Please don't stop the music

Every month, we send an insider newsletter (called the B-Side), full of bonus content AND a playlist of songs reflecting our current mood and inspiration.  I wanted the newsletter to be multi-sensory, because I believe creative expression IS multi-faceted.  To encourage creativity, I use essential oils, breath exercises and movement, teas and infusions, candles, music…you get the idea.  Likewise, it feels essential to put my creativity energy “out there” in a variety of ways.  

As a twenty-something in New York City, the music scene was integral to my life.  I lived and worked downtown, perfect for easy access to all the best venues, and if I wasn’t at a show, my friends and I were planning which shows to check out next.  After our favorite DJ’d dance party with THE BEST MUSIC EVER went on hiatus, a friend and I struggled to find a suitable replacement.  With zero experience and only a laptop, pirated software, and plenty of confidence, we decided to DIY it.  We called ourselves Bangers + Mash (I was Mash) and started DJing our own weekly dance party.

Yep, that’s me…workin’ it at a private party in 2009.

I vividly remember finishing my day job at Bloomingdale’s Soho, then speed walking back to my West Village studio to pore over new music, experiment with mixing tracks and practice my transitions.  The thrill of this solo practice was topped only by observing the audience’s response each week.  Unexpected combinations were my favorite, and if someone looked at me with surprise, then resumed their enthusiastic dancing, it made my night.

Fun while it lasted, but the pay was small, and very late nights paired with very early mornings became hard to manage.  After two years of off and on residencies and private events, we called it quits.  Then I left NYC and the pendulum swung the other way…I completely stopped following music for many years.  But I’ve missed it.  

In creating these monthly mini-playlists for you, I am recapturing a bit of that joy, discovering music that is new (or at least new to me), and sharing it.  While my taste in music may not be a hip as it was circa 2008, I look forward to sharing music from a variety of genres, in playlists that offer some insight into where I am at creatively.  I’m also fortunate to have a design associate who is younger and more entrenched in the current music scene to collaborate with on this monthly project : )

Have you checked out our September mini-playlist?  To make sure you don’t miss out on future B-Side playlists, sign up here.  And we would love to hear which songs you like best, or even other songs you’ve been listening to.  Please comment below or on Instagram!