When asked to write the drop of the month, I figured the best way to give people tips on how to make good (great even) mixes is to explain why I became a DJ. This is an excerpt from my blog a couple of months ago.

“Tonight, I realized why I am a DJ. It's not about the money, or the fame, or even the music. It's because of the emotional power you have to make people forget what a crappy day, or week, or month, they've had. The way you manipulate the music to bring people to an emotional high they came for. Let me explain

As you no doubt know, I lost one of the most precious things to me this week. It's been real hard letting go too. That’s why I decided to go dancing tonight. Because when I'm out and about in my normal day, I try to keep my focus on what I can do for other people, and try to put them in front of me (I know that sounds like I'm blowing my own horn, but it's true) but when I'm dancing, I can be selfish. It's about me, and how I feel, and how I want to feel, and how the music makes me feel. In my 3 feet of space on the dance floor, I am all that matters for that 3 or 4 hours.

Tonight I realized just how powerful the influence of the music is. While I was dancing, Miss K put on some record, I'm not sure what it was called, but it sampled a rainy day, and that made me think of what a crappy week I was having. And I couldn't help put sit down in the middle of the dance floor and cry. It's the first time I've cried in a long time. I guess Miss K saw this and immediately, in mid breakdown, put on another record. Soon I had forgotten why I was crying and stood up and started dancing again. This is why I am a DJ, because I want to help people with music. I believe that music is therapy. And nobody can deny the power of music."

So every time I play out, I think of this night, and keep it in my mind as I put on record after record, controlling the emotional roller coaster that the people have come to hear this night.