How Did I Get Here?

 

How did  I get here? One of my favourite Odesza songs and a question I ask myself quite frequently. Probably too frequently.

The Birth of my Electronic Music Obsession:

This October will mark the 3rd-year anniversary of my first ever music festival known as Rocking the Daisies (RTD), but more importantly, the experience that ignited my ever-growing passion to work in the music (specifically EDM) industry.

Rocking the Daisies Brief: This iconic music festival takes place once a year on the beautiful, vast, mountain encompassed Cloof Wine Estate of Darling, Western Cape, located about an hour’s drive outside of Cape Town’s city limits. Racking in over 10,000 people with primarily rock, indie, and electronic shows, RTD has proven to be one of South Africa’s most anticipated festivals of the year.

To sum up my relationship status with this festival: I was just a small town Jan who had spent her whole life in the same, tiny Pennsylvania town, until I decided to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa –big girl pants and all, where I instantly fell in love. Between sensory-overload from new people, foods, landscapes (it’s f***ing unreal here you guys) and overall life-style pace, Daisies nearly killed me, but in a “I could die right now I’m so happy” kind of way.

Music feeds the soul. I honest-to-god believe that it’s one of the most purifying, addicting drugs known to man. I’ve always loved music. My curiosity to discover and explore new genres is just as excessive as the average american’s daily coffee intake. Without music I become antsy, irritable, and sometimes even sick. I’m not joking. There’ve been several times where the only thing stopping me from yakking all over my Uber are a pair of headphones, my ‘Recently Added’ playlist and a window-seat. I have a weak stomach people..

That said, when I started getting into electronic music, my curiosity began to take on a whole new caliber. What began as a specific new genre as electronic dance music (EDM), has grown into a massive music category that hosts tons and I mean tons of other significant genres and sub-genres within it. Daisies began my new-found career goals because it made me realise that you don’t need to be an artist to be in the music business. So I can’t create the beats that make people scream and shout and let it all out, but surely I can use the passion and general knowledge that I do have to contribute to the music world with what I already know, and with what I’m learning. I guess I had always known this, but never took the time to steer my ambitions in that way until now.

Okay, Let’s Get to the Point Jan:

One of the main realisations I had living abroad the first time was how goddamn insignificant me and the world I knew were. I grew up thinking that my hometown was pretty much the centre of the universe and as long as I was attending events that would otherwise leave me with FOMO, I was living my best life. I didn’t realise what all was out there and the potential capacity of my happiness (and FOMO for that matter) until I went out and explored. For the record, I still have a lonnnng way to go.

That idea’s all in a general sense, and I felt that the same applied for me and the music world that I tend to hibernate myself in. Returning to Cape Town this year with so much more knowledge about EDM music in the states, Canada and some parts of Europe, I thought I practically knew it all…all that were super significant at least. Right?

Wrong.

So here I am. Starting this blog because I’m working part-time in my favourite city that’s absolutely buzzing with electronic music culture, but has minimal external coverage about it–that’s where I come in. I’m simply here to bridge the gap between what defines EDM in the states vs. EDM in South Africa.