asylum
02. ID 12
03. Apollo 440 - Krupa (Alcatraz Within The Joint Remix)
04. ID 26
05. ID Nootropic - Cant Stop
06. ID 38 The Music
07. ID 46
08. ID 50
09. ID 54
10. ID 60 Sounds Like A POB Or Origin Track Also On Simon's Set
11. Konya - Come On
12. ID 77 Male Chanting
13. SNS - You Do Me Wrong (Violator Mix)
14. Third Man - Solar Cycle
15. The Light - Panfried (Original / Mind Over Matter Mixes)
16. Third Man - Planet Hunters
17. Universal State of Mind - All Because Of You (Mindsweeper Mix)
18. Pop In Wonderland - Beautiful People
19. Stef, Pako & Frederik - Seaside Atmosphere
20. Paul Van Dyk - Words
21. Goldie vs. RITM - Inner City Life (RITM's Vocalic City Mix)
22. AGH - Yummy
23. LSG - Hidden Sun Of Venus
24. ID 165
25. ID 170
26. BBE - 7 Days & 1 Week

JW / Electronica Classics 018: John Digweed Live At Massive

I must admit I'm quite excited about this week's selection. That's because while researching the track listing for this set, I stumbled upon a longer version of the performance than the one I added to my collection nearly a decade ago. I also learned that this set had been distributed under an incorrect name, so it's also refreshing to learn its true identity.

Most fanatical John Digweed set collectors are familiar with the recording that was widely shared on Napster back in late 2000 under the name "John Digweed - Live at Massive Germany". This performance has the somewhat unique distinction of blasting out of the gate at 100 MPH. Digweed's typical approach to constructing a set is to build slowly, until by about hour two or three he's warping your mind in an un-Earthly vortex of sound. Conversely, this Live at Massive set is like a 40 foot tidal wave that you see approaching on the horizon for only 54 seconds before it crashes on top of you & sends you deep into an abyss of sound. (Of note, the only other Digweed set from the past decade that I've run across to follow a similar "destroy you from the outset" pattern is his Live from Amnesia performance recorded last August in Ibiza.)

Similar to last week's Parks & Wilson classic set, this Digweed performance sits neatly between the trance sounds of the late 90s and the progressive house sounds of late 2000 and early 2001. You'll notice in the track listing below that there are a few tracks in this performance that also found their way onto Sasha & John Digweed's "Communicate" album that was released later in 2000 & very indicative of their style honed during their monthly residency at Twilo in Manhattan during this period.

As I mentioned earlier, this set is widely known as "Live at Massive Germany", but upon further investigation, it was actually recorded in Holland. Perhaps the foreign-language announcer in the recording or the name "Jaarbeurs" in the accurate title confused the original uploader in those heady, turn-of-the-millenium days. Whatever the reason for the mis-titled ID3 tags, the quality of this set remains. The second hour is a new treat for me, since the version I had until yesterday was only an hour long. Be sure to keep this one in a safe place. It is exceedingly worthy of the label "Electronica Classic".


John Digweed - Live at Massive Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, Holland 2000-02-26

Megaupload Link / Rapidshare Link

Boyd Westerman - Loop Life (Escape Mix)

Novy v. Eniac - Pumpin? (Bluefish Mix)

Online - Automatic

POB - WAAH! (Seismix)

Killahurtz - West On 27th

DJ Gogo - Ajuna

Unknown

Unknown

Tsunami - Mode Confusion [System F Mix]

Salt Tank - The Energy

Bedrock - Voices (Dj Remy??/Slacker's Dumbstruck?? Mix) (unsure which)

Luzon - The Bagiou Track (Bedrock Mix)

Breeder - Tyrantanic (Slackers Kingdom Come Mix)

Berock - Heaven Scent (John Johnson Remix)

Timo Maas - Ubik (The Dance)

Unknown