The mother of all blog entries

So here I am, finally getting some time away to wrap up what was an awesome summer...in November. To say I've been too busy would be an understatement, yet so many good things happened this year that I find it hard to not mention them just because a few months have passed. This is gonna be one massive blog post since I don't think I will have more free time in the coming months. So for starters I suppose the big thing that I should comment on was the Mafia fest in Tanzania. A pretty hard topic to be honest, one that I've somehow turned a blind eye to at the time. In case you don't know, the fest was canceled a couple of weeks before it was supposed to happen and it left me in a state of shock, disbelief and just plain confusion. On the other hand I was relieved that a big job I was supposed to do was now taken off my shoulders. At the time I was very stressed out from other stuff pouring in, the compilation was coming along nicely but the day job was taking away a lot of time and energy. I still couldn't find someone to take care of my cat for 20+ days and I couldn't sort out transport to the airport in Vienna as well since Trains were running very irregularly. The waves of unhappy and furious comments erupted on forums and Facebook and I quickly started getting questions from people that I couldn't really answer.

I don't see the world in black and white and the last thing I wanted to do at that moment was to point fingers and try and put the blame on someone. It was obvious from the start that this festival had good and honest intentions to both give us trance people a new and safe haven for our music and at the same time try and revitalize a poor country. Anyone who believes this festival was a scam from the start needs to get their facts straight. Sure you can point fingers at the organization as well and point out many obvious flaws...but you can pretty much do that with any other festival as well. There were of course many things that could have been done better and safer but it's always easier to be a general after the battle is over. At the end of the day I only hope that the organization will manage to get up on their feet again and try something new.

So I won't spend any more words on this topic, I've been known to criticize a lot more in the past but I've learned that there are far better ways to spend my energy. If you are interested in this topic more then feel free to check out the official website http://www.mafiadancefestival.com/.

Hungary To the rescue

The problem for me at the time was that I took some time off work and I had to find a solution, I didn't have time to be depressed and sorry, there were many more gigs ahead and not enough time to organize. I had canceled my gig @ Ozora because of Mafia happening at the same time and I knew that getting in there so late in the game would be hard. Lucky for me there was room on the chill out floor and I managed to squeeze in at the last minute with a 2 hour set. And what to say of Ozora...this was my fifth year there and it just felt so relaxed and easy going. It always feels like home and since it's so close to where I live I never have that feeling of adventure. Something I wanted, but not something I really needed at the time. At the time I needed to unwind, to put up my hammock and just watch the trees. After last year's 4 hour set on the chill and 3 hour set on the main floor, doing 2 hours on the chill was a breeze. I also didn't have to babysit anyone and the most beautiful feeling I can imagine is to wake up in the morning there, eat breakfast, take my chair to the dancefloor and dance till the music stops at around six o'clock in the afternoon. The vibe there is incredible and there's no place quite like it anywhere else, seeing all my international friends and walking between the small tribes from different countries is priceless. Although there was noticeably a bit less prog this year I still had my fill, Sun Control Species, Vibrasphere, Slater, Gorgo, Peter Didjital and a few others were my absolute highlights, also quite enjoyed Shpongle this year but still not sure what to say of Younger Brother. I'm glad they're trying something new at least.

Someone was kind enough to record the end of my set at Ozora, thanks to everyone who was there, you were an amazing audience, love you!

Future Nature

I came back home for a short time out only to have to drive to Pula the next weekend. Future Nature festival was on the way and although it was a considerable step down from Ozora I played what in my opinion was my best prog set of the summer. Typically for Croatia there were 20-30 people on the dancefloor but they danced with me for 4 hours and it just sat in properly. I came back home exhausted and was lucky enough to have the next weekend off. Doing a gig flying out somewhere isn't as hard as having to drive back and forth between towns for a total of 8 hours.

Aurora

On the final weekend of August, at the time of my birthday, I flew down to Greece for Aurora fest. Didn't really know what to expect as it was my first one but I was in for a different kind of surprise. This festival was held in a camp, a camp that was used by people who weren't there for the festival. It was very strange but funny to see older people mowing lawns and eating dinner while a hoard of hippies invaded the area. Organization wise the fest was a big step down from Ozora standards, but music wise there was a lot more that I wanted to hear. In fact there was an entire stage with only techno and prog house just for my taste...on the sand...and right next to the beach. It was perfect. Having a hotel room was also handy as the weather was really really hot. I spent the most money on food as it was quite expensive for our standards, but Greeks know their way around a good salad. I wasn't expecting to see as many familiar faces as on Ozora but I ran into quite a few of em and also met some new ones. If I started to count everyone who played an awesome set for me I will probably list half the lineup. D-Nox, Antix, Johnson and Haske and a few others warmed everything up for my birthday night.

