Spending time and sharing with other people who have the same common bond of music that I do was the best thing to happen to my passion for DJing.  Just about anyone in the electronic music scene can probably relate to a feeling of loneliness in world full of people interested in all other genres but our own.  Especially if you are as passionate about music as I am.  That is why I love spending time throwing shows, or just playing Halo with some of my groove fellowship buddies, because of that common interest in music.  I believe that my Groove Fellowship may very well be the reason that I am still DJing today.  There is no doubt that what I have learned, and the encouragement I have received from the fellowship has inspired me to become a much better DJ than I could have been by myself.  A Fellowship of music fans like the one I am in is not formed over night; it takes a lot of time, prayer, work, and communication.

Besides prayer and Gods timing, I believe the biggest part of the electro-spirit crew forming had to do with TastyFresh.  Really, Reds didn’t even pay me to say that.  Tasty is where I would meet people in my area, and around the world.  I can even remember how happy I was the day I saw a link to “Christ Centered DJ Culture” when Google searching for Christian dance music.  Dan Bartow (heldbywill) was the first person I ever really got to meet on tasty from my area.  I posted about a little show I was doing at my church, and Dan replied that he didn’t live to far from the show, and thought he would drive up.  Who knew that a few PM’s later I would be connected to an entire team of electro heads in my area.  TastyFresh is also where Dan and Greg Reynolds (DJ Glow) would meet, and talk about the first real dance party and form the beginnings of our crew (who was really just Dan and Greg at that time).   I cannot really say where or what I would be doing if I never used TastyFresh to meet, and find new friends interested in the culture.

The Next huge element of great fellowship is throwing shows.  The first time the core members of our group physically met was in December of 2003 at a show that took place at the old Underground in Cincinnati.  We spent the day helping the Underground with their new building then we had a dance party that night.  Only a handful of people showed up that night.  Nonetheless, that was one of the most successful parties our crew ever had.  During that show all the DJ’s got to be great friends. We talked about what we did, talked about gear, and drank Cindy’s awesome blends of secrecy, which kept us up the rest of the night. That time of fellowship inspired all of the DJ’s to really get to know each other better, and encouraged us to use and push our talents to the next level. A few short months later Brian, a.k.a. Dunamis, headed up a show in Mt. Vernon, OH called Love Bomb.  This show had a good crowd and just an awesome vibe the entire night.   It seemed like every time we put on shows, we would talk about the next show we wanted to throw.  It turned out that the best part about shows was getting into the lives and minds of the people around me.  Building a community of friends, to encourage and build each other up.
           
Our community eventually led itself into meeting just to talk, and listen, and eat of course.  The typical form of a groove fellowship isn’t the shows thrown or reputation built, but rather it is a model of the Church.  In my mind, a groove fellowship is just like the body of Christ.  We know that in a church, all the members need to react, to know each other, and of course need to stay connect in order for the body to function.  So in a Groove Fellowship the same things are needed in order to produce fruit, just like our bodies.  A lot of our crewmembers even consider it to literally be a Church.  A Groove Fellowship can produce fruit far more valuable than improving dance music, it also has the power to impact lives spiritually.

Groove Fellowships are a great way to witness to other people who listen and love the same music we do.  Meeting in a home, with some food, and video games and talking music is such a great environment for a lot of techno freaks to feel comfortable, and open.  Meeting in an environment that isn’t always big party can reach people more intimately, and often reach a totally different crowd.   I have read many articles, and posts on Tasty about getting the right vibe at a show that is not the stereotypical “Jesus Bass Praise” but still has impact on those who don’t know about Christ.  It is much easier to get this vibe and be a great witness to someone when you’re being yourself in a smaller group and relaxed setting like a house meeting. 

There is no cookie cutter on TastyFresh that is good enough to shape any given Groove Fellowships’ dough.  Being open to try, and experiment with different places and vibes is the best way to reach and meet more music fans in your area.  The important thing to remember is to really get involved in your group, or start your own.