The Journey

When I first started this hobby it was purely for fun and it wasn't even a thought in my mind that it would have come this far. It was something I had a crush on and an interest in for longer than I could remember. I wasn't playing for anyone but myself, I would show a couple friends some fun little things that I did with songs or whatever but the bottom line is that it is something that caught my eye. I remember one time I called Tyler and put him on speakerphone to let him listen to something I had just created.

Some of the tutorials or pro tips or whatever say to record everything you do so you can listen to it and pick out mistakes to improve upon but I wasn't even doing that. Just sitting in the basement every day for a couple hours messing around with beats and acapellas and honestly it all sounded terrible but it was fun and I was learning. I stuck it out because I was in love with what I was doing.

I had, and still have, a constant craving to be playing music.

My uncle asked me to make a warm-up mix for the hockey team he was coaching about 4 months after I had gotten in to it. I downloaded a couple programs, bought some cables, figured it out, and wham bam thank you ma'am my first mix was done. After that it's been 2 years that have flown by with almost a mix a month since then. I've now played weddings, parties, school dances, clubs, even a 12 hour dance marathon in which I refused to let myself repeat a song.

Recently being brought on by Connected Entertainment has been a great experience. Getting to work with experienced DJ's and being a person to know for these events is fun. Meeting some of these world known DJ's and being part of these massive events is amazing. But at the same time it is frustrating. I have developed a need to have my hands on the turntables and play music for people. I love to be playing music for people and see it move from their ears to their muscles as they itch to get up and dance. The frustration comes from the tease of these events. Finding something I love being passionate about but can't show is like being starving with a plate of food in front of you and being told if you touch it that it will disappear.

As a newcomer to Connected and just the industry in general there is so much patience that is demanded. Pretending to be a big shot when no ones knows your name is exactly that, pretending. Working on the events in general doing simple things like facebook promotions or just appearing at all the events whether I have an actual set time or not is fun but taxing. The work is going in and the results aren't happening nearly as fast as I want them to. Playing for a nearly empty room or having a set time that gets screwed up and playing for no one is disappointing and it's so hard to remind myself that it is all part of the process. I know I have the ability to rock a huge crowd and take people on a mini musical journey with me but I have to work for it and I'm so thankful for the potential opportunity to do so. I want it more than anything I've ever wanted. 

I understand now that for this to be as real I want to to be with results I want. It has to be about everything. It has to be about me starting from nothing and building something that will give me the strength and foundation to be as good and as passionate as I need to be so that when it happens it isn't cheap and worthless. I know it will be frustrating, and there will be times that it doesn't go as far as I'm dying for it to go. But in the end the wait and struggle will be worth it and I will own something that I've worked hard for and that will last forever. 

-Jermaine Still

Mix 24: Jump In

A new year and a new name.

Wow it's been a crazy month or so for me. Life is hella busy but everything seems to be going well. For some reason my heart wasn't 100% in to the things I wanted it to be and it took a good friend to repeatedly ask my "why not?" until I was out of shitty excuses to realize that I'm doing things that I love and close to people that I want to be, so why hold back.

Everyone has been asking me why I changed my name so I should clear it up. Being hired by Connected Entertainment was a big deal and already since then I have had the chance to play at soundwave(though there were some issues with the security not letting people in on time), rocking the "upper heaven" at the Y last Friday, and this Saturday will be opening up for Dirty South at the Encore Grand Opening at West Edmonton Mall. Big or small it doesn't matter the venue or whatever I'm just glad some more people are getting to hear me play. If people are hearing me I want to give them a name that isn't hard to pronounce or something that is weird to look at. Fwylo might have had more character than this one but I'm jumping in to something brand new and doing it with a new face on makes it that much easier.

I'm Jermaine Still, and I dare you to Remain Still.




Download it!

-Jermaine

Mix 23: Don't Wait for Me

Well helloooo.

I didn't realize how much time I spend on these things until I counted it up for this one. I spent some random amount time picking songs over the course of a couple weeks, then an hour recording it last week but it was just a test run to see how I felt the songs should fit together. After listening to that a few times (an hour each time), I move songs around and figure out the transition points then record it and listen to it a few times again. So then yesterday, I recorded it 3 separate times, listened to it probably 5, then listened to the almost finished one all day today taking notes on little things to change. Finally I came home tonight and recorded it one more time, then listened one more time. In total thats around 15 hours...