When you reach a certain age you stop caring for birthday presents and in general you don't really celebrate it that much. There also aren't many things in life that I want so badly that people can buy me but what happened on my birthday was the best present I ever got. I played a chill out set from 20 till midnight then went to the techno stage and stayed there until 13 the next day. It was a night to remember, started with Grant Collins doing Excession live then DJ set, 4D live and then ended with my favorite live act + DJ set of the entire summer, James Monro. I've heard James play at Ozora before and it was always an amazing experience but what I didn't expect was a 2 hour live that would keep me dancing from start to finish. Most live acts I've heard get boring after an hour, this one, I just didn't want it to end. There was such a nice progression to it, the entire set seemed like one big track that told a big story. I think in order to be able to really do something like that you have to have a lot of DJing experience. After James came Simon & Elio to do Casanueva live, my energy was really low and I barely managed to listen to it, but it was a perfect ending to a perfect night...and us Virgos are kinda keen on perfection

Since a few DJs got canceled I also got a slot on the techno stage where I managed to play a short prog set in the morning. What happened there was the biggest red sunrise I've seen in a very long time. All in all Aurora was this amazing and unexpected oasis of good music, it was also a real pleasure to hang out with all the Neon Bookings artists and it just felt like we were all one big family out there. Hanging out in the business lounge with Tristan and Jez was a really funny way to end the entire experience, looking like complete nuts but still being able to get in there even with no shoes on. I just hope that I get a chance to visit Greece again next summer!

Indian Spirit

I came back home really shattered, this time I realized that I didn't have enough energy to keep on going like this. I had one more festival to pull off and only one day to rest as well! Indian Spirit in Germany was next, with only a small time left to pack my bags and get out there, this was the final closing festival of the summer. From the comforting 40 degrees in Greece in just 2 days I was at 10-15 in northern Germany. Needless to say I got a cold and spent a ton of money on just drinking chai. But meeting the Blue tunes crew was a real pleasure. After Greece it was also nice to see some German precision in action. They sure don't mess around, everything was on time and on point. Music wise I can't say I enjoyed it as much, James Monro played another live there so I got to hear a replay of Aurora, but it only lasted an hour there and it wasn't the right vibe for it. However what i didn't expect was to see one of the most original chill out floors I've seen in a while. Decoration and stage wise it was no big deal, but music wise it was brilliant. The Germans aren't really big on the Chill out side but there was quite a lot of experimental stuff going on there, people combining DJ sets with live instruments and also a few DJs who played very similarly to what I play, really funky stuff, trip hop, nu jazz etc. What would happen to me was one really exhausting trial that would test my skills as a DJ. I closed down the progressive stage in the morning and was supposed to play for 3 hours. But since Sally Doolally was playing in the night I didn't want to miss her set, I stayed up all night and started my set at around 7 in the morning. Since I was closing the stage I played an extra hour and after that took my CDs to the chill out where, after a short break, I played for another 2 hours. After that ordeal I just crashed and slept pretty much until the entire fest was over. I've had my share of airports and travels for the time being, it was time to get back on the job :(

Going with the flow

Getting back from all this and having to start work right away was a pain, naturally there was stuff for me to do as soon as I got back. Since I didn't really have a summer of unwinding it was impossible to get into it, I just knew it would work and it didn't. You can't have your cake and eat it too and I saw that somewhere along the line I would be faced with the dilemma of having to choose what I want to do in life. Music is my biggest passion and touring around festivals is the greatest passion I have...but at the end of the day it's not putting enough food on the table and the day job wasn't really that hard. Opening my inbox to see a ton of side jobs and unanswered emails didn't help, having to finish compiling a CD and doing the cover artwork made things even worse. I was going to pop. Then one day I had a Skype chat with Pena, who made me the offer to run Flow records with him...and on the very same day, not 30 minutes after...I got fired. It was all leading up to it and I was surprised how it all came together at the exact same time.

Determination

I would finally finish the compilation properly, I would sort out all my side jobs and work on projects that I wanted to do, money is the issue of course but I would work it out somehow. This is what I love and this is what I want to do...I don't know how, but I would rather die trying then work on things I don't have any passion for. I am currently swimming in the waters of uncertainty, hoping that despite the fact that the winter is always a slow period I would still get a gig here and there and some design jobs on the side. I want to make music, I have enough gear to start properly but I just can't afford it, there are too many bills to pay and not enough time for both. But I am confident that this is the right direction for me and that eventually I will get there, working from home can be a bit depressing at times but I have the freedom to work when I want on what I want...there is a price for it but I will gladly pay it.

Flutter

So the compilation is done, it is a result of a year of work, slowly gathering tracks from artists I like and also doing the cover artwork (which will be able to see in the design section shortly). Anyway it's coming out in a matter of days and you can give it a listen here:

Flutter (Flow Records) - Samples by dovla

It's coming out on CD on Psyshop and as a digital download on Beatport in a month or so. Working with Pena on Flow has been a pleasure so far and I am looking forward to it more and more every day. So I'm gonna leave you with a simple wish that you support the label if you like it. This CD is a result of a lot of hard work on all sides and we depend on your support to keep those tunes coming.

Super Meat Boy

Guess that pretty much covers most of what's been going on. Can't say I've been lucky on the love front, wish things were different but I've taken great steps to feel good about living on my own and I'm keeping my head high, there are too many good things in life to give up. Speaking of which I just have to mention that in between all these things I've done what I consider to be my crowning gaming achievement, finished Super Meat Boy with the highest possible score, 106% ...found everything and beat every level and its par time. I can't describe how awesome this game is and how happy I am that platformers are currently having a huge revival. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to crash, it's 4am here and I have a trip to the mountains above Zagreb in less than 7 hours and a gig in the evening as well.