“Not everyone understands house music. It’s a spiritual thing, a body thing, a soul thing”. That is a line that rings out to any house music head across the globe but makes absolutely no sense to listeners that are outside the realm of the scene. And, it is a question that I have been asked time and time again. “What is house music?”
For me, and for thousands of enthusiasts across the globe, the idea of house, specifically deep house, is something that is more than just a 125 bpm 4 on 4 beat that packs a dance floor. House is a feeling. It is an extension of ourselves. Some people think of it as an escape. They get about 20 minutes into an amazing two hour dj set in a dark room with 400 other people, close their eyes and become nearly one with the music. In that moment, you can feel alone in the venue, but completely alive.
I have been in that moment. Lost in the music, but feeling alive. I have been there in Miami smack in the middle of a thousand club goers at a Seasons Recordings party listening to Halo and Jamie Thinnes. I have been there in a basement under Metro Chicago at Smartbar. And, I have been there in Lexington at Lower 48 intently dancing to Matthew Bandy.
It’s hard to describe in words what it’s like to be in that exact time. Maybe for a climber, a comparison is being high up on the peak of a mountain looking out into a blue sky above the tree tops. The time that is so quite where they are one with nature. Only, in this case, the bass is long and driving, a few horns are playing, faint keys of a piano and a vocal can be heard occasionally.
The latest edition of the Good Life Sessions dj mix is entitled “A Lover’s Journey Home”. One interpretation for the mix is directly related to my pursuit of Sarci, my beautiful girlfriend. And, that is definitely true. There is a story that is told from track to track that came completely from my heart.
But, on a spiritual level, there is an even deeper meaning behind this mix and all of the Good Life Sessions. I recently realized that getting lost in the music was not only a remarkable experience, but far surpassed that. It is a time of worship. It is a time for God to speak, for me to let go and become the romantic that I am meant to be. It is also a reversal from the story of my pursuit towards Sarci to God’s constant pursuit towards me. His way of showing love in a language that I understand more now than I have in eleven years of being “a house head”.
If you have already downloaded and listened to the mix, I would suggest playing it again. Pay attention to the flow, the bass lines, the wording. Play it all the way through. There is a method, an art form, and a feeling behind it. Maybe then you can get a glimpse of what house music is all about.
You can download the mix via iTunes for free. Thanks for listening!