When you're waiting for something you know is important, it doesn't really matter how long it takes.

Enjoy.




Download it!

-fwylo

Roller-coaster Ride

If I ever own an amusement park I'm going to have a ride called Life. It'll go something like this. The attendee takes the next person in line and straps them in where he pleases, you don't get to choose if you want the front or back or middle because fuck that, this is life. Once the ride has some people (sometimes full and sometimes not it's up to the dude working, not you) the ride starts. It'll have spots that are slow and boring to the point where you want to get off and go try a different ride, and spots that flip and turn and are exciting and so awesome that you want to stay on the ride forever. But then it'll slow down again while you wait for the next spurt of excitement. But the next one won't be good excitement, it'll be scary how fast it goes and you'll feel terrible and hate the ride. Sometimes it'll be awesome and you'll love life, others you have to just close your eyes, be strong, and get through it.

Slow times are slow and excitement will come randomly. Don't get bored and sidetracked about the goals you have in mind for the future. It's hard to be confident in the things you are doing when there aren't immediate results but work hard and it will come.

I was really happy with my last mix for multiple reasons. Solid transitions, good song choices, and great energy flow. I've gotten some criticism on it from a couple people who know what they're talking about and am excited to work on that in the next one. I started mentally piecing together a new one and am slowly putting it together. Aiming for higher energy throughout the whole thing while still hitting that emotional energy connection I wanted in the last one.

Here's a few songs that I'll probably be using:

Awesome.

-fwylo

Lets get official.

Alright so progress has inevitably come through with the work I've been putting in. But the work doesn't feel like work because it's fun. Either way... like my fan page on Facebook.

Lets get me out there.

http://www.facebook.com/DjFwylo

Mix 22: Energetic Inspiration

Saaaturday!

So this is the mix I originally recorded on Wednesday, but re-recorded live at Towers on Friday.

There was a lot of inspiration with this one. Most of the songs bring up memories within me that bring up feelings and they all create that same inner passion that takes me from closing my eyes, to singing, to wanting to get up and dance. It wasn't hard to choose the songs for this one, as I go through my daily playlist, when a song sparks the right memories and feelings, I would take note. After that it was just about the structure. The beginning is slow and passionate and as it flow from song to song the energy transfers somehow I don't even know how to fully explain it. By the end of it I hope you'll be fist pumping like I am. It's really interesting to be able to play with the energy like that and if you want to test it out listen to the whole mix and when it is done restart it. It sounds almost slow and boring and you can feel yourself wanting the high energy that is at the end of the mix. The songs are almost the same tempo but the sounds and feel of them create a totally different atmosphere. I'm beginning to learn the true art of DJing which isn't just matching tempo's and choosing songs, but really controlling the energy of the listener.

It's cool to be able to track my progress like this. It will always be reminder of putting the pieces of the puzzle together and being able to look back and smile no matter what happens.

Also, I like the title of this one.




Download it!

-fwylo

Mix energy and structure.

Yes.

If you tuned in to my little live stream on Wednesday night thank you and hope you enjoyed it. You would have gotten a preview of the mix I recorded during it. I'm going to re-do the mix though because I'm not fully happy with it for a couple reasons.

Walking around listening to the music I've been playing all day every day brings my energy up and down and messes with my thoughts and feelings. There are songs that make you want to close your eyes and sing lyrics in the middle of a bus ride until a drop hits. The energy that comes up is one of pure emotional connection and when that beat drops you just want to let it all out and move to the music. I decided to structure a mix based on this type of energy and it is actually really good except for a few technical things which will be fixed when I record it again.

Channeling this energy and making it flow from song to song is what I was concentrating on and you can really feel it. Once the connection is made to the music through the lyrics and soft sounds the energy can be moved to songs that have the same feel but don't have the same emotional connection. The songs all have the same speed but as the feel of them changes the energy goes up with it and all of a sudden you're listening to a song that you have never heard and don't understand why it is still controlling your feelings. Cool stuff. I heard once that sounds are one of the things you can literally feel because the sound waves vibrate the receptors in your ear and are translated to your body via magic. Puts a new perspective on music. 

I'll attempt to record the mix live tomorrow while I'm playing at Towers so hopefully it goes well. Would love for you to stop by again.

-fwylo