Over the last 2 years I have been subject to several stages of totally colossal life changes. It has been hard to focus on music, even though I have continued digging and love it as ever. Music has been my lifeblood and given me a sense of meaning since I was a kid. A platform upon which I had a sense of purpose to exist. I started to DJ after my dad died when I was really young (1997). I had already been into it but after this event, collecting and playing records became a crutch, a coping mechanism. It got me through, it was a colourful, intellectually benign yet absorbing way to distract myself from the pain of existence.
One thing I have noticed is that even though privately I have always been deeply obsessed with music, my expression with it publicly has been inconsistent, stuttering based upon how I felt at any given time, allowing life events to eclipse music and stopping me from getting my ideas out there. Also, I allowed various things to block my outlet... "it's not the right style" / "it's too different to all my other mixes" / "it's not a proper underground selection" etc. BULLSHIT!
I have come to a point where I feel settled and ready to commit to a new regular series. I created a variety of DJ mix series in the past: Cement Mix, the ongoing Avenue Red Podcast among others. This one I intend to become my regular heartbeat for reflective, thoughtful, personal expressions with any kind of music.
Labelled in respect of the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (a nod to existentialism, his teachings), it is all about accepting that we are not here for a long time, we are here for a GOOD TIME! It is all about not letting ego, fear regarding acceptance or some creative apathy block access to expressing ones true self in its truest form. Unless our musical expressions are unleashed, released from our minds and committed to the physical world somehow, all of our crazy, precious and unique ideas are gone forever. Blown away and scattered with the sands of time. Once we die, there is no time left, no chance to express anything further and the universe can never know what potentially amazing things were locked up in our minds. This also represents a loss of cultural progress, as discoveries we have personally made are not being documented for posterity. This new Nietzsche Lessons series is a special zone for total freedom of musical expression.
All of the artwork is going to be my own photography from my life/travels.
Regarding guest spots, the established Avenue Red crew will always have priority - they are my clan and they are all fucking legends to me. I want 1/3 of the Nietzsche Lessons sessions to be guest spots, but we will see. Love to all, Alec xxx
"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Picture taken in Vinca, near Belgrade in Serbia. Stray dogs are endemic in the Balkans. No owner, no collar, no lead. They exist, accept their reality, always living on raw impulse and instinct. We can all learn something from this...
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01 Bibio - Light Seep // Warp Records (2011)
02 Gramatik - Indigo Child // Cold Busted (2009)
03 Thievery Corporation - The Richest Man In Babylon // Eighteenth Street Lounge Music (2002)
04 The Long Lost - The Art Of Kissing // Ninja Tune (2008)
05 Aim - What People Do All Day // Grand Central Records (2002)
06 Daedelus - A Bloodworth // Bleep (2009)
07 Paul Hunter - The Warning // Earth (2001)
08 A.P.E. - No. 5 // Dorado (1995)
09 Seefeel - Ashdecon // Rephlex (1996)
10 Susumu Yokota - Robed Heart // Skintone (2006)
11 Prefuse 73 - Nuno // Warp Records (2001)
12 The Black Dog - Tahr // Warp Records (1995)
13 Plaid - Getting // Warp Records (1997)
14 Detroit Escalator Company - Duat // Peacefrog Records (2001)
15 Tosca - Rosa (Live) // G-Stone Recordings (2009)
16 DJ Krush - Shinjiro (with Mos Def) // Mo Wax (1997)
17 Group Home - Supa Star // Payday (1994)
18 Prefuse 73 - Invigorate (Interlude) // Warp Records (2003)