Secret Window

Ferreck Dawn - On and On ft. Mika Falls

Been prepping for a few gigs recently and enjoying diving into 2000s music. Got a gig coming up that’s Y2K themed and pretty pumped for it. I’ve rounded up about 400 tracks for it but it still doesn’t feel like enough. I’ve been channeling my university days of going out to Asian nights in Melbourne where they’d play lots of hip-hop and r’n’b and remembering all the times I was dancing on the floor. Thinking back to how the DJs were cutting between tracks and what worked is a nice nostalgic trip.

Spent tonight prepping for a techno gig at Bar En this Friday and focusing on techno. It’s not a genre I often play but I always like trying something different and finding tracks I like feels good. When you find enough you start to carve out your own sound. I just need to refine my play style. I often do long transitions for house music and timing when the main themes or choruses end and start. For techno I’m finding that placing the sounds in the right sequence to establish a new groove is the key.

Often when I’m playing pop, hip-hop or r’n’b I base the changes on lead vocals or a lead instrument to carry into the next song. For techno I’m just listening to multiple combinations or rhythms and strategically placing them for maximum groove. Small shifts in approaches is really refreshing and exciting. Can’t wait to test drive this approach live.