Friday, January 19, 2007

GGN Journal #6 - The year ends with a bang!

October to December 2006

It’s been a while since my last entry but bare with me… it’s all because of this amazing experience that I’ve come to know as my time capsule to myself and the many others out there who feel the music and how it relates to them.

Let me start from the beginning: It started on October 6th, a date that will sit in my mind for the rest of my life. The place was This Is London in Toronto where I attended my regular ritual of booty shaking when my favorite D-jay came to town, DJ Dan. It was a night that began like any other… Dan hit the turn tables and gave the crowd exactly what they called for… ‘The Dirt’! When I say dirt I refer to the musical assembly line of beats that come from that dirty place that makes every fan of the raw rhythm of house music shake it. Dan as always was on and the crowd loved it. If good music and company was enough I would agree with you but in this moment of tribal bliss I met someone. This someone was more then just anyone… she was a vision of beauty… a vision of strength… an individual that once you get past the hello’s you know you’re life is going to change forever. From that moment on I had found my Wonder woman… my soul mate… my best friend… my future wife. The date today is January 6th and as I type these words and get ready for my new year to begin, I have a date at City hall in a matter of hours. That’s right, I’m getting married! By the time I post this I will be officially hitched thanks to our love of DJ Dan and the bond that comes from this spiritual place that we, the house music followers, call our church. The wedding will come full circle when we do our true romantic adventure on Catalina Island in July with friends and family but for the meantime our love and respect for one another will be legally bound as we start our new year right… stay tuned for more details as 2007 continues.

Now that was the biggest of events that caught me by surprise as 2006 ended but it wasn’t the only adventure to happen with my journey. I got a chance to track down two of my old buddies from my early rave days that had been out of my life for many years. First was Chad. Chad was one of my closest friends during the old days and I was able to find him through our periodic contact throughout the years. Chad was a man of many talents and one of the best friends a guy could ask for. His life had had it’s up’s and downs like the rest of us but when I managed to catch up with him I’ve never seen him so happy. This happiness had truly blossomed from one place and one place alone… you see my brother in arms had become a daddy to a beautiful bundle of joy by the name of Lauren. His little lady was not even a year old and she was the one thing that single handedly put this guy on the fast track to becoming a man so to speak. Responsibility and goals were at it’s height in Chad’s life and I’ve never seen him more happy and with his shit together in a longtime. We got a chance to sit back and reminisce about the old days and the thoughts of getting the old crew together for a ‘One Night Only’ affair got us both excited and amused at where everyone was at this moment in their life.

Not to be outdone by that snapshot of the past and present, I had the biggest moment of fate other then meeting my wife that is hard to believe and can only be described as a miracle in my eyes. The miracle in question is my meeting with one of my closest buddies of my old era and East Side crew, Mike. I mentioned in a previous journal entry that I was tracking down Mike in the States because he had moved there years ago. The thing between Mike and I was very special and during the course of our early years we became like brothers. As do most brothers you have your ups and downs and this was no exception. Mike and I had reasons that we lost touch which I will leave to the film to answer but when it happened it shook both our foundations and caused a riff that made us lose contact for over 8 years. We both had always thought about one another but we never really took any steps to find each other because we didn’t know where to begin looking. When I decided to do this project I had no idea how to find Mike and was at a loss because he was so important to the assembling of my old group. He meant a lot to me and my time at East Side’s. Like a true moment of fate and a fairy tale type climax that I couldn’t predict any better my new year’s eve and 2006 gave me another gift. This gift came walking out of the crowd at an after hours party in Toronto… standing face to face, eye to eye, stood Mike in the flesh with his new bride by his side much like me and my lovely lady. This moment was truly poetic as we looked at one another and just let our jaws drop. It was like old times and we picked up right where we left off when the shock subsided. The rest of the evening and into the next day the four of us hung out and caught up. I spoke to him about the project and as the new-year continues I will be coming to meet and stay with him in Los Angeles and get the interview and hang out time that I hoped for. Its true folks… you’ve heard it hear from experience. Karma and fate go hand in hand. Be true to yourself and the people around you and life will take care of the rest.

Of course we expect the news to stop there for one entry but it’s not happening… The holidays were good to me and the 23rd is a date that stands out as an experience that truly made me a happy camper. You see, I had the pleasure of getting introduced through my wife a man that is just breaking the d-jay scene in a big way with his talents and personality behind the decks. His name is Anthony Attalla and he comes from south of the Canadian border in a dirty town by the name of Detroit. This wild man behind the wheels was someone I got to meet and greet at his set here in Toronto in October and I was just blown away at his energy and control of the crowd who both new him and were discovering him for the first time. It was undeniable and he became my next subject in my doc as I traveled down to Detroit to interview him and capture him in action at Bleu. The interview which you well get a chance to peak at on the site very soon was a very special moment as the man who I expected to wow me did with his passion and perspective on the culture and where he fit in during the present as well as the future. With that; a party at Bleu of 700 tribal members dancing their asses off was to follow as the Saturday became the event that would truly define a new year awaiting its arrival. I look forward to exposing him to you; the ever growing community that is known as the Global Groove Network.

The new-year has begun with a bang and I’m off to Vegas to film DJ Dan at JET nightclub in the Mirage. It’s his CD release party and it promises to be spectacular. What I truly look forward to do on this trip is meeting one of my idols behind the decks and the man who brought me bliss with the night I met the love of my life.

Stay tuned and be ready… DJ Dan is in the house soon!

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