I’ve had an interesting musical journey. Looking back to where I was born, where I grew up, and the activities I engaged in my early 20s, I find it interesting that this would be my favorite mix of all time.
I was born in Cali, Colombia, the self-proclaimed Salsa music capital of the world. Spent the first 9 years of existence there so according to conventional wisdom, I would have been too young to have kept Salsa as my favorite genre of music. Research suggests that the songs we listen to during our teenage years make up our musical taste as adults. Apparently, men form their musical preference between the ages of 13 to 16, with 14 being the average age their favorite song was released… and I concur… by the way, can you guess what my favorite song might be? I was 14 in 1998 (shared at the end). One might assume then, that my favorite mix could be a live performance from the band that created my favorite song, or perhaps a compilation cd/mix of some sort relating to that era. But nothing could be further from the truth. My musical taste has changed throughout the decades, hip hop and alternative rock dominated my early, middle, and late teen years, but dance music has taken the more prominent role as the “preferred” music of choice as an adult. But of course, as with everything else, the choice of music mainly depends on the occasion.
Djing the nightlife scene in NYC was an epic experience! My sets mostly consisted of… yup, hip hop/ rnb / rock mashups / Reggae. Dance music occupied a very small percentage of my sets until… well until I accepted an invitation to go see David Guetta live at Pacha(2008). That experience opened up my musical thirst for dance music and I’ve never looked back. And so, after 13 years of being an avid listener, I have carefully chosen
Avicii @ Tomorrowland 2011
as my favorite of all time.
Ok, so why this mix?… granted, there are a plethora of dj mixes/sets that have more energy, better mashups, executed with a better fireworks display etc. But it is in its simplicity that this set stands-out for me. Tim Bergling aka Avicii, was quickly climbing up the charts in 2011, and with only a few live performances under his belt, he took over the stage at Tomorrowland. If you are familiar with his discography, you will recognize the early hits that became classics. Watching the video, I was taken back by the curiosity of artists like Nervo and Afrojack, as they seem to be observing the crowds reaction to Tim’s music. I think that as an artist/producer, there is no greater compliment than acknowledgement from your peers. He was just a kid, playing his own music, for the world to enjoy.
RIP Tim
Written by: Johnny Guerrero
Favorite song: Sugar Ray – Fly [feat. Super Cat]
