Whats up with the Star Wars stuff? Yea I know, I geek out, but a lot of the mythology that makes Star Wars so popular is based in the classic mythologies and teachings of many cultures in our worlds history. These are concepts deeply ingrained in our consciousness. The young hero Luke Skywalker vs the Evil monster Darth Vader, the rag tag Rebel Alliance challenging the corrupt Emperor and the Great Empire( the 1% vs the 99%). A Belief in a higher power or an unseen Force. For many including myself Star Wars is our modern day version of Beowulf, Greek Mythology or a Biblical story that has deep meaning and moral undertones.
For myself the Jedi Knights and their beliefs have always inspired me. A noble group who followed a certain moral code to inspire and make peoples lives better throughout the Galaxy. In some ways I find some similarities to the last generation of Great Djs. We practiced our skills incessantly like Jedi's with their ability to manipulate the Force and Light saber fighting techniques to defend ourselves in Battle. As technology progressed, and Dj equipment changed, some of us still hold on to the Turntable as our main form of manipulation similar to the Jedi, who use the lightsaber in a world of Blaster rifles as their main weapon. As Obi-Wan put it : "An elegant weapon, from a more civilized age." It's a choice I make because of tradition and a preference for manipulating music a certain way. Now I am not trying to put down any progress or change happening in the Dj world I just consider myself part of a great tradition of Djs and choose to hold on to some of those teachings. But for the most part thats where the similarities end with Djing.
More significantly, the real appeal for me are the philosophies the Jedi characters and of course George Lucas emulate. Many of these are based in religious philosophies such as Buddhism for example:
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
-Yoda
“Do or do not... there is no try.”
-Yoda
"Always remember, your focus determines your reality."
―Qui-Gon Jinn
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."
―Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You must do what you feel is right, of course."
―Obi-Wan
-Mastering your emotions and not letting anger, fear and hate control you or lead your decisions.
You can be self-centered and "look out for self". This is a common attitude in western society and unfortunately permeates a lot of popular music to it's core at the moment. Or use your Powers to make other's lives better, a life of Sacrifice, a life of gratitude. Which is more fulfilling to you? The path of the Dark side or the Light side?
-Anything you put your mind too you can accomplish. If you don't believe you can do it, have the resources, have the time, then you have already set the tone.
-Their is the Belief in a deeper meaning to life and that there lies a great Force or Spirit beneath the surface that we can't see and we can tap at anytime. Faith...
-And always trust your instinct. Always do what you feel is right: "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become"-Steve Jobs
Truthfully I have been to my own kind of Dark Side. I let fear,regret, anger, ego, engulf me for some time. I feared losing my spot. I let that fear control how I created and represented my music. I've even held some music back thinking many of you would not appreciate it. I began to regret my career because it was not where I wanted it to be and I held anger against those who I felt wronged me or did not support me. My accomplishments from my past became my crutch, my identity. I forgot the joy that music use to bring me when I first began on my journey. I let all of this affect my relationships with people and those I cared for.
It took a series of Life changes to shake me up which I would rather not bore you with the details since this post is already long enough. But I feel in the last year or so I've found a path. Each day I am learning to Battle my fears and control my anger. I no longer fear losing my spot because it is not my spot to lose. Anything I've accomplished is because great people and fans supported me and I'm so appreciative of that fact. I have long forgiven those who I have clashed with and now honestly wish to express myself with no fear, no regret, only the joy of creating and seeing my projects to completion. I appreciate each person I meet and wish and hope any interaction we have enriches their life in someway. And I've also learned to let go. I've learned to trust the Force will guide me as I keep gratitude in my heart for the opportunity to work on my craft and what I have been blessed to experience. And knowing that enables me to express myself more freely and not be held in the constrains of being a certain kind of person. I no longer fear whether you accept me or not as I have learned to accept myself.
So its taken me some time but I feel I am back in Flow with things and this new House Music Mix RETURN OF THE JEDI is one of the first projects in my newly rediscovered energy state. It's the first of a series of mixes under this title covering a span of things that influence me ergo the "House Form 1a" to identify each volume I'll be releasing since I'll be jumping around creatively.I hope I give some enjoyment to your lives with this one just as many of you have proclaimed to me with the So Much Soul Series. I know there are many of you out there who are into a diverse array of music as I am and I know we will find each other via the Force. I am only beginning on this new path and hope to discover much about myself creatively and I think you will all be pleasantly surprised into what I am evolving into.
So when some of you see me compare myself to the Jedi, please realize I do not speak from a egocentric place about DJ skills. This is much bigger then anything I could of ever accomplished in that world. And most people who know me personally know that I am actually quite humble. This is about following my voice even if it leads me into unfamiliar territory without fear and an open heart. I no longer deny what I am and the experiences that have shaped me. I am Unique in my talents just as all the other DJ/Jedi's/People in this Galaxy and I have long denied myself that recognition. I've discovered that in order to give of myself I must be able to receive what appreciation you give to me. I thank those of you who consider me a legend in the Dj world and accept the criticism from those who disagree .Its been an amazing fun, and turbulent journey and I've got my heart ,mind and soul open to whats next. I'm realizing Djing is only a small part of my story and I hope many of you will appreciate and support my new expanded path. I am a Jedi, and I most certainly have returned.
Return of the Jedi: House Form 1A by Vinroc
