Area 709

The Green Knight appears in Camelot one day, a giant, imposing figure with a huge axe in one hand and bough of holly in the other.  He issues a challenge to all of the knights present, daring one of them to strike his neck and take his head from his body.  He boldly proclaims that one year onwards, the favor will be returned.  It's a completely ludicrous proposition; it doesn't make any sense at all.

Gawain steps forward, before Arthur can stand and answer.  Seconds later, the Green Knight's head topples from his shoulders with one fluid arc of Gawain's sword.  The Green Knight's headless torso keeps standing, and then proceeds to pick up its own severed head from the ground and walk slowly and purposely out of the great hall.  His last words echo for what seems to be an eternity:

"Come find me in a year and a day."

The enormity of the exchange dawns upon Gawain.  I will give you everything of mine, and in turn, you will surrender everything of yours, and in giving up all we think we have or believe we own or trust we are, we may both find something greater and more expansive than we ever thought was possible about ourselves and each other.

I think about this tale whenever I look back at everything that transpired on the Playa, and what came to be in the months that followed.

Things, sometimes do not turn out according to one's wishes.  But, we all make choices.

Surrender everything, and come find yourself.

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A long time ago, a friend told me my ability to bear my heart openly and fully in anything I did was my greatest strength, not my greatest weakness.

Thank you.  You were right.

 

While my blog has remained quiet for two months, regular visitors to Area709 may have noticed I've still been hard at work.  I've posted three new mixes since the New Year: "Confessions," a live recording from the SHAH DJ's 'Tables Turned' event in January and "Northern Lights."  These three mixes - alongside  "Green and Blue," another mix I released in September - are part of a significant direction change I committed to in 2012.  To observers-from-afar, I think it may appear that I woke up one morning and abruptly decided to change genres.  Suffice to say, this hasn't actually been the case, and everything that's happening now is the tail end of a gradual shift that started back in 2010.  Change doesn't come about through a single decision made in isolation: it's the sum of many forks in the road.

 

Peoples' reactions to these mixes have varied widely.  Some have quietly admitted to disliking them, while others have had nothing but praise.  Either way, I've come to view Area709 as my personal sketchbook, not a polished portfolio of finished works.  In keeping with this philosophy, I think they all belong here, and I gladly accept them as they are.  One important admission though, with the exception of the recording from the SHAH DJs night, "Green and Blue," "Confessions" and "Northern Lights" were all created as gifts for my partner, Andrea.  My friends have always inspired me to strive for great things, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found a partner that brings out the same tendencies.  I'm pretty sure all these people are pretty damn tired of me loudly extolling the virtues of the other party, incessantly, so I'll stop this here. 

 

 

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