AIAIAI MIX 032

GE-OLOGY

Words on the mix from GE-OLOGY himself:

"What a year 2020 has been. In various ways, it uprooted so many of our lives and brought us into this temporary new age of social distancing...essential to fighting the pandemic, but unnatural in comparison to the social norms, habits and behaviors we had previously been used to. With social gatherings severely restricted, it has forced us into our own imagination to find new ways to feed our souls the human touch and intermingling we thirst for, but once took for granted. In response, Zoom video conferencing parties have become a thing, as well as live DJ sets on Instagram and Twitch. But with this explosion of live performances from the comforts of ones home to ours, it's still not a comparable substitute for the deep and beautiful culture of live music performances in small smoky bars, or steamy basement parties, or crowded arenas packed with a sea of people, or club nights headlining our favorite DJs...or even traveling to exotic music festivals in foreign outdoor lands.

With this in mind, I took some time to reflect on so many of the priceless experiences I've been fortunate enough to enjoy over such a significant portion of my lifetime so far...and I couldn't be more grateful. The love and dedication I hold deep in my soul for music, and the art of DJing stems from my appreciation of the brilliant musicians who created compositions that spoke to me, funky rhythms that moved me naturally, and skillful creative Disc Jockeys that knew how to tell stories through vinyl records like literary masters use words in poetry. This love, most-importantly, stems back to my family, and how music has played such an important role in all of our lives. It's directly connected to many of my greatest childhood memories, and has helped to shape me into the person I am today.

In honor of my family, as well as my extended music family around the world, and the great legacy of live music and club nights that so many of us miss, I wanted to do something very special with this mix. I decided to approached this from various angles...building it up gradually as I would playing 'all-nght-long' at my residency club night in NYC, with a lot of rare, funky and beautiful records from my collection, some very pricey these days...some inexpensive, taking the listener on an extensive 2 hour (120 mins + 20 secs) sonic journey of beautiful melodies, rhythms, voices and instrumentation, with some old school style "A cappella" blends, intersecting various genres from Hip Hop to Soul to Jazz-Funk to Gospel to Disco to pure African dance floor HEAT! Definitely one of my favorite and most fun mixes I've recorded over the years. Food for the heart and soul. ENJOY!"